Q'ero
Encyclopedia
Q'ero is a Quechua
community or ethnic group
in the province of Paucartambo
, in the Cusco Region
of Peru
.
The Q'ero became more widely known due to the 1955 ethnological expedition of Dr. Oscar Nuñez del Prado of the San Antonio Abad National University in Cusco, after which the myth of the Inkarrí
was published for the first time. Nuñez del Prado first met the Q'ero on a festival in the town of Paucartambo (about 120 km away).
The Q'ero live in one of the most remote places in the Peruvian Andes
. Nevertheless, they were incorporated into the Yabar hacienda
, located outside of Paucartambo. With the assistance of advocates from outside of the communities, the hacienda's owners were banished in 1963, and since then the whole area has belonged to the Q'ero. The ground is not very fertile, and the Q'ero live in modest dwellings. They often live in one-room houses not larger than 20 m², made of clay and natural stone with roofs of hard grass. The area stretches over several climate
s, with elevations from under 1800 m to over 4500 m. Depending on the climatic zone, maize
(corn) and potato
es may be grown, while in high areas llama
s are kept. Fields are plowed with a type of foot-plow (chaki taklla).
According to the 10-year census collected by the private U.S. Vanishing Cultures Foundation Inc, there are 6 major Q'ero villages, the home for 600 people and an average of 6000 llamas and alpacas. The villages' distance range between an hour hike to a full 3-day travel between them. The two villages Hatun Q'ero and Hapu Q'ero are located above 4000 m in elevation and about a day's march away from each other. The lower areas of the community are inhabited seasonally, only to till the fields; therefore the housing there consists of temporary huts made of clay and branches (chuklla).
Over the past ten years, dozens of Peruvian and international NGOs have engaged with the Q'ero in efforts to improve education, health, access to potable water and electricity and to preserve their cultural heritage. The success of these projects vary.
and consider themselves the last descendants. According to tradition, their ancestors defended themselves from invading Spanish
conquistador
es with the aid of local mountain deities (Apu) that devastated a Spanish Army near Wiraquchapampa.
The religion of the Q'ero is syncretic, consisting of a mixture of European Christianity
with elements of the traditional religion of the Andes. Shamans
of different levels (Altumisayuq, Pampamisayuq) still have a high reputation. They worship Mother Nature
(Pachamama
) as well as other mountain spirits, called "Apus", e.g. Ausangate
(Apu Awsanqati), Salkantai (Apu Salkantai).
Until now there were two great ages in the myth of the Q'ero that replace each other by big turning points in history (Pachakutiy) while a new age is still approaching.
During the first age (Ñawpa Pacha), the time of the first men (Ñawpa Machu), only the moon existed (Killa
). Within the first big turning point of history the sun (Inti
aka Wayna Qhapaq, young sovereign) appeared and dried out the Ñawpa Machu. The king Inca (Inkarri
) was the son of the sun and father of the Inca and therefore ancestor of the Q'eros. When Inkarri founded the city Qusqu (Cusco
) by throwing a golden rod he also created Jesus Christ. The current age (Kay Pacha) was initiated by the arrival of the Spanish and the violent death of Inkarri who afterwards raptured
to the sanctuary Paititi
. The time of the Incas is often referred to as the Kay Pacha which is also the age of the sun (Inti). This age will end with another Pachakutiy when Inkarri returns converting everything into gold and silver (Taripay Pacha). The sun will burn the world with bad people while good people will ascend to heaven (Hanaq Pacha). The return of the Inkarri is espected soon; a testimony of his mounting is for example the banishing of the Hacendados
which so it is said were very cruel.
There is no organized religion of the Q'ero. They say they live in balance and respect for all living things. The spirit of life around them is what they respect and honor. They understand the balance of nature, its power and beauty, otherwise they could not exist in such a harsh and difficult environment.
Only within the past few years has Christianity been introduced to the villages. The word Shaman does not exist in the medicine traditions of the Andes. The healers are called Paq'os. There are very few true medicine people still existing in the villages, the traditions are being lost due to the lack of interest in the young. They respect and honor Mother Nature
(Pachamama
) as well as other mountain spirits, called "Apus", e.g. Ausangate
(Apu Awsanqati), Salkantay (Apu Salkantai).
There are many myths of these people. They are simple farmers and magnificent weavers. Many of the stories being told are purely myths and fabrications exploiting these simple people, but others are complex mystifications of abstract reality explained in the form of fantastic stories that include secret codes about hidden sacred cities and riches that are passed on by generations orally in Quechua.
dialect, albeit with considerable influence from Spanish language
in vocabulary and syntax. Spanish is taught in schools, so young Q'ero people are likely to speak Spanish, especially in Hapu Q'ero. Because travel to the villages has been so difficult and the living conditions are so harsh, it has been difficult to maintain education in the Q'ero villages. For schooling, the young people must travel to towns or cities at lower elevations to learn spanish or be taught by family members who have already traveled and live there.
Quechuas
Quechuas is the collective term for several indigenous ethnic groups in South America who speak a Quechua language , belonging to several ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Argentina.The Quechuas of Ecuador call themselves as well as their...
community or ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in the province of Paucartambo
Paucartambo Province
Paucartambo Province is one of thirteen provinces in the Cusco Region in the southern highlands of Peru.-Boundaries:* North: Madre de Dios Region* East: Quispicanchi Province* South: Quispicanchi Province* West: Calca Province...
, in the Cusco Region
Cusco Region
Cusco is a region in Peru. It is bordered by the Ucayali Region on the north; the Madre de Dios and Puno regions on the east; the Arequipa Region on the south; and the Apurímac, Ayacucho and Junín regions on the west...
of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
The Q'ero became more widely known due to the 1955 ethnological expedition of Dr. Oscar Nuñez del Prado of the San Antonio Abad National University in Cusco, after which the myth of the Inkarrí
Inkarri
The Inkarri myth is one of the most famous legends of the Inca. When the Spanish conquistadores tortured and executed the last ruler of the Inca people, Atahualpa, he vowed that he would come back one day to avenge his death...
was published for the first time. Nuñez del Prado first met the Q'ero on a festival in the town of Paucartambo (about 120 km away).
Geography and history
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. Nevertheless, they were incorporated into the Yabar hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
, located outside of Paucartambo. With the assistance of advocates from outside of the communities, the hacienda's owners were banished in 1963, and since then the whole area has belonged to the Q'ero. The ground is not very fertile, and the Q'ero live in modest dwellings. They often live in one-room houses not larger than 20 m², made of clay and natural stone with roofs of hard grass. The area stretches over several climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
s, with elevations from under 1800 m to over 4500 m. Depending on the climatic zone, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
(corn) and potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es may be grown, while in high areas llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
s are kept. Fields are plowed with a type of foot-plow (chaki taklla).
According to the 10-year census collected by the private U.S. Vanishing Cultures Foundation Inc, there are 6 major Q'ero villages, the home for 600 people and an average of 6000 llamas and alpacas. The villages' distance range between an hour hike to a full 3-day travel between them. The two villages Hatun Q'ero and Hapu Q'ero are located above 4000 m in elevation and about a day's march away from each other. The lower areas of the community are inhabited seasonally, only to till the fields; therefore the housing there consists of temporary huts made of clay and branches (chuklla).
Over the past ten years, dozens of Peruvian and international NGOs have engaged with the Q'ero in efforts to improve education, health, access to potable water and electricity and to preserve their cultural heritage. The success of these projects vary.
Myth
The Q'ero believe that they are descended from the IncaInca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
and consider themselves the last descendants. According to tradition, their ancestors defended themselves from invading Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es with the aid of local mountain deities (Apu) that devastated a Spanish Army near Wiraquchapampa.
The religion of the Q'ero is syncretic, consisting of a mixture of European Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
with elements of the traditional religion of the Andes. Shamans
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
of different levels (Altumisayuq, Pampamisayuq) still have a high reputation. They worship Mother Nature
Mother Nature
Mother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless...
(Pachamama
Pachamama
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
) as well as other mountain spirits, called "Apus", e.g. Ausangate
Ausangate
Ausangate is a mountain of the Cordillera Vilcanota range in the Andes of Peru. With an altitude of 6,384 metres it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of Cusco.The mountain has significance in Incan mythology...
(Apu Awsanqati), Salkantai (Apu Salkantai).
Until now there were two great ages in the myth of the Q'ero that replace each other by big turning points in history (Pachakutiy) while a new age is still approaching.
During the first age (Ñawpa Pacha), the time of the first men (Ñawpa Machu), only the moon existed (Killa
Mama Killa
Mama Quilla , in Inca mythology and religion, was the third power and goddess of the moon. She was the sister and wife of Inti, daughter of Viracocha and mother of Manco Cápac and Mama Ocllo, mythical founders of the Inca empire and culture. She was the goddess of marriage and the menstrual cycle,...
). Within the first big turning point of history the sun (Inti
Inti
According to the Inca mythology, Inti is the sun god, as well a patron deity of the Inca Empire. His exact origin is not known. The most common story says he is the son of Viracocha, the god of civilization.- Worship :...
aka Wayna Qhapaq, young sovereign) appeared and dried out the Ñawpa Machu. The king Inca (Inkarri
Inkarri
The Inkarri myth is one of the most famous legends of the Inca. When the Spanish conquistadores tortured and executed the last ruler of the Inca people, Atahualpa, he vowed that he would come back one day to avenge his death...
) was the son of the sun and father of the Inca and therefore ancestor of the Q'eros. When Inkarri founded the city Qusqu (Cusco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
) by throwing a golden rod he also created Jesus Christ. The current age (Kay Pacha) was initiated by the arrival of the Spanish and the violent death of Inkarri who afterwards raptured
Rapture
The rapture is a reference to the "being caught up" referred to in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, when the "dead in Christ" and "we who are alive and remain" will be caught up in the clouds to meet "the Lord"....
to the sanctuary Paititi
Paititi
Paititi is a legendary Inca lost city or utopian rich land said to lie east of the Andes, hidden somewhere within the remote rain forests of southeast Peru, northern Bolivia or southwest Brazil...
. The time of the Incas is often referred to as the Kay Pacha which is also the age of the sun (Inti). This age will end with another Pachakutiy when Inkarri returns converting everything into gold and silver (Taripay Pacha). The sun will burn the world with bad people while good people will ascend to heaven (Hanaq Pacha). The return of the Inkarri is espected soon; a testimony of his mounting is for example the banishing of the Hacendados
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
which so it is said were very cruel.
There is no organized religion of the Q'ero. They say they live in balance and respect for all living things. The spirit of life around them is what they respect and honor. They understand the balance of nature, its power and beauty, otherwise they could not exist in such a harsh and difficult environment.
Only within the past few years has Christianity been introduced to the villages. The word Shaman does not exist in the medicine traditions of the Andes. The healers are called Paq'os. There are very few true medicine people still existing in the villages, the traditions are being lost due to the lack of interest in the young. They respect and honor Mother Nature
Mother Nature
Mother Nature is a common personification of nature that focuses on the life-giving and nurturing aspects of nature by embodying it in the form of the mother. Images of women representing mother earth, and mother nature, are timeless...
(Pachamama
Pachamama
Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes. Pachamama is usually translated as Mother Earth, but a more literal translation would be "Mother world"...
) as well as other mountain spirits, called "Apus", e.g. Ausangate
Ausangate
Ausangate is a mountain of the Cordillera Vilcanota range in the Andes of Peru. With an altitude of 6,384 metres it is situated around 100 kilometres southeast of Cusco.The mountain has significance in Incan mythology...
(Apu Awsanqati), Salkantay (Apu Salkantai).
There are many myths of these people. They are simple farmers and magnificent weavers. Many of the stories being told are purely myths and fabrications exploiting these simple people, but others are complex mystifications of abstract reality explained in the form of fantastic stories that include secret codes about hidden sacred cities and riches that are passed on by generations orally in Quechua.
Language
All age groups speak Quechua, specifically the Qusqu-QullawQusqu-Qullaw
Qusqu-Qullaw is a variety of the Quechua language family, spoken throughout southern Peru , Bolivia, and northern Argentina, including the prestige dialect of Cusco Quechua. With about four million speakers, it is one of the largest dialects, along with Ayacucho Quechua...
dialect, albeit with considerable influence from Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
in vocabulary and syntax. Spanish is taught in schools, so young Q'ero people are likely to speak Spanish, especially in Hapu Q'ero. Because travel to the villages has been so difficult and the living conditions are so harsh, it has been difficult to maintain education in the Q'ero villages. For schooling, the young people must travel to towns or cities at lower elevations to learn spanish or be taught by family members who have already traveled and live there.
External links
- Nation Q'ero website
- Community of Q'eros website
- Peruvian NGO working with community-founded school Kusi Quyllur
- Factores que inciden en los procesos de conservación y cambio intergeneracional de la lengua quechua en dos comunidades q'iru, Cuzco, Perú (PDF) (Spanish)
- Medicina Q'iru y Currículo en los Centros educativos de Hatun Q'iru (PDF) (Spanish)