Description
This wayside cross, decorated with flowers and cloths, stands on the scenic main road between Abancay and Cusco in the Peruvian Andes. The crosses often mark sites that were already regarded as sacred places (huacas) or dedicated to the guardian spirits of the mountains (apus) in Inca times. The placement of Christian crosses led to the fusion of Spanish Catholic traditions with Andean animism. The elaborate decoration with bright strips of fabric and floral arrangements is typical of regional festivals such as the widespread ‘Cruz Velacuy’ (Festival of the Veneration of the Cross) in May, during which the crosses are carried down from the hills into the villages, festively decorated and blessed. – Peru – 1969
