Lord of Souls

 

Chalhuanca, a small town in the Andean region of Apurímac, Peru, is known for its religious festivities around the Señor de Animas (Lord of Souls) celebrated in the last days of July. This Catholic icon represented by a head of Christ, was unearthed from a farm field by farmers in 1886. Since then it has generated national and international devotion and interest, as it preserves the rites of the Yawar Fiesta, a festivity where Andean and Spanish traditions clash once again in a cultural conflict to reclaim hegemony in the region.