Corpus Cristi Cusco
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Corpus Cristi
I fell in love with Cusco in 1990 on a tour to Machu Picchu and vowed to come back and spend more time there. I finally made my wish come true ten years later. Plaza de Armas is a beautiful square surrounded by its towering Cathedral, the imposing Jesuit church Compania de Jesus, restaurants, cafes, tourists, llamas and brightly dressed natives centred with floral gardens and fountains. You can sit here and watch the world go by and I often did.
May and June bring festivals in Cusco and each more interesting and more elaborate than the last. They all have religious significance. Corpus Cristi is a very colourful and traditional festival when they celebrate the body of Christ by carrying enormous the fourteen Madonna’s and Saint’s statues round the Plaza de Armas. They represent each of the fourteen Cusco churches. It takes about ten people to carry one statue and they strain mightly to carry the heavy burden. The plaza is filled with worshippers, tourists and festival seekers. The night before the main celebration, everyone gathers for a night-time vigil. Twelve traditional Peruvian dishes including, Chicha, Chiriuchu (a dish made from guinea pig and chicken) are prepared – along with plenty of beer. At the end of the lively procession the crowds gather in the street Plateros to eat the typical Corpus Christi dish of Chiriuchu and drink chicha ( a local fermented drink).
