Last modified: 2025-05-31 by antónio martins
Keywords: suyu | hanan | urin | lama | squares: 49 | sun (white) | phuytu phuytu tika |
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According to most sources, the square flags in
this 7×7-squares pattern stand for each of the four
sections of the Inca Empire, the Inca flag being
the Kapaq Unancha, a rectangular flag with seven stripes.
António Martins, 20 Dec 2005
The chequered flags, of which there are four versions, are usually
described as “subnational” flags of the Inca Empire, or at
least as modern re-creations standing for each of its four quarters.
António Martins, 16 Aug 2005
The Qhishwa-Aymara (Quechua-Aymara in Spanish) have four flags, all
square, as a symbol of equality. These flags have
been adopted for the indigenous organizations of the
Qhishwa-Aymara Indians (called a whipala
(= banner) in Quechua [Aymara,
ed.] language).
Jaume Ollé, 1997
Concerning the the Inca custom of pairing dual
flags, was reported plain square flags for each
of the four 7×7 squares flags (in the color of the diagonal
line of squares).
António Martins, 02 Nov 2016
Are these 7×7 squares square flags
genuinely Inca, or a modern day invention?
António Martins, 20 Dec 2005
These flags are based in designs probably 2000 years old.
Jaume Ollé, 1997
This Kara Chukiwanka’s article
[qch9X] quotes also an interesting report
(referenced as «Razzini: 193» with no bibl. ref.), by
researchers Portugal Zamora and Ibarra Grasso (apparently bona fide
archeologists / historians), 1957: «Una de las pictografías
consiste en una figura compuesta por motivos escalonados en cuyo centro se
ve una separación o línea eje que divide el motivo en dos
porciones iguales, posiblemente para la mentalidad actual de los
indígenas lugareños, se encuentra en este dibujo un
parecido con la bandera del Kollasuyu que esta compuesta por una serie de
cuadrilateros, de distintos colores, muy semejante en su composición
gráfica a un tablero de ajedrez. En aymara o Kolla, se llama
Wip’ala». This seems to describe the
chakana symbol with
moon ("◐") on the center, and compares it to the checkered
Kollasuyu flag (thus reported as common
place already in 1957).
António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
These four 7×7 squares square flags are hard
to tell apart at a distance; their interchangeable use is likely.
António Martins, 20 Dec 2005
Kara Chukiwanka’s article [qch9X]
repeats that the square shape of these flags reflects the dual and
quaternary phisolophy embodied in so many aspects of Inca life (four
regions grouped in two pairs, et c.) — a statement
also found in [mmfXX] and other sources,
which however does not explain why the wiphala is so often seen in
rectangular format.
António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
All four suyu wiphalas can be made by trimming from the same
basic pattern at different offsets.
António Martins, 30 Oct 2017
The best way to tell them apart is by the color of the diagonal string
of squares:
António Martins, 16 Aug 2005
The full spectrum used is green - blue - purple - red -
orange - yellow - white (and again green et c.)
What distiguishes each of these flags from the other three is the
diagonal it is centered on, as all four flags are just differently
“framed” swatches of the same basic, endless pattern:
Qulla Suyu’s diagonal is white,
Chinchay Suyu’s is red,
Anti Suyu’s is green, and
Kunti Suyu’s is yellow.
António Martins, 02 Nov 2016
The local flags are single coloured square flags.
The colours used are red, orange, yellow, white, green, purple, blue,
light blue, pink, dark red, coffee, lead, ochre, black, and light green.
The symbolism of the colors is red for earth, orange for society and
culture, yellow for energy, white for time, green for economy, blue for
space, and purple for policy.
Jaume Ollé, 1997
![[flag]](../images/x/xi-_loc.gif)
image by Jaume Ollé, 20 May 2007
Image from the article [mmfXX],
exemplefying an Inca local flag: Red square with a
golden lama.
António Martins, 20 May 2007
![[flag]](../images/x/xi_13x13.gif)
image by António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
In Kara Chukiwanka’s article
[qch9X] this flag is
presented as «P’uytu P’uytu Tika
Wip’ala»,
or checkered flag, one of the three flags of the
Wiñaymarka culture.
It is a square white flag with four nine-square
chakanas on each quadrant — red,
green, purple and yellow (clockwise from the upper hoist) — limited
by diagonal strings of black squares (the whole fittable to a 13×13
grid) and on the center a white sun disc with 12 simple rays, thinly lined
in black.
António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
These four elements may correspond to the four quarters
of the empire, but the not all colors match: yellow
(Qunti Suyu), red (Chinchay
Suyu) and green (Anti Suyu) are okay, but
Qulla Suyu’s color is white, not purple.
(Compare with the quartered flag with all expected
colors, reported to be the pair flag of the seven-stripe
Inca flag.)
António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
About this flag Kara Chukiwanka’s article
[qch9X] suggests that it may be related
to the Southern Cross («Chakana a Qarwa Nayra»), reports
its presence carved in the Tihuanaco / «Tiwanaku» ruins and
used in ceramics and weavings (but as a flag, or just a pattern?).
António Martins, 03 Jun 2008
![[flag]](../images/x/xi-b11.gif)
image by António Martins, 30 Oct 2017
On photos (here and
here)
of a MAS (Bolivian party) rally in early 2017,
among a few Bolivian tricolors, many party flags,
and a couple of regular 7×7 yellow-diagonal (Qulla
Suyu) whiphalas, we can see two unusual checkered flags:
This one and a 11×11 checkered
flag in the well-known suyu wiphala pattern, showing a blue
ascending diagonal. This could be made from a mistrimmed
endless-pattern cloth. The blue diagonal is one of
the three out of seven that is not used to symbolize any of the four
suyu regions/“quadrants” (the other unused
ones are purple and orange).
António Martins, 30 Oct 2017
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