Preparedness in Food and Other Essentials
A practical skill the South American fair-skinned god, Viracocha taught his people during his mission in South America in ancient times should ring true to Latter-day Saints in our day. Viracocha taught his people to store food and other essentials.[1] He taught them where to build their storage silos on the hillsides or in places where the cool winds from the tall mountains would preserve their food stocks. Viracocha taught them how to keep insects away from their food stocks.[2] The Andean people lined the bottoms of their granaries with a variety of mint called Muña (minthustachys mollis). It would seem that Viracocha taught the people of the Andes to have the ancient world’s foremost preparedness program. Not only did they carefully preserve huge grain stashes, they also stored supplies of garments, wool, footwear, and other items.[3] When the Spanish arrived, they found that the Peruvians had a 10-12 year supply of food. The Inca preparedness program even outperformed the Nephites at Zarahemla who had a 7-year provision of food (3 Nephi 4:4).
Perhaps the Inca’s food storage program represented was far more than a communal economic order. As for the Incas’ incredible preparedness program that was taught to them by the fair-skinned god Viracocha, Father Cobo wrote:
Therefore, it seems that all of the work done by the Indians would turn out to be beneficial to them. Especially if they were in need of it; and since the clothing that some made and the products that they harvested were not needed by the workers themselves, the Inca gave it to others, but not a thing left his kingdom for foreign kingdoms. In fact, from these same storehouses he ordered alms to be given to the poor and needy, and after the province was supplied with the necessary provisions, he had them supply the needs of other surrounding provinces, and thus foods were transported from the storehouses of the coastal plains to the sierra and vice versa. All this was done with so much care, order, and speed that nowhere was anything lacking nor was anyone in dire straights, even though there were lean years; for the provisions went from person to person where they were needed, and what was left over or not necessary was kept in the storehouses for times of need. These storehouses were always well supplied because ordinarily there was food gathered from ten to twelve years back.”[4]
The Inca food storage program was far more than being good Christian neighbors. It was a empire-wide system to care for those in need. In many ways it mirrors the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ enormous welfare program. Peru our Peru Tours we will see examples of the Incas food storage facilities.
[1] Sarmiento, 27.
[2] According to tour guide a Raq’chi, Peru.
[3] Betanzos, 99.
[4] Cobo, 221.