The Pilgrimage Of The Lord Of Qoyllority

The festival of the Lord of Qoyllority is a festival that takes place in the province of Quispicanchis, district of Ocongate, at the base of the Sinakara mountain, the date of celebration is movable between the months of May and June.

Señor de Qoyllority translated into Spanish means “Lord of the Shining Snow”, this man, according to the traditions of the town, would have appeared years ago in the form of a child to an indigenous boy named Mariano Mayta who shepherded in the snowy Colquepunku, both became Good friends, when the child returned home the parents saw him and the child dressed in rich clothes, and seeing the brilliance of the Child Jesus, they decided to inform the priest of Ocongate about this, who decided to go in search of him. The legend says that the child Jesus fled to avoid being caught and was transformed into an image on the rock to which he currently makes pilgrimages.

Every year more than 10,000 people make this pilgrimage, the duration of the walk to the snow is 5 hours and during this walk there is a procession accompanied by fireworks, in addition to “las Alacitas” (miniature handicraft fair). Once the sanctuary of the Lord of Qoyllority is reached, the first thing that is done is the salute in honor of the image of the miraculous Christ, in the afternoon the troupes that are divided by nations make their official entrance accompanied by musicians and dancers. The “pablitos” or “ucucos” are the intermediaries between the lord of Qoyllority and the men, and they are also in charge of maintaining discipline throughout the festival.

On the central day there is a ritual at sunrise, then the central mass known as the “Misa de gallo” takes place, hours later the procession of the Lord of Qoyllority takes place where each comparsa says goodbye giving songs and dancing. The Tawantinsuyo nation is the only nation that usually stays in the Sanctuary until the end, in order to clean up and leave everything in order for next year.

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