Corpus Cristi

There are few events that could be animated through the media of words. This includes the religious event of Corpus Cristi, specifically the one held in Cusco, which is incredibly profound, mixing the traditional views of the Incas with the strict, conservative and catholic views of those who conquered them. On the eve of Corpus Cristi fifteen saints are carried around the Plaza de Armas and end their journey inside the large cathedral. There the saints remain until the following day when the festival begins.

Claus, Charlotte, Katie, and I met up early on the morning of Thursday, June 12. School was canceled for the festivities of Corpus Cristi because of the large numbers of Catholics who habitate Peru. What I found the most amazing was just how devout these Catholics are. The synthesis of Catholicism and the Incan religious tones has resulted in a Catholicism vastly more profound than one could imagine.

At approximately 10AM, mass started in front of the cathedral, where all 15 saints surrounded the area where the altar remained. There were a plethora of nuns, priests, bishops, and government officials presiding at the mass, and even one Archbishop (I think) who came to Cuzco to offer the mass.

I have not attended mass in a while, but I must say that this has definitely been the most rich experience of all religous services I have attended. It was very formal, which usually means that the mass parts would be sung in Latin. However, the mass parts and some of the songs, potentially half of them, were in Quechua--the native language of the Incas.

After the mass ended, and after a rather disorganized communion, the people began carrying the blessed sacrament around the Plaza de Armas, while many people--tourists and citizens the same--sat and watched. We left to take part in some of the traditional food of Corpus Cristi, while the men and boys prepared to carry the saints around the plaza. The saints would be carried around, and by carried, I mean about 20 boys/young men would carry around the giant and heavily adorned saints while dancing and swaying back and forth with the statue, until finally ending up in the large cathedral where the saints remain for seven days. I can't imagine a more fun job than dancing with a one ton statue on your shoulders...

Now for the food... They call it Chiri uchu, which consists in seawead, a special vegetable bread, guinea pig, chicken, fish eggs, some special sausage, roasted Incan corn (the kernels of which are large enough to choke a whale, and I am not kidding), and some sort of beef. All of this is served on a plate, without utensils, and therfore eaten by hand. The dish is best tasted if you take a little bit of everything and mix it together in one bite, however, this is almost impossible to accomplish with a heaping plate of food. My favorite part of the festival was the large sign which reads "Welcome to the Gastronomic Festival of Chiriuchu" (Peruvians are so clever!)

After partaking in the "gastronomic event", we proceded to a bar and had some dessert to wash everything down. On the way to the bar we watched as the festival continued in the Plaza de Armas. The most interesting and consequently puzzling event that I have witnessed radiated from the incredible respect people possessed for the plants and the grass in the plaza. Thousands and thousands of people packed every corner and inch, while not a single person was sitting, standing, or walking in the grass. It was a demonstration of incredible respect for the beauty of the beloved plaza.

I can't say that the day ended well. Charlotte, Katie, and I tried a Bailey's shake at the bar, which consists of banana, strawberry, vodka, Kahlua's, Bailey's and ice cream. It ended up being waste of 20 sL (about 7 dollars). After this, we went to Molino, which is referred to as the "black market" by the Peruvians because they sell tons of American and European goods for cheap, as well as food from the Cuzco region. It is very possible that the stuff you buy at Molino's was probably stolen or was found in the trash.

The people working at Molino's on the day of Corpus Cristi were incredibly rude, and didn't want to bargain with us at all. We were looking for Bailey's and Kahlua for cheap, as well as a game of Risk that Claus wanted to play. We bought a game of Risk but left to find Bailey's at a lower price. Long story short, we ended buying Bailey's at a more expensive price and found out that our Risk game was a rip-off. However, the Bailey's shakes we made were quite delicious...

The whole day was very interesting to say the least... More than 300,000 people wandering the streets to watch 15 saints, dressed partially in the traditional Catholic-Saint style and partially in the traditional Incan vesitments. And I can't imagine how many guinea pigs died for the cause...