After breakfast, we boarded our bus and drove towards the hills. The landscape looked uncannily like our western landscape complete with low scrubs and high flat-top mesas.
Enroute, Jose Luis shares with us a number of things:
- Puno must import from the jungle all of the fruit and vegetables sold in the markets because they cannot be grown at this altitude.
- About 60% of people use money to purchase things at the various markets; the remaining 40% trade goods and services.
- There are lots of police checkpoints to ensure that contraband from Bolivia is not brought in, as well as to check that vehicles are insured.
- Many of the houses we passed while driving throughout Peru are not completed — often rebar sticks up as if another floor is to be added, and never is — this is sometimes due to insufficient money, but generally they are left uncompleted so the owners do not need to pay taxes on the structure.
- Most houses in town are made using bricks, rather than adobe. Generally, there is no heating in Andean homes. Adobe houses are more insulating than brick ones.
- Annually, on May 3, a fair of miniatures is held. People buy miniature representations of houses, cars, animals, credit cards, etc. to place on their personal altars in order to call life-size ones into their lives. One of the most popular miniatures is of a jolly-looking man (Ekeko), who resembles Santa Claus, and represents the elemental force in charge of well-being, health, love and good-fortune. During the fair, buyers are blessed by the vendors with incense.
- Above Puno not many things grow except high altitude gasses that llamas and alpaca feed upon. In fact, these animals need to live at least at 11,000 feet because of these mountain grasses.
- The jagged mountain peaks indicate that this was once a sea floor, and there is considerable evidence of fossilized crustaceans.
- Silver was mined in the mountains around Puno during the Colonial period.
- Vicuna and the Huánaco water frog are close to extinction.
- This area of high plains are perfect for people to grow potatoes. Once dug up, they are wet down with water and left to dehydrate in the cold air. After a few days, they are walked upon to break the skin and further left to dehydrate. The total process, from the time the potatoes are dug up, takes about one month.
- A dusting of silica powder, like that of snow, can be seen on these high altitude plains.
- We are going to an area of ancient artifacts (chullpa) where stone burial chambers called cutimbo are found.
Our bus stopped at a parking area below a butte. From here we hiked up to the top of the butte to Chullpa No. 1, Templo-Inca, which was about 13,000 feet in elevation.
Others believe that the burial chambers being so high made them closer to the Upper World (Hanaqpacha) and easier for the deceased’s crossing over. The Aymara and Quechua people believe that chullpas are places best suited to review their pachas or life cycles.
As we walked silently amongst these volcanic stone chullpas, a falcon circled overhead watching us. Perhaps to be certain that we are respectful of those who came before us. The burial chambers, we are told, are built before the death of the intended person. “Once the rulers or high-ranking officials of this land completed their earthly pacha and had come into ayni (right-relationship), they would be buried in these funeral chambers. Here, they would be blessed and re-organized — in this way, these chambers hold both birth and death.”
As we walked silently amongst these volcanic stone chullpas, a falcon circled overhead watching us. Perhaps to be certain that we are respectful of those who came before us. The burial chambers, we are told, are built before the death of the intended person. “Once the rulers or high-ranking officials of this land completed their earthly pacha and had come into ayni (right-relationship), they would be buried in these funeral chambers. Here, they would be blessed and re-organized — in this way, these chambers hold both birth and death.”
There are some smaller round structures with lesser quality stonework that are reconstructions and possibly were used by the caretakers of these burial chambers.
The doorways always face east towards one’s rebirth into “Being” — the fullness of presence or what organized your reality.
The exteriors of the burial chambers are sometimes adorned with carvings depicting monkeys and other power animals. Crawling inside one of these, it is pitch black because “night” ignites us into our “Being.” Interestingly, the energy inside the burial chamber feels absolutely neutral and the air does not smell stale. |
Our guide’s flashlight points to a niche honoring Pachamama and the places that would hold the mummies of the rulers or high-ranking people along with their families, companions, or entire lineages. The dead were not intentionally mummified. The dry environment created by the closed tombs did that naturally, allowed them to survive for centuries. For these cultures, the physical body returns to Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the luminous body (soul) returns to the stars, and their knowledge returns to the apus or mountain spirits from which they sourced.
Jose Luis reminds us that at Machu Picchu we pursued two themes to map our personal engagements — how we relate to the Universe and how the laws of cause and effect (duality) hold us in its grip. Then, through the death rites, we awaken to our transpersonal nature and become stewards of the Universe’s timeless and spaceless pacha — an evolutionary leap of consciousness. “You have found destiny — where you are going. Information becomes more fluid now. But, remember, you must die to what you fear … your mortality.”
Jose Luis reminds us that at Machu Picchu we pursued two themes to map our personal engagements — how we relate to the Universe and how the laws of cause and effect (duality) hold us in its grip. Then, through the death rites, we awaken to our transpersonal nature and become stewards of the Universe’s timeless and spaceless pacha — an evolutionary leap of consciousness. “You have found destiny — where you are going. Information becomes more fluid now. But, remember, you must die to what you fear … your mortality.”
The Day of the Dead (November 1) in the Andes is honored by the feeding and honoring of ancestors so there are no “what ifs.” This is the time when the constellation “Cross of Mary” and the “Snake,” at the foot of Scorpio come into alignment. This auspicious time is when one more easily can slip into the Uhupacha or Under World and new life can emerge. |
Befriend death, so death doesn't stalk you. | Jose Luis tells us, “Befriend death, so death doesn’t stalk you.” These words resonate within because of my own, very real, relationship with death due to the leukemic condition that has me self-injecting chemotherapeutic medication into my body each night. Though I’m in remission, I scrutinize carefully the monthly blood test and quarterly bone marrow biopsy reports to track the cause and effect affects of my diet, exercise, lifestyle choices. Tweeking here and there to test my bodies resilience and adaptability. |
Jose Luis continues, “If you are not conscious of that part of you that is dying to the old self every day, every pacha ... then you cannot have proper fullness to life.” He encourages us to pay homage to our deceased ancestors for three years. “The first year,” he tells us, “is to deflect harmful hucha or heavy energy that the deceased may direct to family members.” The second and third years of honoring the deceased are to set yourself free. Smudge your house, clean your clothes and give away your departed loved one's clothing allows both you to reset your kausay (life-force).
We also learned that this whole area with burial chambers surrounding Lake Titicaca is a paqarina, a natural formation that is a place of emergence and convergence, and as an expression of feminine energy connected to Pachamama serves as a portal to the Uhupacha (Lower World), which holds primeval illya (unpotentiated energy). In other words, a place where the fluid, chaotic and intangible come together to birth life — an expression of energy in physical form. Lake Titicaca is the most sacred paqarina in this Andean shamanic tradition. This area has a lot of meteor showers and iron ore, which the builders of these burial chambers knew about. And, because iron calls forth lightning, it serves as a bridge to the Upper Worlds (Hanaqpacha) and creates momentums. There are also many earthquakes and tremors here.
Jose Luis continues, “Our job is to acquire power — the ability to co-create with Creation — so that we can serve the Universal pacha; to create new seeds. The job of a shaman is to track seeds. Whenever you serve the Universe, you source from the experience of the Universe — crafting new seeds.”
The sacred mountains and places of power we visit all hold incredible bodies of information that we are able to access through our mentors, as well as our mesa, which is continually growing in power through rites of passage, cleansing in glacial lagoons, dreamtime work, and the higher level (payan and kollana) cekes we are developing. Traditionally, a mesa has a five to eight year span, after which one must renew their memberships.
As we sat in a circle for a despacho ceremony, two eagles flew overhead. We are reminded that the month of August is auspicious in this tradition. Annually a shaman renews and honors the “borrowed” power from each of the places from which they source, via their kuyas. It is understood that unless you do this, your power dissipates. The process involves recapitulating how you received your power, and by making despachos. We are also taught a new Quechua word “enka,” which describes the evolutionary process of accessing the state of well-being.
After the despacho ceremony, we are told that the best time to undertake something new is on a New Moon. Conversely, the best time to do sorcery is during a waning moon.
We also learned that this whole area with burial chambers surrounding Lake Titicaca is a paqarina, a natural formation that is a place of emergence and convergence, and as an expression of feminine energy connected to Pachamama serves as a portal to the Uhupacha (Lower World), which holds primeval illya (unpotentiated energy). In other words, a place where the fluid, chaotic and intangible come together to birth life — an expression of energy in physical form. Lake Titicaca is the most sacred paqarina in this Andean shamanic tradition. This area has a lot of meteor showers and iron ore, which the builders of these burial chambers knew about. And, because iron calls forth lightning, it serves as a bridge to the Upper Worlds (Hanaqpacha) and creates momentums. There are also many earthquakes and tremors here.
Jose Luis continues, “Our job is to acquire power — the ability to co-create with Creation — so that we can serve the Universal pacha; to create new seeds. The job of a shaman is to track seeds. Whenever you serve the Universe, you source from the experience of the Universe — crafting new seeds.”
The sacred mountains and places of power we visit all hold incredible bodies of information that we are able to access through our mentors, as well as our mesa, which is continually growing in power through rites of passage, cleansing in glacial lagoons, dreamtime work, and the higher level (payan and kollana) cekes we are developing. Traditionally, a mesa has a five to eight year span, after which one must renew their memberships.
As we sat in a circle for a despacho ceremony, two eagles flew overhead. We are reminded that the month of August is auspicious in this tradition. Annually a shaman renews and honors the “borrowed” power from each of the places from which they source, via their kuyas. It is understood that unless you do this, your power dissipates. The process involves recapitulating how you received your power, and by making despachos. We are also taught a new Quechua word “enka,” which describes the evolutionary process of accessing the state of well-being.
After the despacho ceremony, we are told that the best time to undertake something new is on a New Moon. Conversely, the best time to do sorcery is during a waning moon.
After lunch in Puno, we drove to the Temple of Fertility (Inca Uyo), in nearby Chucuito. The temple is within a walled area. A doorway that opens to the east reveals rows of phallic-shaped stones — some with their “heads” pointing upwards and others penetrating into the earth. The phallic symbol represents the relationship of the patrilineal lineage with Pachamama, and the clan or allyu. |
The site has much controversy surrounding it. In the 1940, archaeologists Marion and Harry Tschopik authenticated the Inka Uyo’s walls. Other experts agree that the archaeological site is authentic, but the “penis-shaped” stones, which, though very old and from local quarries, were arranged in upright rows much more recently. To complicate the matter further, the word “uyo” in Aymara, means “field.” However, in Quechua, “uyo” means “penis.” One thing is clear, no one disputes that the Inka Uyo is hundreds of years old, but, no one has an exact answer on when and why these stones were made.
We are told that Tupac Inka built this Temple and the Spaniards destroyed it. The Dominican Catholic Church across the road had indigenous people fill the temple in with dirt to hide all of the phallic symbols. Ironically, there is a very small phallic statue on the top of the church’s roof.
We are told that Tupac Inka built this Temple and the Spaniards destroyed it. The Dominican Catholic Church across the road had indigenous people fill the temple in with dirt to hide all of the phallic symbols. Ironically, there is a very small phallic statue on the top of the church’s roof.
The phallus stones pointing into the earth, we are told, symbolize the fertilizing of Pachamama. The ones pointing up honor the sun (Inti) and ask for fertility. The Inka wall surrounding the Temple is interesting both for its ancient carvings of serpents, which symbolize the Lower World (Uhupacha) and power, as well as its curved corners that supposedly strengthen the energy contained within. |
Women who couldn’t conceive came to this Temple with offerings of blue corn beer. They would place six k’intus holding prayers to conceive into the main phallic symbol, which is believed to depict a male lying down with an erect penis; then pour some of the blue corn beer. If the beer flows into the office, the woman would become fertile.
Temples, we are told, were abundant and imperative — places to hold direct dialogue with Spirit and Pachamama. This temple also has a relationship with celestial bodies. For instance, during solstice, beams of light would come through the doorway light up these phallic stones and ignite the process of fertility and to ensure the continuity of fertile cycles.
For the indigenous peoples, dialogue with the sacred was direct — not mediated through priests or others like in the west. Their dialogues took place in natural settings at huacas, such as this temple, which are found at the intersection of multiple ley lines or cekes such as mountains, rivers, natural lakes, springs, waterfalls, etc. Through these huacas and cekes, these indigenous people were connected to the reproductive processes of life. Ironically, the Spaniards often built their churches near huacas.
The Spaniards didn’t understand their Inka cosmology and forced them to invest their faith in a mediator (priests), who were positioned as the rescuer and the oppressor. Consequently, the indigenous peoples found ways to hide their sacred symbols by embedding them into Christian symbology (e.g. Mother Mary: Pachamama : Virgin of Candelaria (Puno) : Virgen de Copacabana (Bolivia) — all hold the same job description. They also found that the church wasn’t fulfilling what they knew to be true, so many kept practicing or returned to their native ways.
The primary means of dialogue with the sacred for these indigenous people was through sound. Whereas for the Spanish and most westerners it is through visual depictions. Jose Luis tells us, “If you are stuck in a paradigm that ‘seeing’ is required to believe, then you are blocked from hearing the apus and Pachamama speak to you.”
Temples, we are told, were abundant and imperative — places to hold direct dialogue with Spirit and Pachamama. This temple also has a relationship with celestial bodies. For instance, during solstice, beams of light would come through the doorway light up these phallic stones and ignite the process of fertility and to ensure the continuity of fertile cycles.
For the indigenous peoples, dialogue with the sacred was direct — not mediated through priests or others like in the west. Their dialogues took place in natural settings at huacas, such as this temple, which are found at the intersection of multiple ley lines or cekes such as mountains, rivers, natural lakes, springs, waterfalls, etc. Through these huacas and cekes, these indigenous people were connected to the reproductive processes of life. Ironically, the Spaniards often built their churches near huacas.
The Spaniards didn’t understand their Inka cosmology and forced them to invest their faith in a mediator (priests), who were positioned as the rescuer and the oppressor. Consequently, the indigenous peoples found ways to hide their sacred symbols by embedding them into Christian symbology (e.g. Mother Mary: Pachamama : Virgin of Candelaria (Puno) : Virgen de Copacabana (Bolivia) — all hold the same job description. They also found that the church wasn’t fulfilling what they knew to be true, so many kept practicing or returned to their native ways.
The primary means of dialogue with the sacred for these indigenous people was through sound. Whereas for the Spanish and most westerners it is through visual depictions. Jose Luis tells us, “If you are stuck in a paradigm that ‘seeing’ is required to believe, then you are blocked from hearing the apus and Pachamama speak to you.”
In order to realign/reset to indigenous ways, we have to delve into the precepts the Spaniards created, via sound, to hear the sacred places (huacas) and god talk to us. In the Inka tradition, perceptual states of consciousness are shifted through sound or dance to reset maps back to traditional ways, back to an understanding of the organizing principles of Tiwantinesuyu. |
The Temple of Fertility — ancient or not — was the perfect place to end today’s excursion and our last full-day in Peru. Jose Luis reminds us that fertility is another organizing principle within the Tiwantinesuyu cosmology, which represents our ability to maintain a strong and steady life-force — I’m working hard on that one! — and being a co-creator with Spirit. The absence, then, signifies stagnation of life-force, illness, and not possessing the ability to co-create or manifest. Upon hearing this, I know one of my “homework” assignments when I get home is to track my relationship (or lack thereof) with fertility in its many forms to discover how it led to my being diagnosed with leukemia, and then begin visioning more clearly a new and more detailed map to wholeness (ayni).
Back at our hotel, I pack for my flight home tomorrow. Then join my allyu for a Farewell Dinner and celebrate my roommate Jane’s birthday with delicious, rich chocolate cake. Then, feeling refreshed, six of us head off to a local disco. Truth be told, dancing in Cuzco at just over 11,000 feet in elevation is a workout, disco dancing in Puno at 12,500 is crazy … and so much fun ... definitely part of my new map!!!
Back at our hotel, I pack for my flight home tomorrow. Then join my allyu for a Farewell Dinner and celebrate my roommate Jane’s birthday with delicious, rich chocolate cake. Then, feeling refreshed, six of us head off to a local disco. Truth be told, dancing in Cuzco at just over 11,000 feet in elevation is a workout, disco dancing in Puno at 12,500 is crazy … and so much fun ... definitely part of my new map!!!