Pilgrimage to the Qoyllur Rit‘i and the Feast of Corpus Christi

Abstract

This article critically discusses the categorical distinction between local and regional rituals, especially of pilgrimages and patronal festivals, introduced by Victor Turner and John Sallnow. Based on ethnographical and ethnohistorical data from the Department of Cuzco/Peru, he analyzes the pilgrimage to the Qoyllur Rit’i and the Corpus Christi celebration in Cuzco City, two of the most important religious celebrations in the region, to which Sallnow also referred. In contrast to the latter, however, it is shown that both events merge directly into one another, arise from similar motivation, share many participants and symbols. Thus it is made clear, that local and regional forms of cult cannot be separated clearly.

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