The Incas conceived of the physical world on two levels: one horizontal, divided into Hanan and Hurin (above and below), and another vertical, divided into three “pachas.” The Hanan Pacha, the celestial world, was inhabited by the principal deities, the planets, and constellations; The Kay Pacha, the earthly world, where human beings lived alongside gods such as Pachamama; and The Uku Pacha was the underworld or the world of the dead, ruled by Supay, Mama Cocha, and Pachacamac.
The Incas allowed the peoples conquered by Tawantinsuyu to maintain their own local religions and deities, provided they recognized the supremacy of the imperial cult.
