ABSTRACT
In order to conserve their world-order and economic well-being, people in the Andes today practise their faith by worshipping Pachamama (the principle of life, literally ‘World Mother’), the Apus (spirits residing in the highest mountain peaks), the Virgin Mary and other saints, who have often become fused with Andean supernatural beings, as well as the Christian God. 2 These forms of religious practice and the prayers associated with them have been called ‘Andean religion’, and they are manifestations of the particular reciprocal way people in the Andes use to communicate with beings they believe to have more power than humans and who determine their lives.
