[1] 1.3.4: The ceremonial cycles of the Cordillera Negra The timing and social nature of the ceremonies of Cajatambo were well documented by both Noboa and Hernández-Príncipe. This cycle consisted of seven primary ceremonies (Polia Meconi 1999 153-157). The Festival of Pariaqaqa, an annual festival held in April, that all ayllu participated in. This 10-day festival commenced with fasting from food and abstaining from sex. On the morning of the 8 th day all the ayllus embarked on a pilgrimage to the puna cave of Churinhaque, bringing with them their family mallquis. On the night of the 8 th day, ceremonies commenced where large quantities of llamas guanucos and cuy were sacrificed to Yanaq, the supreme deity, over the next two days. The festival of Chaupiamok, the sister of Pariaqaqa was also celebrated by all ayllus and commenced 40 days after the festival of Paraqaqa terminated and also consisted of fasting, feasting and sacrifice. The festival of Ynacha (or the new fire), also a 10-day ceremony, but was divided into 2 smaller ceremonies. The first consisted of traveling up to the puna to hunt guanacos to be sacrificed, while the other involved a ritual race where the winner drank from a sacred, metal cup. The new fire had to remain lit for the duration of the festival. The festival of Mature Corn corresponded with the winter solstice and also lasted 10 days. The Festival of Aupi, or Puinac corresponded with the beginning and end of summer and culminated in a ritual race, of roughly 2.5km, where naked participants were followed by members of their respective pueblos. The first day of the Festival of Urau involved a sacrifice of mullu (or seashell) along with the blood of a llama for Urau. The second day marked the first of a 5-day fast, which culminated in a ritual bath. Lastly, the Festival of Apullamac, or Master of the Llamas, involved a 5-day fast of foods brought by the Spaniards. Cuy were ceremonially sacrificed by being burned among coca leaves. One aspect that several of these ceremonies have in common is that they are located far from settled areas and incorporated pilgrimage to select destinations.
2017, Rock Art, Ancestors and Water: The semiotic construction of landscapes in the central Andes, Gordon Ambrosino. https://www.academia.edu/35713000/Rock_Art_Ancestors_and_Water_The_semiotic_construction_of_landscapes_in_the_central_Andes?email_work_card=title
Susana Eger Valadez, Director,
The Huichol Center For Cultural Survival And Traditional Arts