MEANING OF PACHAMAMA

In the ancient Quechua language, the word Pachamama means Mother Earth.

She is an ever-present, independent and self-sufficient deity who has her own creative power to sustain life on this earth.

For Andean people, Pachamama is considered to be present in all living things including mountains, rivers and plants.

Mother Earth is the heart of the culture, the origin of identity for communities.

Pachamama connects them with the past as it’s their ancestral home, in the present as a giver of all necessities and in the future as a legacy for the next generations.

Many rituals to honor Pachamama take place all year round. However, in August (right before the sowing season) they are especially abundant.

As August is the coldest month of winter in the southern Andes, people feel more vulnerable to illness. During this time, Andean people believe that they must have a good relationship with nature to keep themselves, their crops and livestock healthy and protected.

So, families perform cleansing rituals by burning plants and wood in order to scare evil spirits who are thought to be more abundant at this time.

Although, Andean cultures form modern nations, Pachamama remains benevolent and gives a local name for Mother nature.