Worshipping the Señor de Qoyllur Ritti in New York: A Transnational Andean Ethnography

The celebration of the Senor de Qoyllur Ritti throughout Peru & the US is examined to determine how the spread of this Andean religious ceremony has affected Peruvian national & transnational identities. The historical origins of the veneration of the Senor de Qoyllur Ritti in Cuzco, Peru; the struggles between the local Catholic community & adherents of the Senor de Qoyllur Ritti ritual; the eventual carnivalization of the ritual ceremony; & different ethnic groups' articulation of competing local & national identities during the festivities are discussed. The festival's expansion to Lima is then addressed, revealing the capitol's gradual acceptance of the rural celebration by permitting religious ceremonies to be performed entirely in Quechua. The pilgrimage of the Senor de Qoyllur Ritti to New York City in 1994 is then considered, emphasizing the sundry obstacles that observers faced in bringing the ritual to the local Peruvian community & the celebration's positive impact upon the transnational Peruvian migrants. It is concluded that such visible representations of home culture among transnational migrant groups is indicative of their efforts to establish alternative modernities. 1 Table, 15 References. J. W. Parker