The New York Times - USA (2020-11-09)

A8 N THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONALMONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2020

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel
restrictions in place worldwide, we began this series, in
which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to
some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places.

Stubbornly unfazed by warn-
ings of “soroche,” or altitude
sickness, I swung my legs up
onto a donkey and began to
ascend the steep trails. After
trekking for a few dizzying hours
alongside hundreds of others, I
approached a glacial basin. The
scene began to unfold before us:
an immense valley flooded with
so many pilgrims that it seemed
to be covered in confetti, each
tiny speck representing a hud-
dled collection of tents and peo-
ple.
The altitude sickness began to
overtake every inch of my body.
Even my eyeballs ached. But,
undeterred, I slowly navigated
through the throngs of people
trying to take in every sight and
sound.
Each year in late May or early
June, thousands of pilgrims trek
for hours on foot and horseback
through Peru’s Andean highlands
— slowly snaking their way up
the mountainous terrain — for
the religious celebrations of
Qoyllur Rit’i, held some 50 miles
east of Cusco, once the capital of
the Incan empire.
Practiced annually for hun-
dreds of years, the celebrations
mark the start of the harvest
season, when the Pleiades, a
prominent cluster of stars, return

to the night sky in the Southern

Hemisphere. The syncretic festi-

val, which is on UNESCO’s Rep-

resentative List of the Intangible

Cultural Heritage of Humanity,

interweaves Indigenous and

Incan customs with Catholic

traditions introduced by Spanish

colonizers, who sought to under-

mine Andean cosmology.

Celebrations were suspended

this year because of the corona-

virus pandemic, with the route to

the valley completely blocked off.

But when I attended in 2013, the

crowds were remarkably dense.

The festival takes place in the

Sinakara Valley, a glacial basin

that sits around 16,000 feet above

sea level. Celebrants swarm in

colorful droves with costumes,

enormous flags, instruments and

provisions in tow.

The festivities begin with the

arrival of a statue of the Lord of

Qoyllur Rit’i, transported from

the nearby town of Mahuayani,

to the valley’s small chapel. For

three days, from morning until

night, amid the nonstop sounds

of drums, flutes, whistles, accor-

dions, cymbals and electric key-

boards, the air is filled with bil-

lowing clouds of dust kicked up

from twirling dancers; it settles

on the sequins, neon scarves,

ribbons, tassels and feathers that

adorn people’s traditional cos-

tumes and attire.

Pilgrims here are divided into

“nations,” which correspond to

their place of origin. Most belong

to the Quechua-speaking agricul-

tural regions to the northwest, or

to the Aymara-speaking regions

to the southeast. The delegation

from Paucartambo has been

making the pilgrimage for longer

than any other.

“It’s important to maintain this

tradition, because we have a lot

of faith,” said a young Paucar-

tambo pilgrim dressed as an

ukuku, a mythical half-man and

half-bear creature. Costumed in

red, white and black alpaca

robes, the ukukus are responsi-

ble for ensuring the safety of the

pilgrims; they act as intermedi-

aries between the Lord of Qoyl-

lur Rit’i and the people.

Other participants include the

ch’unchus, who wear head-

dresses and represent Indige-

nous communities from the

Amazon; the qhapaq qollas, who

wear knitted masks and repre-

sent inhabitants from the south-

ern Altiplano region; and the

machulas, who wear long coats

over fake humpbacks and repre-

sent the mythological people to

first populate the Andes.

Hundreds of ceremonies are

held throughout the three-day

festival. But the long-awaited

main event is carried out by the

ukukus in the early morning

hours of the last day. Carrying

towering crosses and candles,

ukukus from each nation ascend

the Qullqipunku mountain to-

ward a nearby glacier, regarded

as alive and sentient. (The snow-

capped mountains circling the

valley are also believed to be

mountain gods, or Apus, that

provide protection.)

According to oral traditions,

the ukukus, after scaling the icy

slopes, once partook in ritualistic

battles that were eventually

prohibited by the Catholic

Church.

Another tradition was also

recently put to rest, this time by

Mother Nature.

Up until only a few years ago,

ukukus would carve slabs of ice

from the glacier, whose melted

water is revered as medicinal.

Pilgrims would eagerly await the

ukukus, backs bent from the

weight of the ice, who would

place the blocks along the path-

way to the temple, to be used as

holy water. Sometimes the ice

was even transported to Cusco’s

main square where, as Qoyllur

Rit’i draws to a close, Corpus

Christi celebrations kick off with

comparable religious zeal.

Many believed that carrying

the ice was a penance for sins,

and that fulfilling this ritual

meant the Apus would offer

blessings. But because much of

the glacier has melted, the tradi-

tion of carrying chunks of sacred

ice down the mountain has been

banned.

Climate scientists say that

glaciers in the tropical Andes

have been reduced by nearly a

quarter in the last 40 years.

Some scientists predict that such

glaciers could disappear by 2070.

These changes have not only

affected agricultural practices in

the Andes, but also, as witnessed

by Qoyllur Rit’i pilgrims, cultural

ones, too.

Although the ukukus now

carry only wooden crosses back

down the mountain, they’re still

met with great jubilation — a

testament to human resilience in

the face of destruction caused by

climate change.

The celebrations, top left and at right, mark the start of the harvest season, when the Pleiades, a prominent cluster of stars, return to the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere. The festival combines In-

digenous and Incan traditions with Catholic traditions introduced by Spanish colonizers. Bottom left, a group of ukukus responsible for ensuring the pilgrims’ safety by acting as a spiritual intermediary.

THE WORLD THROUGH A LENS

Peru’s Enduring, Even if Altered, Snow Star Festival

Each year in late May or early June, thousands of pilgrims travel for hours on foot and horseback

through Peru’s Andean highlands for the religious celebrations of Qoyllur Rit’i, held some 50 miles

east of Cusco. The festival was suspended this year, but in 2013 the crowds were remarkably dense.

Photographs and Text by DANIELLE VILLASANA

Danielle Villasana is a photojour-
nalist whose work focuses on
human rights, women, identity
and health.