Peruvian Chakana Cross

The chakana (also called the Andean cross or Incan cross) is a stepped cross symbol found throughout Andean archaeological sites from Argentina to Ecuador, one of the most ancient and widespread symbols of South American civilization. The word chakana comes from Quechua — chakay meaning 'to cross' or 'bridge' — and the symbol represents the cross made by the Southern Cross constellation (Crux) as it rotates around the south celestial pole, a critically important astronomical marker for Andean peoples who oriented their temples, cities, and agricultural calendars by its position.

The chakana's form is rich with cosmological meaning. The three steps on each side of the cross represent the three levels of the Andean universe: the upper world (Hanan Pacha, realm of the gods and stars), the middle world (Kay Pacha, the human world), and the inner/lower world (Ukhu Pacha, the underground world of the dead and the future). The central circle or hole at the cross's center represents Cusco, the navel of the Inca world, or more generally the axis mundi where all three worlds connect. The four arms of the cross represent the four cardinal directions and the four seasons, while the stepped pattern creates a visual rhythm of twelve that references the Andean calendar.

As a contemporary charm, the chakana appears on jewelry, textiles, and artwork throughout the Andean nations. Indigenous communities from Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador have reclaimed the chakana as a symbol of decolonization, of pre-Columbian civilization's sophistication, and of Andean identity in the face of centuries of cultural suppression.