The Dimension of the Sacred in the Quechua Youth of Southern Peru

Drawing on a participatory action research (PAR) project and a decolonial stance, I explore the spiritual dimension of the sipas/wayna (Quechua young woman/young man) in southern Peru between 2017 and 2020. The aim is to understand how youth subjectivities were constructed in a context of historical colonialism and of current neoliberal model imposed after a period of Non-international Armed Conflict (NIAC) (1980–2000), which damaged social structures and the fabric of family and communal dynamics. Amidst this background, new actors, such as Evangelical churches, come to interact and shape the everyday life of Quechua young people. One of the consequences of the presence of evangelical churches is that it proposes other relationships for these young people with their environment. These new relationships are far from the Sumak kawsay or “Good Living,” the foundation of the cosmo-existence of the Quechua people that invites to a life in harmony, celebration, gratitude, and nurturing with beings that make up their pacha (universe).