David's Pucara bulls. Visit Cuzco, Peru, and its surrounding areas and you will soon notice an intriguing decoration on the highest point of many of the red-tiled roofs - two sturdy bulls, usually with a cross between them. Their eyes bulge, their tongues lick their nostrils and a jug and rooster are somewhere near. These are Pucara Bulls - ceramics handmade in the town of Pucara. They are placed on the top of a roof to bring prosperity to the owners of the house or business. In pre-Spanish-colonial times the rooftop bulls would have been llamas, honoring Pachamama, the Inca earth goddess, but with the Spanish came bulls and the symbolism of the cross.
When the Spanish invaded the Incas' land they had three goals in mind: extend the Spanish Empire, find riches to bring back to Spain and extend the reach of Christianity. They killed the Inca kings and subdued or killed the population, and then they stole the Inca gold. They co-opted Cuzco, the heart of the Inca empire, destroyed temples and built Catholic churches on ancient Inca sites. But they never managed to completely eradicate the ancient beliefs and traditions. In the beautiful European-style paintings on display in famous churches and cathedrals (painted by indigenous painters) you see a melding of cultures - Andean flora and fauna, Virgins made to look like mountains in their voluminous dresses, a roasted guinea pig on the table of the Last Supper, an Andean face in a crowd of Spanish faces.
When the Spanish invaded the Incas' land they had three goals in mind: extend the Spanish Empire, find riches to bring back to Spain and extend the reach of Christianity. They killed the Inca kings and subdued or killed the population, and then they stole the Inca gold. They co-opted Cuzco, the heart of the Inca empire, destroyed temples and built Catholic churches on ancient Inca sites. But they never managed to completely eradicate the ancient beliefs and traditions. In the beautiful European-style paintings on display in famous churches and cathedrals (painted by indigenous painters) you see a melding of cultures - Andean flora and fauna, Virgins made to look like mountains in their voluminous dresses, a roasted guinea pig on the table of the Last Supper, an Andean face in a crowd of Spanish faces.
While the population today mostly identifies as Roman Catholic many have retained old beliefs: Chicha (corn beer) is poured onto the ground as an offering to Pachamama and offerings such as coca leaves and candy are left at ancient shrines. Many of the Quechua people still believe in the life force of what we think of as inanimate things, such as mountains, and make offerings to them and requests of them.
David brought back these two bulls as his souvenir of Peru. They survived three plane flights but they won't survive a Minnesota winter on the roof!
The magnificent pair below were spotted on a rooftop somewhere near Cuzco.
David brought back these two bulls as his souvenir of Peru. They survived three plane flights but they won't survive a Minnesota winter on the roof!
The magnificent pair below were spotted on a rooftop somewhere near Cuzco.
Bulls on a roof in the countryside near Cuzco.
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