Snow Star

Every year, thousands of faithful travelers depart from their villages in Southern Peru for the glacial peaks of the Colquepunko mountain range on the annual pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i or Snow Star.  There, at altitudes above 14,000 feet, pilgrims don costumes of mythical characters and dance and sing in a whirling five day spectacle.  Breaking only briefly for rest or food, the faithful continue their dance through both day and night, spurred on by melodies that echo throughout the Sinakara Valley.  For four years, I journeyed on the pilgrimage of Qoyllur Rit’i and the smaller procession to Tayankani with the comparsa Auca Chileño, a group of pilgrims from the highland village of Chinchero.  During that time, I came to understand the intrinsic relationship between pilgrim and the Andean landscape.