Is This ‘Temple of Fertility’ in Peru Really a Collection of Huge Stone Phalluses or a Phylogenic Fallacy? ​

The megalithic fertility temple also known as “Chucuito” on the edge of Lake Titicaca in Peru is special and at the same time controversial for essentially one reason only: its “sexuality”. Whether the standing stones are said to represent magic mushrooms or represent magic mushrooms has been controversial among historians for many years now.

Penis carved from stone by the Incas in Peru
Inka Uyo is a little-known site of cut stone structures located at the site of Chucuito in Peru. It is part of one of the two squares that make up the site of Chucuito and, according to many archaeologists, it is one of the most attractive structures in the Titicaca Basin, as it is an arrangement of carved stone protrudes from the ground inside. a rectangular ruin surrounded by walls.

Inca Uyo Fertility Temple Site (CC BY NC NA 2.0)

At first glance, Inca Uyo is a walled area surrounding Santo Domingo that looks like a giant mushroom garden. But on closer inspection, the 86 carved mushroom-shaped stones look more like carved stone phalluses, some pointing skyward – possibly towards Inti, the Inca sun god – while others Another rock crashed into the ground – towards Pachamama, the goddess of Mother Earth.
​The structures were first excavated in 1950 by Harry and Marion Tschopik, qualified archaeologists in Peru, and they were the first to claim that the structures were This structure was built in the “Inca style”. The site would be further excavated during the 1960s by Orompelio Vidal, whose work mainly focused on clearing structures around the square.

After detailed archaeological research, it was concluded that the stones were ancient and were taken from local quarries, although there is some debate as to whether the stones were moved. at some point or not, as the original excavation does not depict them arranged vertically in rows, as they are found today. Additionally, some experts seem to agree that many of the stones were collected from other locations and placed in the enclosure.

Despite their ancient age, the stones are believed to have been moved from the surrounding area and placed in rows (CC BY NC SA 2.0)

The purpose of the temple is a mystery
So the question is: what is the purpose of the website? Officially, the purpose of the temple is unknown. However, most historians and archaeologists seem to agree that these strange structures were part of an ancient religious temple where fertility rituals took place to Treats infertility for many women.

As Ashley Cowie reported in a previous article on Ancient Origins, many early cultures associated sex with supernatural forces, and religious architecture interwoven with such depictions was quite common and not shocking to anyone. Sexual images are found on statues, ceramics, paintings, sculptures, dramatic art, religious buildings, monuments and music. Thousands of years before writing, ancient societies extended their sexual and sexual activities to the surrounding landscapes and on important days in the agricultural and ceremonial calendars, people became hypersexuality and spiritualization in natural places considered to be abundant in the magical energy of fertilization.

A child plays among penises, one of which is the size of a small child (CC BY NC NA 2.0)

Fertilization symbols around the world
Concepts of the female Earth Mother can be found in almost every ancient culture and she is often associated with gently rounded hills, gently flowing streams, freshwater springs and deep caves most, is considered the womb, where her abundant reproductive power is worshiped.

For example, in ancient Greece, phallic artifacts included amulets, figurines, lamps, ornaments and ceramics, which were often placed outside the home, in doors, walls, boundaries, tomb. The phallic bird symbol was used in ancient Greek fertility rituals, where participants carried poles with winged members on top. The unveiling of the winged phallus was an important rite of the Dionysiac celebration. This specimen was recovered from the Temple of Dionysus, Island of Delos, Greece and dated to around 300 BC.

Phallic bird symbol, found in the Temple of Dionysus on the island of Delos, Greece (Photo: Courtesy of Ashley Cowie)

If this doesn’t convince you of the possible purpose of the ‘temple’ then you should look into Arches National Park, north of Moab in the state of Utah. Bordered by the Colorado River to the southeast, it is home to more than 2,000 natural sandstone geologic formations, including vast domes and balanced rocks. However, the centerpiece of the Native American tribe’s fertility rituals is one of the world’s oldest and largest sandstone yoni. Located at 5,800 feet (1,767.8 m) above sea level, Arches National Park has some of the highest penises in the world. This particular specimen can be approached from the south by following the dirt road from Arizona Page to Cannonville, passable by most vehicles in dry conditions but slippery and dangerous when wet .

The phallic symbol appears naturally in Arches National Park (Photo: Courtesy of Ashley Cowie)

Furthermore, the ancient Vedic culture of India took sexual rituals to a completely different level. Located deep in the jungle, the 10th-century Khajuraho Ruins are a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh that include purpose-built sex temples and carnal chambers. Every square inch of the wall is carved with tens of thousands of highly vivid sexual images to enhance the ceremonial environment. From depictions of men having sex with animals to bizarre group sexual encounters ranging from 1 woman to 20 men, these ancient Vedic rituals are intricate, sublime arts. stage, in which orgasm is timed, sustained, and released at key stages in the ritual. It was during this period of research and development, when sexuality corresponded with spirituality, that the seeds were sown for what would become the world’s best-selling love guide – The Kama Sutra.

Khajuraho Stone Monument – Indian Kamasutra (Public Domain)

Last but not least, Gunung Mulu National Park, located close to Brunei’s southern border with Malaysia, beneath its densely forested slopes is the world’s largest limestone cave system. Deep within Lang Cave, this see-through rock formation has been the center of sexual and fertility rituals for more than 1,000 years.

So can we be sure about the purpose of this Chucuito in ancient times? Of course not, because there is not enough archaeological evidence to verify our speculations. However, can we speculate that it was considered a fertility temple based on similar structures? Sure.

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