K'INTU AND OFFERING TO PACHAMAMA

Andean spirituality is based upon Munay, the power of feeling, on Tukuymunayniyuq, supreme love, on Ayni, which means reciprocity, sharing not only what you have but who you are in essence; and on Noqa Kan Kani which means “You and I are the same…” Andean people try to keep a permanent equilibrium with all that surrounds them through reciprocity with their community, their habitat and their gods.

The ritual most frequently used to keep this equilibrium is the offering, “pagapu” or “despacho”, where Coca Leaves are used in groups of three. This is the K’intu which represents the union between the Kay Pacha (this world) and the Hanan Pacha (the world above), with which Mama Coca communicates through her leaves and stems, and the Uku Pacha (the world below), with which she communicates through her roots. The encounter among these three energies results in equilibrium.

This offering’s most elevate purpose is to propitiate the union among all living creatures, the Cosmos and Nature. Its everyday use is to ask for favors or to thank for what has been received. An Offering in the Andean world is the best way of reciprocity with Mother Earth, giving her back the best fruits with which she provides us, each participant becomes the offering itself. Afterwards, this offering will be burned, buried in Mother Earth (Mama Pacha) or offered to Mother Ocean (Mama Qocha), following ancestral rites.