Ayni=Reciprocidad Q'osqo (3:45) :: 2009
Music & Sound by Adolfo Ibanez Ayerve

Since 2004 Adolfo and I have been apprenticing the Despacho Ceremony with Don Mariano. He is a paqo (andean priest) from Charkapata of the Q'ero Nation. "Ayni=Reciporcidad Q'osqo" is a video resulting from our work with him.

The video starts in the village of Charkapata in the Q'ero Nation and moves to Tipon an Inca Water Temple outside of Cusco, Peru. Here Don Mariano with his family are creating a Despacho. The video moves in and out of the Despacho Ceremony to show some of the key elements central to the Despacho and their traditional lives; Weaving, Coca, Llamas, Alpacas and Dance.

A "Despacho Ceremony is a ritual process for the Andean people to strengthen their harmony, reciprocity & reverence for Pachamama (the mother land) and the Apus (mountains). The Andean Priest performs the Despacho Ceremony as they are the keepers of the ancient knowledge of the natural world. The Despacho is an offering meant to nourish the natural world and protect the human world. The Despacho is central to Andean Beliefs and is a microcosm representing every aspect of life in the Andes. It is a ceremonial art form similar to the Tibetan Sand Mandala Ritual.