Sex in Ancient Andean Cultures

Ancient Andean cultures still have a significant influence on life in South America. A few years ago, I found myself in the position to make a decision that would change the course of my adult life. I had spent almost ten years studying to become a psychologist and had a few dozen thousand dollars in student loan debt. But after a near-death experience, I wondered if I would spend a third of my life sitting in an office, dedicating my life to work. I was reading a lot at the time, trying to understand and justify the shift in my idea of self. Then I stumbled upon a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”After much consideration and de-programming regarding “what I’m supposed to do,” I went with my gut and decided that my dream was to learn and understand who we are and the world we live in. Being a psychologist has facilitated my understanding of human behavior, but traveling is what has helped me understand how the nuances of how people behave around the world. Belief systems and behaviors have been evolving (and devolving) for as long as humans have been on this planet. We have a lot to learn from ancient cultures, especially about sexuality.

Labels, acronyms, pronouns, and even our understanding of gender are societal constructs that only came to be as a reaction to sexual suppression and a lack of tolerance for differences. Even the concept of “taboo” exists to describe a difference in what can be considered erotic. None of this existed in our ancient cultures before religions started regulating when, why, and with whom we could fuck. Current knowledge about pre-Columbian Andean cultures relies heavily on the writings of sixteenth-century Spanish Roman Catholic chroniclers. Like anyone else, they could only understand indigenous behavior through their perspective on life and morality. Luckily, enough evidence has been discovered to determine these cultures advanced views on sexuality. Below are a few items I’ve found particularly enlightening from different Ancient Andean history museums.

Fun fact: Pre-Columbian Andean cultures relied heavily on aphrodisiacs to modulate sexuality, and people in South America still do… even when getting fresh juice.

In the ancient Andean understanding of the world, sex was considered profound and magical. It was part of the inseparable bond between people and the cosmos, and it had implications on everything from the success of their crops to every aspect of the spectrum of human life. Sex was linked to mysticism and rituals and was considered part of the cosmic dualism: man-woman, light-darkness, life-death. The sculptures and phallic objects that have been discovered were, as a matter of fact, used in rituals and for masturbation. This shows that pleasure and the discovery and understanding of their bodies were common practices in ancient Andean cultures. Homosexual sex was also depicted in pottery. These ancient cultures separated genders into three groups: male, female, and Tinkuy (which included homosexuals and transgender individuals). Prehistoric gender roles, sexual practices, and perceptions of male and female bodies shifted through time to meet changing sociopolitical, ideological, and imperial demands.

Fun fact: This artifact below was used as a contraceptive. Men would ejaculate into the ceramic which was used later in fertility rituals.

Stonework and ceramics of the Andean region represent a rich representation of prehistoric sexuality. In Ecuador, figurine traditions dominated, whereas ceramic vessels received greater elaboration in Peru. While the Ecuadorian figurine traditions are most highly illustrative of gender roles, Peruvian ceramic traditions are more informative on sexuality, with their diverse and explicit depictions of oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse.

As per usual, in studying ancient societies and their understanding of relationships and sex, I realize that we are regressing. Not regressing as in "going back" but we are devolving. Constantly becoming less educated and less tolerant about sexuality. Please, dear reader, be the change you want to see in the world. Be understanding, kind, and when all else fails, read and educate yourself.