The snake was associated with the underworld in Inca cosmology. It symbolized Uku Pacha, the world below or inner realm, in contrast with the condor and puma’s associations with other cosmic levels.
In the commonly described three-part Inca cosmos, Hanan Pacha was the upper or celestial world, Kay Pacha was the present earthly world, and Uku Pacha was the below or inner world. The snake’s close relationship with the ground, tunnels, and hidden spaces made it a fitting emblem of Uku Pacha. The puma represented the inhabited earthly world, while the condor was linked with the upper world.
Uku Pacha should not be treated as exactly identical to the Christian idea of hell. It was also connected with the dead, fertility, seeds, caves, and the hidden processes that generate new life. Colonial chroniclers and missionaries sometimes translated or interpreted it through Christian categories, which shaped later descriptions of the Inca underworld.