UJ #17 - Traditional Peru

Gihan Tubbeh / PromPerú
Gihan Tubbeh / PromPerú
fair takes over the Acuchimay hillside, featuring local
products, crafts, and food. Meanwhile, in Huamanga,
the Pascuatoro takes place, and a bull is released in
the streets as spectators flee to avoid getting trampled
– much in the same style of what is done in San Fermin,
Spain. As evening descends, Ayacucho’s main plaza fills
with people singing and dancing in celebration.
The worshipers
cloak themselves
in candlelight
during the
processions.
The eloquence of
Ayacucho’s Holy
Week images as
reflected on the
face of the Virgen
Dolorosa.
only by the candles held by faithful devotees. In Ayacucho,
every procession has a reason of being and a story to tell.
On Maundy Thursday the processions cease and the
townspeople spend the day touring the city’s churches.
Then, on the eve of Good Friday, silence descends and
the streets of the city fill with dozens of women dressed
in black, who accompany the Virgen Dolorosa as she
weeps and mourns before the Holy Tomb.
It is not until Saturday morning that the atmosphere turns
festive, as church bells ring throughout the city, marking
the beginning of the celebration. A grand, traditional
Then, back where we started: Easter Sunday, at the foot
of Jesus’ plinth. Each detail on it has a specific significance
that seamlessly ties in with the Andean worldview.
Its triangular shape represents the mountains, the
Apus; the wax figures that adorn it are in the shape of
flowers and corn – offerings typically used to request
a good harvest. As the plinth slowly advances through
the crowds, making its way to the plaza, hundreds of
people take turns carrying it on their shoulders. Here,
it is not about an exclusive brotherhood. It is the very
townspeople who give life to one of the most important
cultural expressions in Peru and the world.
THE ‘APUYAYA JESUCRISTO’ (POWERFUL
LORD JESUS CHRIST) IS THE MOST
REPRESENTATIVE SONG FEATURED IN
AYACUCHO’S HOLY WEEK CELEBRATION.
IT WAS COMPOSED IN QUECHUA
DURING THE COLONIAL TIMES BY FRAY
LUIS JERONIMO DE ORE, A FRANCISCAN
PRIEST FROM HUAMANGA.
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