THE Q'EROS: THE LAST DESCENDANTS OF THE INCAS THE MYTH The q'ero tell that in the distant past: "the earth became unproductive and the Apus decided to create other beings. They created Inkari and Qollari, a man and a woman full of wisdom. They gave to the first a bar of gold and the second a distaff as symbols of power and industriousness". They say that Inkari was ordered to found a great nation wherever the bar fell in an upright position. Thus was Cusco founded in a fertile valley. The oldest son of Inkari was giving the task of populating the Q'ero region, which means that the q'ero people today are his descendents. The relative insolation in which they live, inaccessible by vehicle, in a remote part of the province of Paucartambo in the department of Cusco has enabled them to preserve the life style and cultural traditions inherited from their ancestors. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT They control a vertical space consisting of three superimposed ecological floors. The highest is the puna, above 13120 ft. a.s.l., where they have their permanent homes. There they graze their flocks of alpaca and llama, symbols of their wealth and prestige. They also grow different kind of potatoes, based to use it to do ch'uño a dehydrated potato. In the qeshwa, the intermediate region below 12800 ft. a.s.l., they grow almost one hundred varieties of potatoes and dozens of other tuberous vegetables. This floor, known as Hatun Q'ero, contains the ceremonial center, consisting of house that are used temporally for catholic celebrations or to make decisions affecting the community. The third floor is a strip of land between 9840 and 7200 ft. a.s.l., known as Pushq'ero. It is very rugged and descends steeply towards the Amazon basin. Its climate enables the cultivation of different kind of maize with which they vary their diet. This simultaneous vertical management of several altitude ranges is similar to that used by the incas in the 15th and 16th centuries, as shown by researcher John V. Murra, using ethno-historical techniques. He showed that the physical universe was seen in vertical terms, as part of a great process of macro-adaptation the origins of which are lost in the remote past. THE SENSE OF LIFE No matter how we look at the q'ero culture, we can see a strong religious sense in all their activities. The Pachamama (Mother earth) is the divinity that lovingly provides everything necessary for survival. The Apu (lords), are spiritual guardians who specialize in the different tasks required for the welfare of human beings. There is a permanent relationship with them, they are part of daily life. There are different intermediaries through which to make contact with the supernatural world. One is the arraiwa which performs a certain form of obligatory service, for which it is selected by the elders, the kuraq, after prior consultation with the spirit world. Its task is to observe the climate, always ready to combat evil influences on the weather and protect the crops and flocks from natural phenomena such as ice or the feared hailstorms. Guarding the crops is a permanent job that must not be shirked. The future and welfare of the community depend on the diligence of the arariwa. The arariwa collaborate closely with other specialists, such as the paqo, priests, with the power to convene the Gods. The provide offerings to ensure an optimum relationship. The paqo choose their vocation, guided also by personal experiences that can be interpreted as evidence of divine will, selecting those who must enter the priesthood. In both cases aspirants go through a long apprenticeship under the orders of a "master", who instructs and guides them until are trained to convene and speak to the Apu. THE CITY, A NEW ECOLOGICAL WORLD The paqo q'ero have achieved some fame outside their community, especially in the cities, where they are believed to have special knowledge and ability to officiate at ceremonies involving the Pachamama and the Apu. "pagapu" are the name of the ceremony of the offer to the gods and end with the preparation of a package of their favorite "food", which is then burned. The Andean year starts on the first of august, and this is a period of intense religious fervor with "payments" to the Pachamama, so that she will bless the growing season which also starts in that month. This is when city folk seek the services of the q'ero in similar ceremonies, but oriented towards the needs of life in the cities. The increasing demand encourages q'ero men and women to offer these services, even placing advertisements on the doors of their homes: "Payments made. Apply within". Many q'ero are clearly still apprentices but they seem like experts to urban eyes. In order to control de city, a new ecological floor added to the traditional ones, they have acquired a house in Cusco, which they use as a base from which to offer their services to Cuzqueños and tourists in the historic center of the city. This is a magnificent example of the ability of the q'ero, like the Andean people in general, to adapt and to use the external world. It is this ability that has enabled them to survive in a new and complex universe that is almost always foreign and aggressive.