:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/RRTA2DOD5JBP7G4Q2QRCYTFN2Q.jpg "The ancestral festival that brings together Pachatata and Pachamama in Peru")
Various countries have ancient histories, beliefs and customs that are part of their cultural identity. In South America, one of the countries which has echoed a very strong identity is the Peru, and there is one of the customs which has caught the attention of several travellers. The items he collects are part of an ancestral feast known as the Ritual of Pachatata and Pachamama.
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This event takes place in the middle of the highest navigable lake in the world and one of the largest in South America. An island where about 4,000 people live becomes the main setting for this ceremony.
According Andean worldview who governs in certain countries of the zona sur de America, the “Pachatata” is the creator father, who is usually represented by the spirit of the mountains.
In the case of the “Pachamama”, it is the mother who gives life and who is more closely linked to a natural environment. It is a Quechua word, the meaning of which is as follows: “pacha” is earth (universe) and “mom” is mother, together it would mean Mother Earth. “Tata” is a Quechua word meaning father.
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On January 9, 17 civilians and a policeman died in the capital of the southern region of Puno. A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured the same day and died several days later. Despite the ferocity of the event, the prosecution has not yet succeeded in opening a preliminary investigation into those responsible.
The ritual or pachamama festival, celebrated not only in Peru, but also in countries such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and southern Colombia; but that does not happen with ancient celebration which unites the two deities of the Andean culture.
According to records, the traditional ritual of Pachatata and the Pachamama takes place in the Amantani Islandlocated in the department of Puno, Peru.
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This place is home to around 4,000 people in 10 communities who live with the winds and water of Lake Titicaca that surrounds them. Regarding its altitude, it can reach 4150 meters above sea level at its highest point, which is Mount Llacastiti. It has an area of 15 km2.
The celebration of the ritual of Pachatata and Mother Earth It only takes place in January, and according to locals, it cannot go beyond the 20th, the date on which it is usually celebrated.
It is an important event that brings together all the communities in two temples which face each other and which only open on that day.
The people act as intermediaries between the two deities. The metaphorical union of the two will result in the arrival of life, which is represented by rain who sends the Pachatata so that it falls on the Pachamama (Earth) and makes it fertile.
To do this, the residents dress in their most beautiful colorful costumes. A group, known as familiesthey will go up to the temple, the interior of which has walls that form a square (Pachatata), while another group, made up of five communities, will climb towards the other temple, whose interior houses a round figure (Pachamama). These are two Inca temples that only open on this date.
The ancestral work is led by an Andean priest, who uses a container with smoldering coals and passes them in front of everyone present, while giving his blessing. His companions fill the vases with the products harvested in the region. These can be wheat, quinoa and barley. Everything happens while the “pako(Andean priest) pays homage to the apus (highest hills) in the native language of the inhabitants (quechua). The coca leaf is essential for this ceremony.
As part of the offerings to the deities, there is the harvest, the duces, the bills and a sullu (lama fetus). The sacred fire (for the ritual) is lit, called Wilqa Nina, and tributes are paid to him. People start dancing around the element.
When everything is finished, the people are responsible for closing the temples, whose doors will be reopened in a year. An atmosphere of camaraderie is created, between hugs and greetings and sharing. The women are located on the left side where the female hill is, and the men on the right side, where the male hill is.
Amidst the conversations, the dancing and the celebration of the ceremony which, according to their worldview, will give them another year of fertile land, as well as the rains necessary for planting, resume.