Yatoʼ Caresa
Yanesha · deity · Yanesha traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Yatoʼ Caresa is the ancestral warrior divinity who defended the Yanesha homeland against invasion. He stationed guards along the frontiers to keep out the cannibal Muellepen, who came upriver along the Palcazu to raid the settlements of the Cacazu valley. His vigilance held for a time, but in a final onslaught the Muellepen broke through, defeating Caresa and killing many Yanesha warriors. His story maps the geography of ancient conflict onto the rivers and rocks of the region.
Domains
- war
- boundary defense
Powers
- stations guards to defend the territory
Relations
- enemy: MuellepenFernando Santos-Granero, 'Writing History into the Landscape,' 1998 (secondary)
Sources
- Yatoʼ Caresa was a warrior divinity who posted guards to prevent the cannibalistic Muellepen from entering Yanesha territory and was ultimately defeated by them in a final attack in which many Yanesha warriors were killed.: Fernando Santos-Granero, 'Writing History into the Landscape,' American Ethnologist 25(2), 1998 (secondary)