Six woodcuts (monoprints) 90x90
cm, 2013
printed at Falu
Konstgrafiska Verkstad
The Chakana (or Inca Cross) symbolizes for Inca
mythology what is known in other mythologies as the World
Tree.
The stepped cross is made up of an equal-armed cross
indicating the
cardinal points of the compass and a superimposed square.
Each of the three steps of one corner is meant to represent
one of the
three worlds of the Inca belief system. This includes the
lower or
underworld, the middle world, that of the humans, and the
upper world
of the gods.
The four flat sides of the superimposed square represent the
four
elements of the Inca cosmology: earth, fire, water and air.
Through a central axis a shaman journeyed in trance to the
lower plane or Underworld and the higher levels inhabited by
the
superior gods to enquire into the causes of misfortune on the
Earth
plane.
The snake, puma, and condor are totemic representatives of the
three levels.
Lars Wikström
lars.wikstrom@lakris.nu