Nkosi Govinda

Yesterday marked the final ceremony of our pilgrimage beneath the presence of Ausangate, the most sacred Apu in the Q’ero tradition. As our offering was made to Pachamama and the mountain spirits, we each received our final kuya—a medicine stone entrusted to us as a living reminder of this path.

A kuya is far more than a stone. It is considered a sacred medicine object, often gathered from places of immense spiritual significance, carrying the living presence of the mountains, lakes, and the unseen world. In the hands of a Don Pasqual & Doña Santusa it becomes a vessel for transformation, helping transmute heavy energies (hucha) into something fertile and life-giving.

The Q’ero people, regarded as the direct descendants of the Inca, have preserved a worldview rooted in ayni—the sacred principle of reciprocity. To receive is to give. To take from the Earth is to return an offering. Every despacho is an act of gratitude, a prayer for balance between ourselves, Pachamama, and the Apus who watch over these lands.

Standing before Ausangate, I was reminded that the mountain asks for nothing except presence. Its glaciers nourish entire valleys, just as its teachings nourish something far less visible within us.

I leave this pilgrimage carrying more than a stone. I leave carrying a responsibility—to walk with greater reciprocity, deeper gratitude, and a renewed remembrance that nature is not separate from us, but a living relationship to be honored every day.

Ayni. 🤍🏔️🍃