07/20/2025
Peru Day 6 Ceremony and Community
Our small group travelled to the village of Chinchero where we encountered a deeply personal and rare experience with the villagers, including Incan priests, weavers, and musicians.
We were met with ceremony, from the moment we drove into the village, and this sense of reverence for and with us remained throughout our time with them. I almost said new friend, but the priest explained to us that their people do not have the word “friend” in their language. As we encounter and begin to know each other, we are referred to as brother and sister, which I found beautiful.
As we drove into the village, a group of musicians began to play, and walked from the edge of the lake below to come and greet us, playing music all the while. The village leader blew several time into a conch shell, signaling our arrival. The weaver women sang and danced their way up with the musicians, wearing their village attire. As we each got out of our van, we were paired with one of the women, who took us down, two by two, hand in hand, dancing to the music. The music stopped, and then another song started, and the women each had bundles in the pack they carried behind them, and inside were sets of traditional clothes. Partnered up, they each dressed us in a pink bottom layer skit, a black over skit, a red and black woven jacket, a color woven shawl, and their village hat. Frank and Jimmy were dressed in the men’s ponchos. Once dressed, we formed a circle and held hands, and danced in a circle as the musicians played. The women sang a song to Pachumama, the mother earth.
We were led to the shore of their sacred lake, which reflected the mountain behind it. A fire was burning in a bowl, where natural incense was placed, including eucalyptus leaves. A very old priest, I think his name was Bernardo, resided over the area, and was assembling an offering on a large paper at the water’s edge. We sat along the raised edges of the bank, while Bernardo and another spiritual leader with a bell helped assemble the natural materials which would be used in a special purification ceremony that they were holding especially for us. This is something that is rarely done throughout the year, and we were so honored to experience this.
Ceremonies of spirit like this have a certain reverence to them, so I hesitate to describe it moment by moment, because it was so deeply personal for all of those participating. But some of the elements included making offerings using natural ingredients, each signifying a specific aspect of the ritual. And in general, he asked to cover us in protection and health, and the health of our families and children. If anyone would like to know more about the beautiful encounter, you could ask one of the travelers, personally, if they are willing to share about it. One more general note about this experience is that just as the ritual was nearing an end, the clouds released a very short, very light drizzle, for just a very brief moment. Each of us, as we quietly walks back up into the main village area, expressed that we felt it was a blessing coming down on us.
Before making it all the way to the main area, however, we were met by a most adorable herd of alpacas and baby alpacas…and it was feeding time. We got to bottle-feed these sweet creatures. Jules found the sweetest, pure white little alpaca with baby blue eyes, or rather it found her, and nuzzled up to her several times. At feeding time, Jules fed him and entire baby bottle full of milk. Once finished, he continued to snuggle up to her. Meanwhile, Janna was in her element, bottle feeding and feeding carrots by hand. Jimmy also tried feeding carrots, and laughed as they bit with their large bottom teeth, and chomped the carrot down in no time.
With feeding time over, we were led to a tent where a weaving demonstrations was being held. On the way, we passed another tent to our left, where a large pit with hot coals and large rocks sending up a delicious smelling smoke. We were told underneath those rocks, our meal was cooking!
We followed the weaver ladies to their tent, and they gave us several demonstrations. First, they had a bowl of water, a cheese grater, and a large root. Once woman grated the root, and added it to the water, which made a soapy solution. This is the natural soap used to clean the wool of their sheep and alpacas. They had some freshly shorn wool, looking a bit yellowed. The woman with the soapy solution pulled a piece of the wool and began swishing it in the bowl of soapy water and in just about 30 seconds, she squeezed out the water, held it up, and the wool was now a clean, pure, white color. The natural soap is good for the environment, and the leftover water can be used to recycle in their gardens. It also helps maintain the natural oils in the wool.
They gave a spinning demonstration, for how the fluffy wool is turned into thread using the ancient technique the Incans and their ancestors have passed down for hundreds of years.
Several plants were brought out to demonstrate the natural dye colors used, and again, they used the same parasite taken from the cactus to create the brilliant purples and pinks their village is known for.
Each of the weaver families were there with products they had hand-made, everything from woven bracelets to hats, gloves, shawls, ponchos, sweaters, tablecloths, and blankets, most featuring designs that contain their Incan traditions and stories. Visible in designs are the condors, jaguars, snakes, mountains, temples, the Inca trail, and water.
Once we chose the items we wanted to purchase, (Frank and Amy won today!) they called us for lunch. We watched as they excavated our food from the cooking pit: Plantains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn (huge kernel corn, with individual kernels the size of quarters!), yucca, fava beans, a whole pineapple, and then foil wrapped smoked meats of chicken, pork, lamb, and beef. While our hot food was excavated and assembled, cold food also arrived in the form of several kinds of salads: Quinoa salad with local cheese and vegetables, avocado salad, green lettuce salad with onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and pasta salad with carrots. To drink we had the sweet purple corn drink, Chicha Morda, a traditional Peruvian beverage made of purple corn, boiled with a little pineapple, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. Here in Peru, it’s as popular as ordering a Coke or Sweet Tea back home in the United States. It’s just a staple. All while we ate, and all through out ceremony, the musicians played the traditional music, with guitars and wooden flute, creating just the most peaceful environment.
We sat together under an open-air tent with a beautiful view of the lake. A few alpacas kept trying to join us, and the weaver ladies took them back in the holding area below.
After lunch, the ladies met us and helped us remove the traditional clothes we had spent the day wearing. We stepped out of the dresses and removed the ponchos. But we weren’t just back to ourselves. Something of their world remained with us. We hugged each other as if we were family when we left, and they played music and danced us out the same as they received us in. We left feeling blessed, not just by the ceremony, but by the entire experience of sharing a piece of our lives and our stories together.
