Offerings and feeding the unseen
Andean despacho and pago a la Pachamama
A bundle of leaves, grains and sweets prepared for the mountains and Mother Earth, and burned or buried by a specialist.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
In the Andes, people make offerings called despacho, in Peru, or pago, in Argentina and Bolivia, to Pachamama, Mother Earth, and to the apus, the mountain spirits. A paqo, an Andean ritual specialist, arranges coca leaves, seeds, sweets, wool and other items on paper, wraps the bundle and offers it by burning or burying. The tradition is kept in agricultural communities and by urban Peruvians.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Coca leavesPlantChosen whole and offered in threes.
- Seeds and grainsOfferingShow a wish for abundance.
- Sweets and woolOfferingGifts for the earth.
- Paper wrappingObjectHolds the bundle.
- Chicha or alcoholOfferingPoured on the ground.
- Plant
- Offering
- Object
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather The paqo and the client agree on the purpose of the offering. Step 2: Gather Coca leaves and the other gifts are arranged on paper. Step 3: Speak Prayers are said to Pachamama and the apus. Step 4: Bind The bundle is wrapped and tied. Step 5: Light It is burned or buried at a high place or in the field. Step 6: Close Drink is poured on the ground and the offering is closed.
Ayni
Practitioners explain the offering by the idea of ayni, reciprocity: the earth gives and people give back. In August, the month of the earth, communities in Peru, Bolivia and northern Argentina feed Pachamama with drink and food and open the ground to give gifts.
Tourism
Despachos are sold to travellers in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Scholars and Andean people note that some of these sessions are staged for visitors and some are real. Ask about the source of a paqo and pay fairly.
Church and ceremony
The offerings often sit beside Catholic worship and saints' days. Colonial priests tried to suppress them, but they were absorbed and remain.
What it is for
- Thanking the earth
- Good harvest
- Health and travel
Who does it
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Witchcraft in Latin America: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Pachamama: Penarc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Apu: Cecilia Sacsa, CC BY-SA 4.0, source