Inti is the sun god of which civilization?

Inti is the sun god of which civilization?

• A. Aztec
• B. Inca
• C. Maya
• D. Olmec

Answer: (B)

Inti is the sun god central to the Inca civilization. Inca rulers claimed direct descent from Inti, calling themselves the “sons of the sun,” which helped justify royal authority and the unity of the empire under a shared divine patron. The sun was fundamental to Inca religion and life: the great temple at Cusco, known as the Coricancha, was dedicated to Inti, and the yearly Inti Raymi festival celebrated the sun’s return and the agricultural cycle. Because the state itself drew legitimacy and order from Inti’s worship, everything from calendar planning to agricultural practices was framed around this deity. Other civilizations also venerated sun figures—Aztecs had Tonatiuh, various Maya groups had solar gods, and the Olmec had sun-related iconography—but the name Inti is specific to the Inca pantheon.

Inti is the sun god central to the Inca civilization. Inca rulers claimed direct descent from Inti, calling themselves the “sons of the sun,” which helped justify royal authority and the unity of the empire under a shared divine patron. The sun was fundamental to Inca religion and life: the great temple at Cusco, known as the Coricancha, was dedicated to Inti, and the yearly Inti Raymi festival celebrated the sun’s return and the agricultural cycle. Because the state itself drew legitimacy and order from Inti’s worship, everything from calendar planning to agricultural practices was framed around this deity. Other civilizations also venerated sun figures—Aztecs had Tonatiuh, various Maya groups had solar gods, and the Olmec had sun-related iconography—but the name Inti is specific to the Inca pantheon.