Cusco/Cuzco Temple of the Sun


Cusco, Coricancha/Inca Sun Temple, Gold plate depicting Mother Earth and the Incas

"The Coricancha or Qorikancha (from the Quechua words Quri Kancha meaning "Golden Temple"), originally named Inti Kancha ("Temple of the Sun") or Inti Wasi ("Sun House"), was the most important temple in the Inca Empire, dedicated primarily to Inti, the Sun God. It was one of the most revered temples of the capital city of Cusco. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and its adjacent courtyard was filled with golden statues. Spanish reports tell of its opulence that was "fabulous beyond belief". When the Spanish required the Inca to raise a ransom in gold for the life of the leader Atahualpa, most of the gold was collected from Coricancha. The Spanish colonists built the Church of Santo Domingo on the site, demolishing the temple and using its foundations for the cathedral. Construction took most of a century. This is one of numerous sites where the Spanish incorporated Inca stonework into the structure of a colonial building. Major earthquakes severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, still stand due to their sophisticated stone masonry. Nearby is an underground archaeological museum, which contains numerous interesting pieces, including mummies, textiles, and sacred idols from the site." ~ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Now this rare plaque that has survived may be compared to and the symbols used thereof to the next plaque below that has not survived but in the sketches and notes of Fernand Schwartz as is to be noted. The information and 'story' of this first surviving plaque seen about does obviously depect a different story that is likely related to the temple plaque that is no longer is existence as many of used symbols of the two are so simularly make, perhaps even by the same artisian.

Both start with a character of the Sun with a face upon it at the one side of a large oblong featureless image. And to the other side that which when compared with the drawing reproduction of another temple plaque may well be that of the moon. Lower on the left of the serviving plaque there is even a 'star cloud' filled with 'stars' similar to the two on the drawn image below. Other similar symbolizations follow on both plalques but it is obvious tha the two plaques, while based upon the same initial structure and theme by the lead in features, they then have taken to a different representation of line of thought and a realtive story to the backdrop images.

On the plaque above there is a tree like image reminding of as of the tree of life image which is also on the next image below. There is a 'world' like images with half circle images over it like a rainbow. And there is a 7 x 17 brick wall that may remind one of the 'wall' that the seed of Joseph was said that it would run over. (Genesis 49:24-27) Perhaps the story line of the above plaque is that of Lehi, the tree of life, and the seed of Joseph having crossed over the ocean to America? It is too bad that the gold sheets covering the walls and floors were all melted down for shipment to Europe. Those 'sheet' of gold from the temple walls certainly must have told other stories relative to the people and the historical events as they had been depicted upon the temple plaques of gold.

Perhaps the greatest item symbolized in ancient American worship including the Inca, was the Sun. Today there are corruptions of the ancient worship as the corruptions of an apostate people have prevaled as set out in the Book of Mormon. The thought there would lead one to understand that the actual symbol of that worship was the Kingdom of God which as the Apostle Paul states was the Celestial Glory of God's Kingdom being compared to the glory of the Sun. Here at the right is the Sun God Mask with the rays of glory shining round about.

THE OTHER
PLAQUE OF CUZCO

Prepared by Don R. Hender

In the main Temple of Cuzco stood a plaque of almost solid gold. The Spanish melted down the golden plaque but chroniclers who witnessed the melt down described the plaque. From the use of these descriptions and from mini-images found on other Incan relics, Fernand Schwartz (Les traditions de L'Americque Ancienne, by Fernand Schwartz) claims to have accurately reproduced the original plaque. Even the golden plaque that was found in the Temple was said to have been a replica of a much older and earlier plaque of unknown material that stood in the Temple during more remote epochs. The exact fate of this first plaque is unknown. Other books on pre-Columbian civilizations refer to the plaque and another reproduction by the Inca Pachacuti which is said not to be as impressive as Schwartz's archaeological work and reproduction of the plaque.

Schwartz's reproductive drawing of the plaque is presented below. If you are of LDS origin, study this reproduction and consider if it reminds you of anything relative to the Gospel of Christ.

While both plaques have prominent 'stars' below the 'Sun' and 'Moon,' the above actual gold plaque does not have to two 'Godly' human like figures as does the other plaque and thus brings to mind that, that is were the story line of the two separate plaques take their 'turn' into their own representation of recorded events. As stated below, this 'other' plaque seems to be that of the representation of the Plan of Salvation with such details as the 'Inca' would depict according to their understands of such. And it that line it is quite surprising just how much is indeed in line with so representing God's Plan for man.

To my mind, when comparing the plaque to the Gospel's Plan of Salvation, I see several striking relationships to the plaque's images as follows:

  • 1. The pre-existent state/realm/world in Heaven called The Pre-existence
      Man lived with God in a pre-existent spiritual state before coming to this earth. The 'Plan of Salvation' was there presented to us and we chose to come to earth and accept God's plan. This Plan entailed Christ as being the Savior of mankind and the acceptance of Him as the way back to Heaven. Whether this egg or embryo shape was significant to the ancient Americans as being reflective of this being the 'spiritual birth' place of God's children can only be speculated.

  • 2. The earthly state with its two-phase creation and later use
      a. spiritual creation and realm - The earth was created for man's use during his probationary state. It was first created spiritually.
      b. physical creation and realm - The actual 'physical world was crated second. The mortal state of man's life is carried out upon this earth.
      When man dies there is a spiritual realm of earth in which he dwells until various other occurrences are accomplished (see #11 below).

  • 3. Spirits coming to and returning from earth
      The spirit children of God the Father chose to come to earth to work out their salvation and to obtain a physical body. Though spirits are said to look like their mortal body with human features, there is still a question about just what their exact appearance is like as not everyone has seen a spirit.

  • 4. The veil over the earth

      The barrier between heaven and earth is a 'veil' of forgetfulness. The spirit children of God the Father come to earth to be tested and in order for them not to remember their pre-existent state and for the earthly probation to be a true test, a 'veil' of forgetfulness is drawn across their minds. In the LDS Temples today their is a physical representation of this 'veil' between heaven and earth through which man must past to enter back into the presence of God.

  • 5. God the Father and Jesus Christ the central God figures of the plan
      God the Father or Elohim and Jesus Christ, the Son, or Jehovah were the Gods of Creation around which the entire plan of salvation revolves. And they are central players in the LDS Temple Ceremony today.

  • 6. Adam and Eve the central representative mortal figures of the plan
      Adam and Eve are the first to be placed on the earth. In the LDS Temple ceremony Adam and Eve represents all of us as if coming to the earth in that we followed them here and are their mortal offspring. They are significant figures in God's Plan of Salvation.

  • 7. The mist of darkness or outer darkness
      In Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life there is a mist of darkness which represents evil and in other teaching in the Book of Mormon, the plan of salvation include a realm referred to as Outer Darkness where the wick and evil failures of this earth's probationary state are cast or assigned to dwell. Out-darkness refers to being outside of God's presence and without God's light.

  • 8. The tree of life
      The 'Tree of Life' is a central image in the LDS Temple ceremony. It is well portrayed in the Old Testament in the Garden of Eden. Further in the Book of Mormon, Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life and later teachings in the Book of Mormon about the Tree of Life are highly significant. In Lehi's dream the people would either follow the path to the Tree or Life or follow after Satan, having lost their way due to the mist of darkness.

  • 9. Local religious symbol for evil(?)
      While not knowing exactly what the significance of the symbol of the cat or Jaguar may have meant to the ancient Americans in every instance, I can only assume. The Jaguar cults of the ancient Americans are not part of Christianity. But the Book of Mormon peoples were divided into two nations, the believers of Christ and those who did not believe in Christ. The non-believers of Christ eventually destroyed the Nephite believers in Christ. This happened because of the Nephites' own fallen and wicked state. Satan or Lucifer plays a significant roll in man's striving for salvation and his ability to return to God (the Tree of Life), or not to believe in Christ and thus believing in other false Gods such as the Jaguar cat symbolizing Satan. It is with this in mind that it is suggested that the cat represents evil influences, the path to evil and/or to Lucifer himself with his back turned to God and God's Plan of Salvation. The Cult of the Jaguar Cat may will have been the major cult of the day, found in opposition to the belief in God and Christianity.

  • 10. The all seeing eye(s)

      A universal image of God's ability to know all and see all is that of the 'All Seeing Eye'. It is a concept of the plan of salvation that in God's judgment all is fair and just, as he knows all the paths and doings of men, seeing all, judging perfectly men's hearts.

  • 11. After death man is regulated to an Anti-mortal state associated with the earth where partial judgment occurs. The Extension of the spiritual realm of the earth can be viewed into the three kingdom divisions or judgment realms of beings associated with earth
      a. Bodies Celestial associated with earth in the anti-mortal spirit world
      b. Bodies Terrestrial associated with the earth's anti-mortal world
      c. Bodies Telestial associated with the earth's anti-mortal world
      (Else these three figures may also represent realms of those who have 1) accepted the gospel 2) those being taught the gospel, and 3) those in a waiting state or probationary waiting period or state of existence, and that there is movement between these temporary realms.)

  • 12. The three resulting kingdoms of glory in heaven

      a. Celestial as the glory of the Sun
        The Celestial kingdom is the realm of God. This is the highest kingdom. To obtain this kingdom man must live God's commandments and meet all of God's criteria including the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the salvation that He offers.

      b. Terrestrial as the glory of the Moon

        The Terrestrial kingdom is a second level kingdom for those that are good people but haven't met all of God's requirements.

      c. Telestial as the glory of the Stars and as many different levels of glory as there are stars

        The Telestial kingdom is a third level kingdom for all those who do not qualify for either of the first two kingdoms. These are the glories of the stars, for as one star differ in glory from another, so will these glories differ depending on what each person has earned and deserves.

    • Is it just coincidence that the Plaque of Cuzco matches all these details about the Plan of Salvation? Is it coincidence that the Plaque of Cuzco that stood in the Main Cuzco Temple of the descendants of the Book of Mormon peoples matches so well the Plan of Salvation as presented in the LDS Temple Ceremony today? According to the Book of Mormon, for the period of time of about 200 year after Christ death and His appearance in the Americas, these Ancient American peoples had the full blown Church of Jesus Christ with all of its blessings and temple ceremonies. 200 years is just about the same length of time that the United States has been in existence. After those 200 years of Christianity, the Ancient American people fell into disbelief and denied their Christian religion according to the Book of Mormon. It records the total destruction of one nation of these people about 400 AD and the collapse of their unified Christian Society into the pagan disbelieving nations that destroyed them.

    Having taught the Plan of Salvation as an LDS missionary and in classrooms in the church, I would have to admit that the Plaque of Cuzco drawing has done a far better job than I have ever done in my own graphic illustrations of how the 'Plan of Salvation' fits together and works. Even describing it here in HTML for the internet, I have learned a few more things about the plan than I had personally realized before and how things fit together. It is a remarkable depiction of the Plan of Salvation. And it would be even more remarkable if it had no real connection to it.

    Left in my mind, I marvel to think of all that was lost of Ancient American artifacts when the Spanish and others so openly plundered the lands without any concern for the historical evidences that were being destroyed. Even the Roman Catholic Church had little or no concern about what was being destroyed.

    Footnote: Though 'alien' visitation and contact is not generally directly associated with Christian religion, what are visitations of Angels and of Christ the Son of God if not visits from another world? From such I have found significant information among 'Alien Visitor' sites that relate to Christian Religion. In the Books by Erich von Daniken such as the Chariots of the Gods, and from the site where I found this Plaque of Cuzco being presented (see alien072.gif - alien075.gif on this second site), are such related items to Christianity. Often when one is looking and has a given slant on a matter, he finds relative information in what would seem to be unfamiliar territory. [note: These links in this paragraph are no longer active. If you happen to know it they are still active on the web at some other url please pass them on to me by email address below to hunterscastle@email.com.]

    (rev. 17 October 2016)

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