Peru

Cusco, Peru

Cusco, as the ancient capital of the Incan empire, is the largest and most visited tourist attraction of Peru.  Though it was conquered by Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500's, its people still maintain with great pride their customs and traditions.

Cusco lies within a valley in the Andes Mountains at an 11,000 ft. elevation.

Of the 1.2 million people living in the area surrounding Cusco, only 4% are Christians.

The Quechua People

The Quechua people are remnants of the ancient Inca Civilization that populated most of the western side of South America prior to the Spanish invasion in A.D. 1531.  When the Incan Empire collapsed under Spanish rule, the natives and indigenous people remained in the hinterlands and mountains of Peru and Ecuador. To this day they remain ill-treated and despised by many of the Spanish. However, the Quechua Indians have remained intact. There has been almost 500 years of history without strong Quechua leadership and the people group has remained, for the most part, unbroken. Nevertheless, the influence of the Spanish has not been denied.

The Incas were an animistic people who believed the Andean mountains had special power and dominion. Hundreds of other gods and myths provided the foundation for a very ancient religion. The arrival of the Spanish brought Catholicism. The Catholic Church eventually endorsed war with the Incas and the destruction of their empire. However, to appease the Spanish, many of the Catholic rites were adopted by the Quechua Indians. Therefore, the adoption of a few rituals and beliefs into the Andean mythology allowed the Quechua people to lose their status as ‘enemies of the Church.’ It has been quite destructive, from a Christian’s perspective.

What has occurred is a complete syncretism of Catholicism and the Incan mythology. All kinds of Christian symbols and rites are used every year, but they only reflect the hidden Andean religious meanings. For example, praying to the Virgin Mary might satisfy Inti, the god of the Sun. Pachamama, the mountain god and god of earth, provides fields with fertility and allows the farmers to reap the blessings. Yet, on the top of that mountain that is worshiped is a wooden Cross—there to symbolize the blessing of Pachamama. There is very little distinction between the two religious systems and neither are the pure forms of what they were.

The people of Cusco are in great need of the Gospel of grace to break down centuries of spiritual confusion and a transformation of worldview. The missionaries there now are working hard against years of mistreatment, a lack of trust, and religious confusion. Therefore, the mission field is in great need of strong Christian nationals to rise and lead the church. May God bless the work in the hinterlands of South America and may He open the eyes of the Quechua people.