#andean

The Inca heavily relied on crops and cultivated some of the most important crops still used today all over the world. One of these is the ever important potato. The earth mother, Pachamama, is known to have had many daughters collectively known as "the mamas", each of them presiding over the health and harvest of specific crops. Axomama was the mama of the hearty potato, possibly known to the Moche culture prior as well and attributed pottery shaped like potatoes. By some cosmological accounts she may be identified with the inner earth or underworld as well, with a few sources stating some Inca were buried with potatoes as an offering to her, or that each village had a particular potato as an idol for her.

Pantheon: Inca

Domain or Function: Goddess of potatoes and the earth, possibly death and the underworld.

Alternate Names: Axomamma, Ajomamma, Acsomama, Acsumama, Akshu Mama, Axo Mama.

Character Traits: Presides over the health of the potato crop.

Visual Traits: Some sources say she may have been shown holding two potato plants or depicted as an odd shaped potato.

Symbolism: Potatoes, earth.

Design Notes: Based on clothing from Quechua women with colors representing the earth, buried in the ground like a potato and holding onto the roots of various South American varieties!