Climate Change & Disappearing Glaciers,  Festivals, Sacred Rituals, Religion

Getting Our Bearings Back after Qoyllur Rit’i

Back in Lima today after four days and three nights at Qoyllur Rit’i. We got great material (interviews, photos, video), and all of us survived, but it was an ordeal.

Bitterly cold temperatures (-10 degrees Celcius), sleepless nights accompanied by constant drumming, dynamite being set off helter-skelter. Having to re-set up camp ourselves in the dark due to our arriero‘s incompetence (tents pitched at angles, facing wind). El Fotografo passing out due to exertion at high altitude….I could go on and on.

But on the plus side — we met a great comparsa from Cusco-Santiago, who welcomed us into their rituals and let us understand the remarkable faith that drives pilgrims to make this perilous journey to a glacier’s edge.

They even dressed me and El Hijo up as Capac Qolla (rich llama traders) and taught us to dance while cracking a leather whip.

Such is the strange, surreal world of Qoyllur Rit’i.

I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.

4 Comments

  • Ward Welvaert

    Several of my friends who went to Qoyllur Rit’i left Cusco in the evening, arrived at Qoyllur Rit’i around 11:00pm, walked up the mountain in the middle of the night, and attended mass in the morning before returning the next afternoon.

    I was told this is the “easier” way to visit Qoyllur Rit’i, so you don’t have to walk up the mountain in the heat of the sun or camp out in the freezing cold.

    Or, maybe they’re not tough like you guys 🙂

  • Barb

    Yeah, Ward, that strategy works for lots of pilgrims. El Fotografo was talking about doing a one-day trek and back, but that wouldn’t have given us the time to do interviews, etc.

    Thanks for mentioning this easier way. Maybe it’ll help a reader who wants to go next year.