Equeco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (March 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This article is orphaned as few or no other articles link to it.
Please help introduce links in articles on related topics. (August 2006)

Equeco or Iqiqu comes from an Aymara (one of Peruvian native languages) word which means God of wealth. The Equeco is a Peruvian character made by gypsum or clay and it is used as an amulet for business and home. This character who looks like a human with his arms open and who is wearing typical Peruvian clothes, comes from an Andean legend which says that there was a countryman who worked very hard and made a lot of money, and he had to take all his money in his backpack, so later he became a big symbol of wealth and prosperity in Andean countries. It is also said that this countryman smoked a lot to be awake and kept working to increase his fortune. For this reason it is believed that if a person offers to the Equeco a cigarette, a wish will be conceded to that person.