It is said - and often it is the truth - that traditional customs are in crisis because of the explosion of market values that are striving to become a secular form of religion, and because of the adoption of modern customs by the youth or adults ashamed of their indigenous roots. Why, then, offering to life-giving nature? What follows is the singular reflection of a Chilean Catholic priest who lives in the Peruvian highlands.

At a time when concerns are arising over the ecology and the quality of living standards, indigenous offerings to the earth and mountain deities show that we are a pluri-cultural and pluri-religious people who are stressing healthy and beautiful customs, such as those of venerating the Pachamama, the Earth Goddess, the apu mountain gods, the dead and many others.

But are these merely superstitions that oppose progress? From what point of view should we evaluate native customs? I believe they are economic, spiritual, aesthetic and ecological expressions of tremendous value, through which those of us who are Christians and from urban sectors can rediscover our relationship with the sacred earth goddess, the mother of mankind. I am one of those who thank the indigenous peoples with all my heart for making us pray, build and enjoy life.

This symbolic universe is imbued with creativity, which is expressed with various local slants and ways of holding native ceremonies (which are not uniform, such as the rites of the capitalist market or the religious rituals of the main churches). However, after talking to Andean dwellers, one discovers the common and fundamental element to all this: the link between human reciprocity with the sources of life. That is to say, the Pachamama and the Apus (also known as Wamanis or Achachilas) are not just mere objects of worship, nor can their cult be branded simply animist. Rather, they are part of a concrete spirituality between the earth and the mountains, to be granted life and in turn, collaborate with it.

In that sense, the periodical offerings, also called "payments", aim to seek harmony with the earth that feeds man that gives a final resting place for the dead, which authorizes Man to build his homes and cities. Andean man also seeks to worship the hills, which represent the spirits of their ancestors, keeping watch over their livestock and human existence. In may places, for example, the indigenous people combine their worship of the mountain gods with the cult of the Cross, which dominates many Andean peaks. What is more, the mountains, the earth, the Christian saints, ancestors and others sacred beings all make up a symbolic universe that blends together native beliefs with Christian elements, a way of living and a way of dying.

When Man is in the throes of crisis (like a major plague, family quarrels, drought or economic crisis), the highlanders climb a special mountain, our Apu in the Quechua language, to offer up prayers. Often a specialist comes along to head the prayers. There are rites where the natives beg for pardon, beseeching, adoration and thanks. The mountain is not treated as a god, but as a symbol of divine reality and the search of well-being in the history of mankind.

A more common event is the "Offering to the Earth", which is the equivalent of a blessing, carried out by people in autonomous fashion, normally done to coincide with the inauguration of a locale or public works, when buying a vehicle, at a wedding feast, the construction of a house or the swearing in of a local participants constantly perform the ch`alla, meaning pouring wine or beer onto the ground as a offering.

Major celebrations are also held in honor of the Earth Goodess at the start of the year, during carnivals, in August or in the middle of a festival for the Virgin Mary or a saint. In his book OFRENDA A LA PACHAMAMA, Narciso Valencia describes the social, ethical and ritual dimension of the rite within the Aymara context, and holds it to be an example of faith before the revelation of God.

It is a complex rite. The religious leader and the family begin by praying to God, they make the sign of the cross and then ask for forgiveness. The main part of the rite of the preparation of the offering, which is laid out on a sacred weaving, tends to include incense, llama fats, stone, seashells, sweets and flowers. The prayers run as follows: "Taititu God the father we beg you to bless this offering to give it to Pachamama, and that she receives it with all her heart." The offering is burned so that Pachamama may receive it. During the ceremony, the participant share coca leaves, chat amicably and wish each other luck. There is a great deal of emotion, beauty, faith and the desire to enjoy a good life together.

But what do rational and modern people have to say about these customs? Are they leftovers from the past, the sign of ignorant people? Or are they elements of an expression as valuable as conceptual language? I believe fundamentally that the Andean ritual teaches us to lend fresh importance to the environment, the human community and the contact with the life-giving divinity.

What does this tell us as Christians? Is it merely paganism that should be quashed? The reply stems from dialogue and the collaboration between religions that exist in Peru. In indigenous cults, we can sense the presence of the Spirit of love and God the creator, which Christ taught us. We can also admire the Andean way of living and believing, which we should not put down with a supposedly well-intentioned determination to civilize others and convert them to Christianity. Nor is fair to try to reduce affairs to mere tourist, folkloric or esoteric phenomenon.

And what do these customs contribute to humanity? The vital side of native and mixed-blood religion is in my view a greater treasure than the archaeological monuments of the past, as it strengthens the communication of faith in our times. This benefits all mankind, which during the current process of changing epochs, is passionately looking for a meaning to live only with faith in life -as tangible as the rites to Pachamama and the Apus- is it possible to forge history and live side by side with the Cosmo.