The solar eclipse was so important to the Incas because they considered it a "grave matter" and sorcerers believed the eclipse "foretold the death of a prince." Therefore, they believed that the Sun was in mourning and so they made sacrifices of young boys, girls, gold, silver and cattle. Women went on long fasts, wore clothing that represented sadness, and offered frequent sacrifices. It was essential for the Incas to make the Sun “happy” and not mourn any losses. They wanted a way to show their love and devotion to the Sun. The Incas enjoyed making sacrifices to the Sun, demonstrating their appreciation for all it had done for them. The Sun was very important to them because it represented the "man" of a family or "husband", the Moon represented the "woman" of a family or "wife" and the stars represented their daughters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The sun (in conjunction with the Earth) had power over all food: it was by his will that crops grew and the animals thrived. The Moon was a woman, the wife of the Sun. The Incas believed that the lunar eclipse was caused by a serpent or mountain lion trying to devour it. One of the things that the Incas could not predict was solar eclipses, they felt that eclipses caused them problems. They tried to scare the snake by pointing their weapons and shouting. They would also try to understand why the Inti were unhappy and sacrifices would be offered. Human sacrifices were not a common practice, but an eclipse was sometimes a reason to make this type of sacrifice. The reigning Inca often fasted for days after an eclipse and withdrew from public duties..