by Rom Siquijor
The Return of Tunupa
Figure 6. Apu Kun Ticsi Viracocha, Supreme Incan God
Melchizedek’s predestined homecoming awakens the sleeping Tunupa from within …
Melchizedek, gone for almost five decades had returned to his motherland. It was a predestined homecoming. Time had pounded him. It seems to be a handy work of a master craftsman who had painstakingly carved each and every corner of his masterpiece. All the bizarre incidences in his life are now starting to make sense. Destiny is taking its natural course.
Their boat was halted as the low tide forced it to conk by the shore. The sky was clear with very negligible traces of the overcast. The breeze of the ocean is whistling. From the horizon, the sky seems to touch the sea. The sun is raving as Melchizedek disembarks from the boat. His long white beard is almost wrenched to his breast. He is clad with a long white cloak up to his ankle. As he walks toward the beach, he seems to float flamboyantly along that long-stretched shore.
A half league away, few Indians called Chachapoyas1, mostly women and children, started to flock by the shore. Some of them half-naked, the others wore clothes from skin of animals that barely cover their genitals. Some of them have paints on their faces and accessories of shells or bones hanged on their necks.
As the Templars waited patiently on their boat, they prepare for any confrontation that could erupt anytime with the natives. The Templar archers loaded their long bow with stiff arrows out of their buckskin sheaths. They are aiming right at the Indians; waiting for a cue as they watch Melchizedek continue his stride a league away from them.
When Melchizedek reached the flock, their jaws dropped as they awed watching the Indians bowed to the ground, venerating Melchizedek, and chanting—”Tunupa! … Tunupa! … . Tunupa!”
Melchizedek felt eerie; but at the same time felt soothed in his heart upon setting his foot on the land. Something deep within is attracting him towards this place. Deja vu2. He knew he has been there. The smell of air was familiar. Inexplicably, the local dialect of mixed Chacha and Quechua3 appealed to him to a great extent; he seems to understand the words in his mind.
As Melchizedek was drawn by the crowd, the rest of the Templars disembarked the boat cautiously and ready to draw their battle-sharp swords anytime. Suddenly, the shore was barren. All the Indians trailed Melchizedek to an unknown path. After the sun was cloaked by darkness, the troops started to camp for a safe haven not so far from the shore. They positioned themselves strategically near to the shore; probably with the intention to retreat to their boat easily in case they needed to. They erected their tents made of interwoven cow hide. They put fires around the campsite and assigned guards that rotate all throughout the night.
Melchizedek drifted, wandered into the unknown. He was not bothered by the cold wind of the nights nor the blazing morning sun. He just walked and walked without saying a word. He slept when could no longer continue striding. He survived by eating coca leaves or whatever is available, he drinks from the living river. Sometimes the Chachapoya natives would offer him some meat and cooked quinoa.
After a several weeks of wandering, he found himself at the town of Ollaytantambo—his actual birthplace. It is a magnificent valley with enormous mountains and hills surrounding it. The splendid landscape of the rice terraces follows the intricate contour of the vast mountain. The air is fresh, everything is green. At the heart of the town is an immense pyramid made of big boulders. Atop, the magnificent throne of the Inca King was conspicuously placed; strategically positioned to witness both the rising and the setting of the sun. At the pyramid’s foot, rests a fountain rushing with rustling crisp cold water from the melted glaciers of the Andes.
There, he spent time with the natives who mysteriously loved him well. There was simply a connection between him, the people, the earth, the wind, the sun, and everything around him. He felt peace from within.
In no time, Melchizedek learned the language. His accent was stiff but the Indians could understand him. Afterward, he started to attempt to teach the Indians about the civilized world and Christianity. He talked about the great monasteries they built in the western world, the temple of Solomon, the stories of the bible, the Genesis, Jesus Christ, and the war against the Christians and Moors. For him, this was the real meaning of a crusade; to evangelize the people who never had the chance to know Christ and introduce Him without using sword but words and free will. It was indeed a fulfilling adventure. He was deeply gratified having accomplished his mission of being a true disciple of the Church.
While he has taught a great number of natives the basic Christian beliefs, he on the other hand, adopted the lifestyle of an Inca; he dressed like the Incas, mingled, ate, slept, and practically lived with them.
Melchizedek spent most of his time at the mountain of Pinkuylluna; where the stone face of Tunupa is carved. For some strange reason, there is something in this mountain that attracts him like a magnet. Undeniably, there was a great similarity between Melchizedek and the stone face of Tunupa—the fierceful eyes, the beard, and general facial bone structure. Many of the Incas believed that he was indeed Tunupa and they idolized and revered him, but Melchizedek’s would always denounce the claim and would veer them to the ways of Christianity instead. It was tough. The Indians believed more practical things than abstract concepts. It would be easier for them to accept the godliness of the sun as they can feel its energy, but it is very hard to explain to them the concept of redemption, the trinity, and other Christian beliefs.
One day, a follower of Melchizedek explained to him, “The sun is our father, Apu Kun Ticsi Viracocha, he is the creator of the Universe, and he is the great source of life … From him comes heat, without heat there wouldn’t be life … Once we die, what is the first thing that happens to us? Our body would turn cold … Why? Because there is no more life—there is no more heat …”
At times he would wonder. And at a certain degree, he would think that these Indian have a reason. In fact a good reason to worship the sun. But where did this logic came from?
For quite some time he was immersed with the tribe, at cold nights under the dazzling stars, he would never fail to think about the visions about the list of Popes and the great tribulation, which was unfolded before his very eyes more than 12 years ago. It haunts him. Having this knowledge is too much of a burden to keep. It is ravaging inside. So, with a yearning to let it go, one cold windy night, as a group of Indians were gathered together around the fire, he simply could no longer contain it and had to share the story; hoping that someday, after the earth had heard it, the wind will bring it back to the Vatican and to the Christian world to prove that the prophesy is indeed real.
It was a great challenge. His story contains some words that are not even present in Quechua, not to mention that he has not mastered the language well enough. He was sharing concepts totally foreign from the simple minds of these Indians. He did it nonetheless. He believed that some of them, if not all of them would understand. At least he hoped with all his heart, that one boy called Amaru4 would understand it.
Amaru, is Melchizedek’s most ardent follower. He would never fail to attend those gatherings they called Tinkuy5, even though his shaman father would surely get mad once he had learned of his participation of a seemingly absurd Christian stories around the bond fire. He is a boy of great intellect and vivid imagination. He typically wears a cloth made of alpaca furto protect him from the icy breeze of the dark cold wind during the nights in the mountain. His shoes or usuta6 are of the same material. He always carries a flute made of bone of a llama that he is fond of playing during intervals of Melchizedek’s stories as intermissions. If he is not asking questions, he would most likely be making jokes or fun of whatever thing he sets his eyes on.
It was a long narration. The wood fire had already turned into ashes and only a few of Melchizedek’s closest Incan friends remained. As the cocks started crowing, his animated
story of the end time had also concluded. It was said that these orations were passed down to another, then to another, then another; until it became a local legend. The oration was later on known at the valley of Ollaytantambo as the Celestine prophecy, since the beginning of the list of the Popes began with Celestine II.
One ordinary day, Melchizedek was gathering water at the Fountain of the Sun, when a very old woman approached him. This woman looked like a person who has already been half-mummified, although still stubbornly roaming the earth. Her back was arched enormously either because of scoliosis or the weight of the bloated goiter that could easily burst with blood and puss with a single pinch. Her hair was all white. She carries a cane made of bone of a llama with a handle made of a horn of a goat; that was the only thing that makes her stand still. Oddly, Melchizedek felt that he already met this old woman before, but could not remember where or when. As Melchizedek continued gathering water into his buckskin container, he was stopped as the old woman grabbed his right hand with her cold trembling grip. Again, Melchizedek tried to look at the old woman and flashes of visions when he was a baby rushed into his head—but he simply could not understand them.
That old woman was Llaica Capanga. Her eyes glared with awe upon seeing the birthmark of the sun at the right palm of Melchizedek. She was right on her intuition that Tunupa will come back one day and she will not die until this day is realized. Then, with her old trembling voice she uttered, “My Lord … Tunupa … You’ve come back and came to reclaim the empire that is rightfully yours—your birthright to rule all of our nations as king and lord—and unite us under one God—Apu Kun Ticsi Viracocha!”
Melchizedek took back his hand and politely turned-away. As soon as he walked for a few yards, the old woman fell down to the ground—unconscious and seemingly dead. Melchizedek hurriedly turned back to help her. Several other natives who were there at the scene rushed to his assistance. Melchizedek checked the pulse of the woman—there was none. She was not breathing at all. Melchizedek laid his right hand at the old lady’s chest to check her heart-beat and he felt nothing except the dry skeletal structure of the old lady. Suddenly, to everybody’s amazement, Capanga choked once then opened her eyes—she started breathing again. Then, she held Melchizedek’s hand once more, saying, “My Lord … Tunupa … the great messenger of our Supreme God Viracocha … you came back … . Now I am ready to die … as I already fulfilled my destiny …” Capanga closed her eyes and never opened it again. All the others who witnessed the incident scattered the story like an epidemic to the village, then the whole of Cusco, eventually to the entire Incan empire.
The Origin of the Incas
Figure 7. Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo emerging at the Amaru Muru Portal
Who are the lnca’s? Where did they come from?
What is the origin of the Ceiestine Prophecy in Peru?
The night was tranquil, except for the familiar symphony orchestra of a thousand crickets, breaking the stillness of the cold wintry backdrop. Melchizedek was restless. Thoughts of the old woman kept running through his head. He knew that this string of strange coincidences has a deeper meaning—but what? He continues to examine his thoughts as he tries to look for answers to the questions: Who is Tunupa? Who is Tunupa?—And who am I?
He struggled to sleep. He never realized that the answers to these puzzles were simply lurking at the back of his mind, and are just waiting to be popped. The Indians believed that the subconscious is the mind’s portal to the gods. It seemed so. That night, he started dreaming that he was in front of a huge stone portal. As he came closer, the door seemed to open with watery drape over it. As he walked through it, he was approached by a person with a long beard and long white cloak. To him, he looked like Jesus Christ, although he cannot tell with certainty. The man told him that he was the brother of Manco Capac, Ayar Caca, Ayar Cacho, Ayar Puti, Mama Ocllo, Mama Huaco, Mama Raua and Mama Cura—the first Incas borne out of the great portal in Titicaca. He was bewildered as the man calls him Tunupa. He remembered the old woman at the fountain calling him the same.
“Tunupa, do not be afraid! The mysteries of this great universe will be revealed unto you—from the beginning … to the end …”
Suddenly, at the window of his mind, he saw how the first Incan masters came out of that same portal at Titicaca they referred to as Wilka Uta1. The man said to him that their ancestors were the few of those who survived the great tragedy when their great empire had sunken into the ocean. They were saved by escaping through this enormous underwater portal, like an umbilical cord, connecting the womb of their kind, to the navel of the world, passing throughout Titicaca and coming-out of the Wilka Uta portal.
The old man told him that the origin of their kind came from a distant star, from a race called the Annunakas2. They were amphibious-like beings that were implanted together with 144,000 souls that inhabited both the land and the seas. This explains why they were called Incas, the sons of the Sun, because when Manco Capac and his brothers were asked by the Indians where they actually came from? Every time, the brothers would usually just point to the sky where the sun was, so the Indians concluded that they were the sons of the Sun. Then, the namesake Annunakas, through time was curtailed as Ankas which later on became Incas.
Suddenly there was darkness, the settings changed. From the sky, he saw Yuca, his mother. She was wearing a simple but pristine white dress—around it was a magnificent glow. Her face was bright and on her feet was the moon.
“Don’t be afraid my son! Your Father has sent me to guide you and to illuminate you … You have remained faithful to Him—with all the trials you’ve been through … I know you are ready and your time has come …”
After that day, Melchizedek started to have more dreams about the Incas and his true nature. He wanted to find more answers to the puzzling dreams he had been receiving, so he isolated himself and lived as a hermit at the higher portion of the mountain of Pinkuylluna. In that same mountain, where the stone face of Tunupa could be found, Melchizedek found sanctuary. He felt a different energy emanating from this place. It was a stiff climb to the mountain, but when the natives have illnesses, they would come to him so he can lay his hands on them and their sickness would miraculously disappear. The natives would usually bring him fruits, quinoas, rice, corn, and meats of llamas or alpacas to ask for his blessings and to heal them from their ailments. Later on, he was given the namesake lnkari.
Although Melchizedek wanted to isolate himself, his faithful Q’ero disciples would not part from him. No matter what he does, they would never leave him alone in that desolated mountain. Although some parts of Pinkuylluna were still covered by scraggly trees, the dreadful area was almost barren of any land animals or birds, except for a vulture that roams around the mountain sky, craving and hungry for death to come. With meager food supplies of corn, quinoa, and rice from donations he kept on the granary at the mountain, Melchizedek lived contentedly with his Q’ero disciples.
During daytimes, the majority of the Q’eros would set their traps for cuys or wild guinea pigs. Then, they would wait patiently until they have enough rodent meats to partake. At night time, they would start fire using the u’yaca3 or little sticks that they rub together to produce sparks to start a fire. Then, they would cautiously deposit their catch on their makeshift oven. They would basically dig a hole on the ground, put a flat metal cover over it, and set fire on top. They would wait patiently for hours as they sat around sipping hot steaming tea of fresh coca leaves, ready to hear Melchizedek’s stories during the tinkuy. Sometimes, they would simply put the cuys in sticks over fire. Then, under the vast skies and twinkling stars, the odd aroma of the bar-be-cuy would fill the air against the cold wind of the night, as Melchizedek narrates biblical stories and sometimes those from his own strange visions and dreams.
The boy Amaru would always sit beside Melchizedek and would listen to his stories intently. He would rub his hand against his b
one flute to help his skinny body absorb more heat. He would sit clasping his knees. Then if he is not gazing at Melchizedek, he would inspect the bad wound on his knee with blood dried-up by the icy-cold air. He is the qollana4 or the doubting Thomas student of Melchizedek. As Melchizedek strides through his stories, Amaru would pop his questions.
“Inkari, if Manco Capac and his brothers came from the sea, and their ancestors came from the stars, then, where did the ancestors of their ancestors came from?” Amaru chuckled as he knew this question would be very tough to answer even for an old soul like Melchizedek.
“Very inquisitive … young man! Consider this: the sky showers the earth with water through the rain, the earth stocks the water into the seas, then, sometimes the sun dries up the water. Where does the water goes?” Melchizedek asks everybody around him.
“Back to Hanan Pacha!” Amaru exclaimed as he stands among the crowd.
“Exactly!” Melchizedek puts his arms around the boy. “The water did not exactly disappeared but just changes it’s form to vapor, and then stacked into the clouds. As it rains, it comes back to the earth. It is the same when the Sun-god Apu Kun Ticsi Viracocha moves the energy from and within Hanan Pacha, Ukhu Pacha, and Kay Pacha … There is a Supreme mover who made everything we see or not see in this world! But—ultimately, everything leads to Him!”
“But how?” Amaru insisted.
“Believing … . Believing that you can be part of that divine nature …” before Melchizedek could continue he was interrupted again by Amaru.
“This person who was crucified—you said he was the son of God. And you said that Apu Kun Ticsi Viracoeha and your God are one, so does it mean that Manco Capac and this being are brothers—and we all came from the same family?”
