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