Virgen of Guadalupe in Cuscu

Finally!

       

     I awoke to drums softly beating in time to my head. The sound slowly made its way through the centuries old walls to rest in my ears. A faint wail of trumpets broke the morning behind it. I groaned and rolled over as most people would be inclined to do after an 8 hour nightshift behind the bar at Loki hostel in Cusco. Boom, Boom. My eyes snapped open as I realized what could be the only reason for that kind of racket at this ungodly hour.

      I leaped from bed and ran to my room, throwing on a rain jacket and grabbing my camera with barely enough time to lace my boots before I dashed out into an otherwise miserable and rainy Cusco morning. There it was! I raced along down the hill, trying to keep both my footing and my dignity on the slippery cobblestones. POP POP POP POP. Oh no? Was I too late? I streaked by the candle shops, with their meter long wares for sale to a non-existant crowd. Yes! There they were, I had caught up at last!

      A saint's procession in South America is truly a sight to behold, and this was the famous procession for the Virgen of Guadalupe. She is a very popular Mexican religious icon, but given my past dating experience (over 5 years total with Mexican Americans) this was a regular staple of Christmas for me! I had made it just in time to follow the procession to the doors of the church, where an honor guard of soldiers in starched desert uniforms awaited her holiness. Outside was a large bamboo rack of fireworks (not your granddads M-80's neither!) which, although nearly killing me, was a "blast" to watch.

       From there I declined to join for the mass, and instead waited with a fresh, Mexican style tamale and some chicha. As I waited, I made the acquaintance of a beautiful girl (Candi) and her mother. They were both in beautiful traditional fiestas dresses, and I was voyeuristically snapping photos when I caught THEIR eyes haha. They introduced themselves to me, told me about the dance exhibition coming up, and bought me a lovely picture of the Virgen! It was so nice!

      After mass ended, mariachi groups and dancers filled the square as the soldiers filed off for the day. I stuck around for a beautiful and complicated dance of costumed men and beautifully adorned women. After that they passed around some beer bottles, and I was thankfully included since the sun was shining much more brightly and at that point a little hair-of-the-dog was much appreciated! Eventually the square emptied out, and I made my way back to Loki Hostel after saying my goodbyes to my new friends. Not a bad morning eh?

The procession makes its way into the church in time for the mass

Soldiers form up outside the Cathedral as they wait for mass to begin.

A local group parades their Virgen of Guadalupe statue down to some awaiting fireworks

The first of a series depicting the fireworks that nearly blew me up to the Virgen that day... thankfully I hauled out of there just in time!

And more....

Hmmm... Where did the square, and where Stone was originally standing, go?

The inside of the cathedral 

Performers making their way down the slick, winding streets.

A local shop sells candles to light your chosen religious event... some are over a meter and a half tall!

Candi, a native girl slated to dance later in the festivities noticed my camera activity and decided to ask for a picture with me... she was awesome and ended up giving me a signed picture of the Virgen as a gift!

A local mariachi singer chats it up with the platoon before he started his concert.

A nun walks up the cathedral steps towards the pending festivities.

Soldiers waiting to be dismissed outside of the Cathedral.

A young boy in garish costume breaks the ranks of soldiers to find his mommy.

The beaded skirts of the costumed angels, preparing for their dance later.

The picture of the Vigen makes its way from the dimly lit cathedral towards the waiting crowd.

A young boy with his staff for the dance.

A mask of what I assumed were angels.

A woman, the mother of Candi, throws colored papers on the heads of waiting dancers.

Mariachis in white play a song or two to the waiting image of the Virgen.

A strong sun, notably absent in the morning's proceedings, shines brilliantly off the trumpet of a mariachi musician in white. 

An older woman in a traditional tophat stands behind a family portrait of the Virgen of Guadalupe that she presumably lugged from home.

A little boy amongst the mariachis

Two little girls in fancy dress share ice cream cones and subversive looks under the distracted watch of their parents.... Mischief appears to be at hand!

A boy in a gorilla/demon costume takes a break from its sweltering confines to lick a cool ice cream before he performs.

A brown demon gorilla streams past the men in angel costume

A black demon gorilla 

The men in angel costumes whirl noise makers.

The women dance along to the beat of drums and the blair of well polished horns from the corner of the square.

A young boy plays his part. 

The dance ran in a linear procession, beautiful women danced and the "demons" were kept in the procession by the angel dancers in blue and white wearing big masks.

Skirts whirling about the dancers cast  beautiful shadows.