with a saccra at paucartambo

sunrise at tres cruces

hilda with japanese girl we ended up hanging out with.

I'd begun this journey in Peru on the feast day of Saint Judas Tadeo (the traitor). I ended the journey on the 30th August, the feast day of Santa Rosa de Lima and throughout my whole time in Peru religion and belief was my companion.

Though I've always been aware of religion in Peru, this time I began to understand and be embraced by their vibrant form of Catholicism. When I became madrina (godmother) to Nicolle in the church of Maria de los Andes and the priest intoned the various saints, moving onto Santa Rosa of Lima and Saint Martin de Porres (a black saint from Lima) I knew and understood their significance.

Peruvians, who might have four or five godparents during their lifetime - for baptism, first hair cutting, first communion and confirmation, as well as for marriage - are in and out of the church all the time. Even if they aren't particularly religious.

I'd always steered clear of the responsibilities involved with being a godparent - but this time I embraced the idea that I will be forever noted in the parroquia de Santa Maria de Los Andes as the madrina of Niccole.

There are moments in my travelling life that have left me with a smile that made my cheeks ache - and the Fiesta de Virgen del Carmen at Paucartambo was one of them. I went with Willy and Hilda, who I'd been living with, with plus Ruben who seems to spend a lot of his life in our house, plus two tourists.

What makes Paucartambo so special? For one crazy week people from all over Peru come together to celebrate the Virgen del Carmen, a virgin who was blessed by John Paul ll himself on a 1990 visit to Peru. Nineteen dance troupes dance daily in a test of endurance and faith - Paucartambo is a tiny town and when it fills up for the fiesta there is nowhere to stay. We are in luck as Willy's friend Angel's family has the 'cargo' for the Cuadrilla Negrillos and we are invited to stay with them. For the next couple of days we are part of the dance troupe of the Negrillos.

Let me explain a cargo - it means that this person has the responsibility for the fiesta that year. The cargo is taken in rotation but is done as a sign of faith. This means one person will supply a place to stay, meals and alcohol for 30 odd dancers, plus their families for five days - certainly no small expense in a country where disposable income is virtually nil.

As I sat down to a range of Peruvian delicacies - merienda (with cuy/guinea pig) lechon and chicken all accompanied by pisco sours, wine and beers, I feel guilty - I don't know these people and yet they feed me for days. They serve 500 plates at the lunchtime sitting on the Day of the Virgen and the corporal (the Capitan of the dancers) proclaims that no one that walks in from the street shall go unfed - from the oldest person to the youngest person… everyone will eat.

It's a hospitality and generosity that I can't comprehend - and an amazing show of faith. It turns out that an ex-student of mine is a dancer with the Negrillos. I remember him well, he was the one who was absent for ten days without permission and when I berated him for missing so many classes, he protested to me, "but teacher my soul is good." It didn't matter he had missed classes because through his act of devotion to the Virgen, he would be protected.

We dance and dance like I have never danced before and accompany the dance troupe every time they dance through the streets of the town. The most memorable occasion (amongst a lot of memorable events) was at midnight on the birthday of the Virgen when the Negrillos put on suits and danced and we accompanied them through the narrow cobblestone streets, edged by white houses to the church to dance the "serenade".

We return to drink more beer and dance some more before heading up to a place in the hills called "Tres Cruces" (the Three Crosses) to watch sunrise at over 4000 metres and in freezing conditions. We return at 8am (after a flat tyre and other dramas) to be fed breakfast by the Negrillos... and keep dancing.

I feel privileged beyond belief to have been a part of the Negrillos family for a couple of days - a ritual filled group which whips initiates (seriously strings them up and whips them) in front of the assembled friends and family on the Monday afternoon. I'm invited to the Octavo of the Virgen de Carmen this weekend, but won't be there, I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing…

At the end of July it is also the Octavo of the Virgen of Santa Barbara and the cargo this year is held by Felix's cousins, Jose Luis, Zulena and Julio Cesar - we head out to Poroy for the fiesta and drink loads of beer and chicha (Andean fermented maize drink) and dance Huayno (typical Peruvian dance) until our feet ache.

For me, maybe it was time, maybe it was the religious festivals, but final the final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place and I got it. Maybe that is spirituality - when everything makes sense.

willy, ray, hilda, japanese girl, me and ruben

dancing until we dropped with the negrillos

church of santa maria de los andes with nicolle

distributing sweets to the poor children outside the church

with my ex-neighbour carmen's baby

with nicolle and mota, the fluffy dog

siempre ... gracias a los negrillos

Copyright Ariana Svenson, 2005 - Comments and enquiries, please email us.