Layqa (

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

and

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

) is a term employed prior to the

Spanish Conquest The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

to denote a ceremonial healer from the Quechua speaking central

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian highlands. After the arrival of the European

Inquisitor An inquisitor was an official (usually with judicial or investigative functions) in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literall ...

Catholic priests The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

, began referring to all

magico-religious People who believe in magic can be found in all societies, regardless of whether they have organized religious hierarchies, including formal clergy, or more informal systems. Such concepts tend to appear more frequently in cultures based in ...

practitioners by this title, equating the ''layqa'' with ‘sorcerer’ or ‘

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

.’ Early references to the ''layqa'' appear in the Spanish Chronicles, as well as the

Huarochirí Manuscript The Huarochirí manuscript (in modern Quechua spelling: ''Waruchiri'') is a text in Classical Quechua from the late 16th century, describing myths, religious notions and traditions of the Quechua people of Huarochirí Province. The main roles i ...

, commissioned in 1608 by a clerical prosecutor and Inquisitor, Father Francisco de Avila, who used it for the persecution of indigenous worships and beliefs. Several contemporary investigators, including psychiatrist and anthropologist Ina Rösing, and medical anthropologist Alberto Villoldo have attempted to clarify that the ''layqa'' in the prehispanic world were not 'witches', but traditional healers and wisdom teachers.

References

# ''The Four Agreements'',

Hay House Hay House is a publisher founded in 1984 by author Louise Hay, who is known for her books on New Thought. ''The New York Times'' dubbed Hay "The Queen of the New Age," noting that she became "one of the bestselling authors in ...

, 2007. Culture of Bolivia Culture of Peru {{peru-hist-stub

See also

References