Ever since the Hispanic imposed its religious faith on the Native peoples of the American continent (Abya Yala), many of our Indigenous beliefs were kept secretly by mixing them with the new symbols and deities. This has happened also among African descendants. We Peruvians inherited those traditions concocted in the last five centuries.
That is the reason why today there are so many "Saints", "Virgin Marys" and "Cruces" all over the Americas, and each of them represent a "patron" or saint guardian of regions and towns. Religion then became the only outlet for all artistic and cultural expresions.
These videos show two religious festivities in Peru:
The Santísima Cruz de Chalpón -the Holy Cross of Chalpon- is a celebration that mixes Catholic and Muchik Indigenous beliefs, in the northern coastal town of Motupe, in Peru. This video shows the dances that accompany the procession while people climbs a hill, carrying the cross. This dance is called Tondero, a mix of Muchik and African dances with Hispanic influences.
This is the Christmas eve celebrations or Navidad Negra in the town of San Luis de Cañete, in the southern coast of Peru, which is considered the birthplace of Black Peruvian art. This mostly-rural area is one of several regions where African slaves were brought for the plantations. This dance group is performing Festejos and Zapateo step dance, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
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This is the Atajo de Negritos (Black men shortcut)dance, a tradition from a rural town southbound from Cañete called El Carmen. This is Afro Peruvian Zapateo honoring the baby Jesus, on Christmas Day.
The Qoyllur Rit'i is one of the most important holidays in the Andean religion, celebrating the mountains or Apus and its spirits or Wamanis. It's held every year in Cusco, and people walk up the Sinakhara plains and the Apu Ausangate, located 4,600 meters above sea level. Peregrines walk for days, dancing and playing music and setting markets and fireworks. Before returning, people take a wash in icy waters of the Andean lakes to purify themselves and some brave men carry pieces of ice from the mountain peak, back to the Catholic main cathedral of Cusco, where the Christian celebration of Corpus Christi will not start until these men arrive.
This is the Christmas eve celebrations or Navidad Negra in the town of San Luis de Cañete, in the southern coast of Peru, which is considered the birthplace of Black Peruvian art. This mostly-rural area is one of several regions where African slaves were brought for the plantations. This dance group is performing Festejos and Zapateo step dance, celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
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This is the Atajo de Negritos (Black men shortcut)dance, a tradition from a rural town southbound from Cañete called El Carmen. This is Afro Peruvian Zapateo honoring the baby Jesus, on Christmas Day.
The Qoyllur Rit'i is one of the most important holidays in the Andean religion, celebrating the mountains or Apus and its spirits or Wamanis. It's held every year in Cusco, and people walk up the Sinakhara plains and the Apu Ausangate, located 4,600 meters above sea level. Peregrines walk for days, dancing and playing music and setting markets and fireworks. Before returning, people take a wash in icy waters of the Andean lakes to purify themselves and some brave men carry pieces of ice from the mountain peak, back to the Catholic main cathedral of Cusco, where the Christian celebration of Corpus Christi will not start until these men arrive.
If these Native and African traditions had not been assimilated into Catholic religious festivities, neither the Muchik people of Motupe, the Afro Peruvians of Cañete and El Carmen, or the Quechuas of Cusco, would've being able to preserve their deities since they were considered pagans or evil.
In every region of Peru, there are similar festivities being held all year long, hundreds of them. Unfortunately some young people have forgotten where they originated from. So there is so much to do in that field. We must rescue our art history in Peru, and educate the next generations on the meaning of where our traditions come from, because that is how we create legacy and heritage for the future generations.
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