Note: this article about the Q’ero people was first published 09/13/2018 and was updated 09/18/2026
By Alexandria Beyer
The indigenous wisdom the Q’ero people of the high Andes carry is ancient. But as I discovered, it’s just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
In case you’re not familiar with these fascinating, Quechua-speaking people from the Cusco region of Peru, allow me to shed a little light.
It was only around the 1950s when the Q’ero became more widely known. Some attribute this to an ethnological expedition led by Dr. Oscar Nuñez del Prado of the San Antonio Abad National University in Cusco. Others claim that it was around that time that the Q’ero began to descend from their mountain-top homes into surrounding towns for the first time.
Some anthropologists state that the Q’ero are the direct descendants of the Inca. But several Q’ero themselves say that the Inca recognised their uniqueness and left them alone, rather than trying to incorporate them into their vast empire.
Unlike the Inca, the Q’ero weren’t conquered by the Spanish. According to their mythology, the local mountain deities (called apus) destroyed the Spanish Army near Wiraquchapampa by creating an earthquake and rockslide that buried the Spanish invaders. Indeed, there has actually been some evidence of this massacre in the form of Spanish skeletons, found recently.
Here’s What I Know…
Although they’re highly spiritual people, the Q’ero don’t follow any form of a dogmatic religion; unlike other Peruvian nations, like the Shipibo, they also lack a shamanic culture. Instead, they call their spiritual leaders “paqos”.
While shamans use plant medicines, singing, dancing, drumming or meditation to enter a trance-like state in order to heal or diagnose disease, the Q’ero don’t do this at all.
They’re well known for their reverence of the “Cosmic Mother”, also known as Pachamama, as well as those previously mentioned mountain spirits called “apus”. Mainly, the Q’ero way of life means living in balance with and having respect for all living things.
Part of that respect is living in ayni, or, more simply, reciprocity. It’s a ‘scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ system that the Q’ero practice with individuals, families, neighbours and communities, as well as within the spirit world, including with Pachamama and the Apus. It’s something that we in the ‘me first’, accumulative, ‘individualistic’ West seem to have forgotten – to our detriment, and the planet’s.
Hungry For More Q’ero Knowledge
Despite my awareness of these few facts, there was much more I wanted to learn about these ancient farming and weaving people, so I turned to Caroline Putnam, founder and director of Reviveolution, an organization working native communities–particularly the Q’ero Nation of Peru – to share and preserve indigenous traditions.
She boasts a degree in Anthropology and married into a Q’ero family, so her perspective offers a rare insight. I was also lucky enough to find her in the presence of her father in law, Q’ero elder Juan Gabriel, a man whose eyes sparkle with the humor and compassion that wisdom has brought him over time.
I asked them a few questions that had still been irking me. Below are their answers.
What would you say is the most important aspect of maintaining Q’ero wisdom?
Caroline: Indigenous wisdom is about connecting to a forgotten sense of place in your community and your place here on earth. Whether you’re in a city or in the countryside, you are inherently connected to the space and life force around you. Pachamama, Spirit, Source, Divine, God – whatever you call it, it’s our relationship to that power that can bring wisdom. We need to reconnect to that forgotten connection; it’s nothing new.
How can we do that?
Juan Gabriel: One important part of that wisdom is the use of coca. Many associate this leaf with cocaine, as it’s the base of that drug, but for the Q’ero, this sacred plant serves for divining the future, connecting to spirits, relieving altitude sickness and hunger pangs, and is the master plant of the Andes.
No. Let me be clear: coca is not a drug. It is a medicine, it is wisdom, it brings us peace and freedom from worry, it brings us into ourselves and nature, it is Mama Coca.
How can modern people reconnect with Q’ero wisdom?
Juan Gabriel: One part of reconnecting with this wisdom involves understanding the traditional role of coca. Many people associate the coca leaf solely with cocaine, but within Q’ero culture it has a very different meaning.
The leaf is regarded as a sacred plant and can be used for divination, ceremonial practices, connecting with spirits and coping with the physical challenges of life at high altitude. Anyone can use it.
But the bigger lesson goes beyond any plant or ritual. Q’ero spirituality is about our relationship with the earth, the community, Pachamama and the forces of nature.
Why do foreigners want to take part in Q’ero despacho ceremonies?
Juan Gabriel: Often times, visitors come to a ceremony expecting an intense experience and immediate results, but they forget that this is a communication with Pachamama. Have faith that Pachamama has taken your prayers and intentions to heart, and become receptive to the fact that the universe is with you already.
How does someone become a Q’ero elder?
Juan Gabriel: I was raised in the Q’ero Nation, where ceremony, prayer and communication with Earth and Sky, Wind, Moon and Sun, Pachamama and the Creator were an ordinary part of life.
At the age of 20, I began studying under my maestro for ten years before beginning to offer ceremonies.My path included overcoming considerable hardship through prayer and faith, as well as many despacho ceremonies, coca divination readings, prayers with coca, rituals and initiations.
Over time, these experiences allowed me to become a Maestro Elder of the Living Energy of Q’eros.
What key life lesson would you like to pass on to the younger generation?
Juan Gabriel: Despacio. (go slow and steady). When you plant a seed, you must wait until the harvest. Have faith. Be patient. The spiritual path requires patience! Be open, have faith, and lead with the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Q’ero People
1. Who are the Q’ero people?
The Q’ero are a Quechua-speaking Indigenous community from the high Andes of Peru, associated with the Cusco region. They are known for their traditional farming and weaving practices, as well as their distinctive spiritual traditions, ceremonies and relationship with Pachamama and the apus.
2. Where do the Q’ero people live?
The Q’ero are traditionally associated with remote high-altitude communities in the Andes of the Cusco region of Peru. Their mountain environment has played an important role in shaping their culture, traditions and relationship with the natural world.
3. What are some core Q’ero beliefs?
Core ideas associated with Q’ero spirituality include reciprocity, known as ayni; reverence for Pachamama; respect for the apus or mountain spirits; community; prayer; ceremony; and maintaining a balanced relationship with the natural world.
4. What is a Q’ero despacho ceremony?
A Q’ero despacho ceremony is a ritual offering made to Pachamama. Symbolic items such as coca leaves, flowers and sugar are arranged as an offering, accompanied by prayers and intentions. The completed offering is traditionally burned in a sacred fire as part of a reciprocal relationship with Pachamama.
5. What is a Q’ero paqo?
A Q’ero paqo is a traditional spiritual practitioner who works with prayer, ceremony, offerings and other Q’ero spiritual practices. Q’ero paqos should not automatically be equated with the Western concept of a shaman, as Q’ero traditions have their own terminology and practices.
6. What are some typical Q’ero traditions?
Q’ero traditions include despacho ceremonies, prayer, coca practices and divination, as well as farming, weaving and maintaining reciprocal relationships within families, communities and with the natural world. Their spiritual traditions also place great importance on Pachamama and the apus.
7. What is ayni in Q’ero culture?
Ayni is the Q’ero concept of reciprocity. It describes a principle of mutual exchange and balance that can apply to relationships between people as well as relationships with Pachamama and the natural world.
8. What is Pachamama in Q’ero spirituality?
Pachamama is understood as a powerful maternal or Earth-related spiritual presence and is deeply revered within Q’ero traditions. Offerings and ceremonies such as despacho are ways of honouring Pachamama and maintaining a reciprocal relationship with the natural world.
9. What are the apus in Q’ero tradition?
Apus are sacred mountain spirits that hold an important place in Q’ero spirituality. Mountains are not simply geographical features within this worldview. They can also be understood as powerful spiritual beings with whom people maintain a relationship.
10. What role does coca play in Q’ero traditions?
Coca is a sacred plant within traditional Q’ero culture and can be used in ceremonies, prayer and divination. It has also traditionally been associated with coping with hunger and the effects of high altitude. Its ceremonial and cultural role is distinct from the illicit production and use of cocaine.
I must say that after chewing a few leaves, though subtle, there is a feeling of yielding receptivity that comes over me after fifteen minutes or so of chewing coca. This deep, dark green leaf is full of alkaloids, calcium, and other nutrients that oxygenate the blood and has been a part of daily life in the Andes for generations. It gives a very mild feeling of alertness, akin to the sensation of drinking coffee. But without the jitters!
Final Thoughts
What stayed with me most after spending time learning about the Q’ero was not any particular ceremony, ritual or spiritual teaching. It was the simplicity of the underlying idea: that we are not separate from the world around us.
Ayni—the practice of reciprocity—seems almost radical in a culture that so often encourages us to accumulate, compete and put ourselves first. The Q’ero understanding asks us to consider what we give back, not simply what we can take.
And perhaps that is why their wisdom feels so relevant now.
We live in a world that moves increasingly quickly, where patience can feel like an inconvenience and where our attention is constantly pulled towards the next thing. The Q’ero reminder to go despacio—to allow things to unfold in their own time—is a surprisingly powerful one.
You plant a seed, and then you wait for the harvest.
There is something comforting in that.
The Q’ero traditions I encountered offered no quick fix or promise of instant transformation. Instead, they spoke of relationship, reciprocity, patience, faith and respect for the living world.
Perhaps the real wisdom lies there: not in looking for something extraordinary, but in remembering how to pay attention to what has been around us all along.
