Viracocha - Etymology

Etymology

Tiqsi Huiracocha may have several meanings. In the local Quechua language tiqsi means foundation or base, huira (or wira) means fat, and cocha (or qucha) means lake, sea, or reservoir. Viracocha's many epithets include great, all knowing, powerful, etc. Wira-cocha could mean "Fat (or foam) of the sea" or "Wise One" or "Creator of all things".

The name is also interpreted as a celebration of body fat (Sea of fat), which has a long pre-Hispanic tradition in the Andes region as it is natural for the peasant rural poor to view fleshiness and excess body fat as the very sign of life, good health, strength and beauty.

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