The parade involves a procession of ‘Saints and Virgins’ which have been carried on platforms by colourfully dressed parishioners a few days previously from various churches in Cusco and the surrounding area. (They spend a week in the cathedral before returning.)
The procession originates from Inca times when the ruling Inca paraded in the main square accompanied by his ancestors - the mummies of the previous Inca rulers. The Spanish missionaries, after colonisation, obviously did not want this procession to continue – they thought it a good idea to replace the Inca mummies with figures of saints.
In the 13th Century in Europe the Catholic Church felt there was a need to enthuse people about their faith and instituted a new festival. In 1247 ‘Corpus Christi’ was first celebrated. This involved a special mass honouring the ‘body of Christ’ in the form of the sacred bread.
In Peru, the idea was to replace the Inca procession with a ‘Corpus Christi’ festival. In practice, the festival has become a celebration of the Sacred Eucharist mixed with gratitude to the Pachamama (the mother earth divinity), the Tayta Inti (sun father) and other Andean divinities.
At the head of the procession is the huge, ornate, silver ‘Carroza’ (pictured). This contains the sacred bread and replaced the ruling Inca. Before the procession starts, various masses are said inside the cathedral. Then, after the ‘Carroza’ has been carried round the plaza, the Bishop prays in front of the cathedral.
After this, the saints and virgins are carried in the following order: (links contain pictures from the web)
1.- Saint Anthony from the San Cristobal parish. He carries a book and a staff and is accompanied by a small model of a pig, being the patron saint of swineherds. He was a monk in the Egyptian desert in the 3rd-4th centuries and is known as ‘The father of all monks’.
2.- Saint Jerome from the parish in the village of San Jeronimo. He carries a quill pen and a book with a model of a chapel in silver. He translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century.
3.- Saint Christopher from the San Cristobal parish. He carries the Christ child. There is a legend that he carried Christ across a stream in the 3rd`century.
4.- Saint Sebastian from the parish in the district of the same name. Survived being shot with arrows for being a Christian in the 3rd century.
5.- Saint Barbara from the Poroy village parish. Killed for being a Christian by her father who was then struck by lightening, or ‘fire from heaven’. Patron of firefighters, among others.
6.- Saint Anne from the parish of Santa Ana. Mother of the Virgin Mary. She carries a baby girl.
7.- Saint James the Greater from the parish of Santiago. He was one of Jesus’ disciples and later preached in Spain. He became patron saint of Spain and for centuries the Spanish army rode into battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!") He rides a white horse and is dressed as a Spanish soldier.
8.- Saint Blaise from the San Blas parish. A bishop in Armenia and healer of men and animals in the 4th century.
9.- Saint Peter from the San Pedro parish. He carries the ‘keys of heaven’. He was one of Jesus’ disciples and is known as the founder of the church and the first Pope.
10.- San Joseph from the Belen parish. Husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. Patron saint of married couples and carpenters. He leads the child Jesus by the hand.
11.- Nativity Virgin from the Almudena parish. She carries the baby Jesus in her arms and is protected from the sun by a parasol. The mother of Jesus.
12.- Remedies Virgin from the Santa Catalina church. This statue is the smallest – just one metre high. I found the following story behind the origin of this virgin:
Cortés (who conquered Mexico) and his men pillaged the great 40-acre Aztec temple to the great feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl, and placed a doll-sized wooden statuette of the Virgin Mary on the altar. Naturally enraged, on the night of July 1st 1520 the Aztecs, drove Cortés and his men from the town, and this night was henceforth called by the conquistadores ‘La Noche Triste’, The Sad Night. The conquistadors attributed their good fortune in escaping to this little Virgin de los remedios.
13.- Purified Virgin from the San Pedro parish. An explanation from the web: ‘Virgin Purificada’ is a representation in which the Virgin carries both the Christ Child and a large candle and offering. The iconography commemorates Mary’s presentation of the baby Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem and her rite of purification forty days after the birth. Penitential processions with blessed candles came to mark commemorations of the Purification or Candlemas, hence the Virgin’s candlestick in representations.
14.- Bethlehem Virgin (or Virgin of Belen) from the Belen parish. Another image of the Virgin Mary. This is all I’ve found on the web so far:
‘The story of this church is very unusual. First, it was called "Los Santos Reyes" ("The Holy Monarchs"), but the name was changed when it received the Virgin of Belen. The image appeared one day floating over the Peruvian coast, near the port of San Miguel in Piura. According to the legend, the Virgin carried a note in which she requested to be taken to Cusco. In the cathedral there is a painting that represents this story.’
15.- The Immaculate Conception Virgin also called "The Pretty" from the Cathedral. Again, an image of the Virgin Mary.
After the procession around the plaza (it takes several hours) during which the saints and virgins are carried on platforms accompanied by traditional dances and marching bands, they re-enter the cathedral. They process back to their churches several days later.
There is a traditional food associated with this festival – chiri uchu – which includes maize, potato, cuy (guinea pig) and bread, plus ‘chicha’, the local drink. The plaza a couple of blocks away from the Plaza de Armas (main plaza) is packed with stalls selling food, and the market near the station has many additional stalls with fruit and vegetables brought from all over Peru.
Sources:
Historia de los Santos Corpus Christi (tourist leaflet)
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints - for an index of over 5000 saints
www.cusco-peru.org/cultural-cusco-churches-cusco-parish-indios-church.shtml (for info on Indian churches of Cusco and their saints and virgins)
www.qosqo.com/qosqo/festivit.htm
www.wilsonsalmanac.com/guadalup.html (Remedies Virgin)
Colonial Latin America: A Documentary History Ed. Kenneth Mills et al. (Purified Virgin)
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