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Cultural
Heritage
Quechua culture today The vast domains the Inca controlled between the 13th and 16th centuries are nowadays divided into three countries. In Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, amid other languages, Quechua --the language native to the Inca culture-- is still spoken. Of these Andean countries, Peru is, without a doubt, the country where the Inca (or Quechua) ancient cultural legacy continues to have the most impact. Of the 22 million inhabitants of modern Peru 2 million are monolingual Quechua speakers and over 3 million are bilingual speakers of Quechua and Spanish.
Mestizaje The coexistence of the Quechua and the Spanish cultures brought about the phenomenon known as mestizaje, which has fused or merged the diverse expressions of both cultures, thus producing a unique syncretism in the cultural, religious, linguistic and culinary planes, to name a few. As time went on, this mestizaje diversified even further as a result of the confluence of African and Asian cultures. Andean spirituality The amalgamation of Quechua and Spanish cultures gave rise to what can be called “Andean Christianity” in which many indigenous festivities and religious symbols were adapted to conform to the Christian liturgical calendar. In this way, the Church “christianized” the Andean deities, by gradually superimposing Catholic symbols to the divinities and, specially, the sacred places of the Andean faith. In this way, the Virgin Mary replaced the Pachamama or Mother Earth, and the Christian churches were erected on pagan sacred places. This accounts for the teeming pilgrimages to the summits of mountains or snow covered peaks (Apus) where the shrines so dear to thousands and thousands of mestizo and Quechua worshippers are located.
The Pilgrimage toQoyllorit'i The Pilgrimage to the shrine of the Lord Christ at Qoyllorit'i is considered the most important religious festivity in the Andean calendar. The pilgrimage is a ritual which blends the worship of the Quechua deities and the Christian god. Located 4,880 meters above sea level, the shrine rises on the Sinakra mountain —in the Eastern Andean Mountain Range—next to the snow covered peak of the Ausangate, in the Department of Cusco. Every year, between the last days of May and the first days of June, about 70 thousand devout worshippers make their way to the shrine to honor the holy image of the Christ which is portrayed on the surface of a rock. This “holy vision” has been venerated since it materialized in 1783.
Music and dance One of the main features of the celebration at Qoyllorit’i (Star of the Dazzling Snow) is the spectacular gathering of thousands of indigenous dancers and musicians who annually scale the Qoyllorit’i mountain to honor the Christian god as well as the Apus, ancient indigenous deities.
The diverse squads or groups of dancers and musicians represent their own towns, which are known as ‘nations’. They depart from their respective towns and make their way to the shrine as they dance, pray and make votive offerings in sacred places (called “apachetas) along the way. Among the best known dances are the Khapaq qolla, which originates in the highlands, the Auqa chileno, which comes from the interandean valleys, the K’achanpas, from the temperate highland areas, and the Chunchu, which comes from the jungle.
The Ukukus The Ukukus, also called Pawluchas, are the most representative dancers of the Qoyllorit’i festivities. Even though ukuku means ‘bear’ in quechua, these dancers actually represent the llameros (llama keepers) who work in the mountaintops, near the glaciers. Their equipment always includes a whip, which they use to command respect and maintain order during the celebration.
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