The Qoyllurit’i Pilgrimage: Religious Heritage versus Socio-Environmental Problems
The Qoyllurit’i Pilgrimage: Religious Heritage versus Socio-Environmental Problems

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the theme of the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Señor de Qoyllurit’i (and his alter ego – Señor de Tayankani), one of the most important patron feast (fiesta patronal) in the central-Andean region (Perú). The first part contains an ethnographic description of the procession, its location in “sacred space” and the main social actors involved. In the following part the attention focuses on the description of the foundational legends and myths of the festivity and the debate related to the syncretic form of the worship of Señor de Qoyllurit’i, based on the fusion between religious traditions of the Andean region and Catholicism. In the end the process of changes in the structure of the ceremony is presented, related to environmental problems: the aspect of climate change and its repercussions on regional beliefs.

• Details
• Contents