Andean Glaciers and Mountain Pilgrimage from the Inca times until today

CERUTI, MARÍA CONSTANZA

Whitehorse

Simposio; III International Glacial Archaeology Symposium; 2012

Department of Tourism and Culture in Yukon

Five hundred years ago, the Inca civilization became the first in history to ascend above 6000 meters during religious pilgrimages to the highest peaks of the Andes. In their quest to present offerings to their gods, the Inca pilgrims had to overcome the challenges of the Andean terrain and climate, including glaciers, snow storms, lightening, strong winds, negative temperatures, low barometric pressure and the scarcity of oxygen on the summits. Some of the early mountain pilgrimages were triggered by natural catastrophes - droughts or volcanic eruptions - for which angered mountain deities were believed to be responsible. Offerings were therefore presented as a cultural response to placate the exceptional destructiveness of mountains and to propitiate their life-sustaining role as givers of water and fertility, for which they have been traditionally venerated. High-altitude archaeology studies the unique mountaintop shrines built by the Incas above 5000 meters in elevation, contributing to protect the cultural heritage of this ancient South American civilization from the impact of treasure hunting and global warming. Ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological studies reveal that climate change is also affecting the ways in which modern mountain pilgrimage is undertaken by native communities in the Andes.