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GOWANUS Spring 2002 |
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| El
Señor de Qoyllur Rit段
By Adrian Locke
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Located in
the remote valley of Sinakara, some 60 kilometres east of Cusco El Señor
de Qoyllur Rit段 [Lord of the Snow Star] is the most significant rural
pilgrimage shrine in Peru, drawing increasing numbers of people from all
over the country. Such popularity reflects the ability of Qoyllur Rit'i,
an image of the crucified Christ painted on a rock, to appeal to disparate
social groups. However, it is the native Andean character of Qoyllur Rit段
that continues to attract attention. The pilgrimage reflects the complex
marriage between native Andean religious belief and European Catholicism,
a process begun in the aftermath of the Spanish invasion of 1532, which
can be seen to meet at Sinakara demonstrating the manner in which Christian
religion has been accepted within the demands of an Andean social structure
and landscape. As a paradigm Qoyllur Rit'i proves that native Andean religious
belief and Catholicism can function alongside one another in a mutually
beneficial way. In essence, Qoyllur Rit'i reveals the crossover that took
place between both forms of worship in colonial Peru, and which led to
the emergence of a new syncretic religious belief system that survives
to this day.
The shrine of El Señor de Qoyllur Rit'i has its origins in a series of events that are believed to have taken place either in June 1780 or 1783 which, significantly, places it at the beginning or end of the failed up-rising of the native Andean revolutionary leader Túpac Amaru II (1780-1782). After the initial sequence of recorded events little mention is made until the mythical history of the miraculous events were officially recorded by a local parish priest between 1928 to 1946. Certainly, by 1931 the shrine was sufficiently popular to attract the attention of the celebrated Peruvian photographer Martín Chambi (1891-1973) who recorded scenes of the pilgrimage that year. The date of the initial miracle in the month of June, and subsequent pilgrimage, coincide with Corpus Christi, the principal religious procession of Cusco, during a grand parade of all the saints of the diocese centred around the cathedral. Today Qoyllur Rit'i is accepted as part of those celebrations since people participate in the pilgrimage before returning to Cusco in order to partake in the festivities there. The timing of the miracle clearly links Qoyllur Rit段 to the agricultural and pastoral calendar emphasizing its rural importance. Qoyllur Rit'i is like an onion with a number of different layers, as each is peeled away, another aspect of the whole is revealed. A clear example of a pilgrimage shrine that maintains a strong native Andean identity, Qoyllur Rit段 has changed over time and continues to evolve in response to the demands of a modern audience. Yet these changes do not detract from its perceived aims based around the needs of the local population who brought the shrine into existence. It is important to realise that Sinakara was a sacred place before the miracle happened, and that the miracle was a means to legitimise a local native Andean sacred site in the eyes of the Catholic Church. It is a classic example whereby miraculous icons are used as a means of inclusion through which native populations respond to the demands of a new, in this instance colonial, society. In the broad sense there are four separate
issues that can be defined here in respect to Qoyllur Rit'i. Firstly, the
miracle occurred at a time of extreme political disquiet, which divided
the immediate region into those groups in favour of, and those opposed
to, Túpac Amaru II. Secondly, the miracle safeguarded the religiosity
of Sinakara for the benefit of the local native Andean population, an aspect
that can be seen through modern accounts of the pilgrimage, and the continuing
observance of customs and rituals associated with it that define local
territory and identity. Thirdly, the occurrence of the miracle to a young
native Andean shepherd defines a need among the greater native Andean population
to demonstrate their ability to receive Christianity and to prove their
capacity for salvation. This statement of intent can be seen as the native
Andean population demanding, or being granted, the right to secure their
own variation of Catholic worship furthering the process of proselytism.
Finally, the events surrounding the establishment of El Señor de
Qoyllur Rit段 highlight the systematic transfer of the religiosity of the
pagan landscape in the creation of a new sacred topography. Such a process
has been traced to pre-Christian Roman Europe, through Medieval Spain to
the Americas.
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