twin sun worshippers

twin sun worshippers

on Pachamama's lap, faces

turned to Tayta Inti

What a treat, a whole afternoon on Castle Beach on Lake Titicaca, beginning with a ceremony led by Amaru, our Inka shaman guide, to welcome us to step into the sacred lake, followed by a picnic lunch, games and just wandering the beach. So nice to slow down and do nothing after days of traveling, just lying on the warm rocks, soaking up the rays of Tayta Inti, Father Sun, on the lap of Pachamama, Earth Mother.

black on white habit

black on white habit, 

a nun looks back before

entering the door

In Cusco, the look of concern on this nun's face as she pauses before entering a door makes me wonder what could possibly cause her to worry. Catholicism, brought by the Spanish conquistadors, is still the predominant religion in Peru and the Roman Catholic Church is greatly supported the government. The Church is largely tax-exempt and many clergy receive monthly government stipends. Catholicism is the official religion of the military and the only religion taught in public schools. However, indigenous people, like many throughout the world, have adapted Catholic deities and festivals to their own beliefs and customs. The Inka Viracocha, the Creator, is identified with the Christian God, and Pachamama, the Earth Mother, with the Virgin Mary. Fiestas often occur on Catholic feast days, but often coincide with precolonial festivals tied to the agricultural calendar. Thus, beliefs come to coexist and blend together.

a laughing baby

a laughing baby

playfully held high above

mama's beaming face

Peru is a place of the heart, the heart of Pachamama, Earth Mother, and this quality of motherly love is very evident in this scene. A young mother, sitting in front of a shop in Aguas Calientes, is enjoying playing with her baby, smiling up at him as she holds him above her head. And each time she lifts him up, the baby lets out a delighted laugh.

Pachatata sunrise

Pachatata sunrise –

a yachac offers Inti

red and yellow flowers

On the twin peaks of Amantani Isla in Titicaca Cocha, there are two temples, one to Pachamama, Earth Mother, and one to Pachatata, Earth Father. We begin our climb to Pachatata temple at 4:30 am in order to arrive before dawn. At the ancient stone temple, our Inka medicine men prepare for the sunrise ceremony. They have brought their flutes, yachac headdresses, and bags of coca leaves and kutata blossoms. They gather petals from a yellow wildflower growing on the hillside, thanking each flower for its offering. With the flowers they create a beautiful pattern on the ground in front of the temple gate, forming a double circle with the yellow petals to represent Inti, the Sun god, and a double heart with the tubular red blossoms for Pachamama, Inti's wife. As the rays of the sun stream out between the sapphire lake and the blue-gray clouds, Amaru leads us in a ceremony to greet the life-giving light.

temple of the moon

temple of the moon –

Pachamama murmuring

in the waterfall

Amaru, our Inka guide, has been leading us to places very few people ever visit, and the Temple of the Moon is one of my favorites. This ancient temple to Pachamama, Earth Mother, sits high on a hill, miles from anywhere, guarded by an apu, a mountain spirit. The bus toils up a muddy road and gets stuck three axles deep in a cow pasture. We climb the rest of the way to the site, where Amaru, a yachac or medicine man, performs a ceremony to allow us to enter the stone walls enclosing the sacred fajcha, Pachamama's waterfall, cascading at the far end. It is beginning to rain. Most of the group seeks shelter under some huge boulders to meditate, but I sit on a little bridge over the stream pouring down into the fajcha, with rain pattering down my poncho. Afterwards, I descend to the pool below the waterfall, step up to the falls and thrust my whole body into the cold, rushing water, which nearly knocks me off my feet. I emerge, completely soaked, my whole being resonating with the murmuring of Pachamama. When we return to the bus, local campesinos have failed to extricate it with shovels and stones, so we hike down to the highway to wait for another bus to pick us up. I am cold and wet but completely happy.

on the isle of love

on the isle of love

a moon-faced baby peers out 

from his ruffled cap

On Isla Amantani I fell in love with this little boy, son of the family who run the hostel we stayed in. This circular island in Lake Titicaca is also called Isla Kantuta, after the national flower that grows here. Amaru, our Inka shaman guide, calls it the Love Island, because of the pair of peaks, each with an ancient temple on top to Pachamama, Earth Mother, and Pachatata, Earth Father. I saw evidence of this love theme in the heart shape set in the center of the white window grilles on the adobe houses. The costumes of the women and children are very bright, with multicolored embroidered skirts, blouses and shawls. In contrast, the men wear black pants, vest and hat with a white shirt. Unmarried children wear ruffled stocking caps, the boys with a white background and the girls in brown, both knit with colorful designs. This baby boy is obviously loved by his entire extended family and charmed us all.