Pawkar Raymi celebration in Saraguro honors the bounty of Mother Earth; Cuenca Explorers offers a tour of the three-day festival

Mar 11, 2015 | 0 comments

Although the Pawkar Raymi is one of the highlights of the year in Saraguro, with roots going back hundreds of years, the modern celebration dates only to 2000.

The reestablishment of the festival is a reconnection by the people of Saraguro with their heritage, according to locals. The community was created more than 500 years ago when the Incas relocated thousands of residents of what today is Bolivia to the area, 90 miles south of Cuenca, historians say. “Many of our traditions were lost in the process, as well as during Spanish colonization, and today we are recovering them,” says Carlos Cartuche, director of Intercultural Center in Saraguro.

Pawkar Raymi, which pays tribute to earth, is held this year March 19, 20 and 21. Besides Saraguro, it is celebrated in indigenous communities of Peru and Bolivia.

Pawkar Raymi is highlighted by the passing of responsibility for protecting the land from one leader, or Capac, to another. The ritual includes a cold cleansing bath for the new leader followed by a procession into town and three days of celebration. Events include cultural and sporting events, and an ancestral reunion between younger and older generations.

For more information about Pawkar Raymi in Saraguro, click here. For more about the community of Saraguro, click here.

Cuenca Explorers is offering a three-day tour of Pawkar Raymi in Saraguro. In addition to participating in the celebration and meeting the local people, the tour will include hikes and shopping for indigenous crafts. The tour departs Cuenca’s terminal terrestre at mid-morning, Friday, March 20 and returns Sunday, March 22. Cost for two hotel nights and bus is estimated to be $96 per person. The tour has five spaces available.