ANDEAN CORPUS IN LIMA
(2016-2017)
Lima is a cosmopolitan city with immigrants from different regions of Peru. Many people from Cusco brought their traditions when they immigrated to Lima. To preserve these traditions, Cusco devotees, the Municipality of Lima, and the Catholic church authorities agreed to recreate the entrance of the Saints and Virgins during the Corpus Christi in the same way it is done in Cusco.
In the Andean Corpus, the images of the Saints with their devotees, porters, dancers, musicians, and “sahumadoras” (incense burners) celebrate life with joy and sacrifice. Each group has one person or family responsible for the celebration (“carguyoc” or “mayordomo”) who organizes the rituals and offers presents to the attendees (candies, food, or souvenirs). In Lima, the devotees, with hundreds of dancers, take the images of the Saints to the Cathedral to pray and receive blessings. Once the Mass is over, the devotees remember their Cusco traditions by dancing with the images and sharing farewell rituals. The most notorious farewell ritual is between the images of Saint Sebastian (carried by barefoot devotees) and Saint Jerome. As part of the celebration, during the procession, some dance groups lash their members as a sign of purification or initiation, and others demonstrate their skills with impressive physical movements. |
CORPUS IN OTHER CITIES
(SAYLLA, CUSCO - 2018)
THE FAITH MOVES MOUNTAINS - ANDEAN CORPUS
VIDEO PREPARED WITH KMCERO
(Research and cinematography with
Christian Declercq and Rodrigo Cabrera)
VIDEO PREPARED WITH KMCERO
(Research and cinematography with
Christian Declercq and Rodrigo Cabrera)