Colorful worship in Argentina

Driving through the high desert of Argentina we saw many churches, chapels, shrines and graveyards for the dead, the living and the holy. Even tiny settlements seem to have impressive churches. Graveyards are colorful and placed on high ground according to Inca traditions and we were told that the living stay in close contact with the dead by sharing meals with them.

The Spanish conquerers brought christianity to Argentina in the 16th century, but Catholic Icons still feature along with ancient Andean indigenous ceremonies like Pachemama worship. In the Inca mythology she is an “Earth Mother”, who presides over fertility, planting and harvesting, embodies the mountains and causes earthquakes. The figure of the Virgin Mary is associated with that of the Pachemama. Religion and worshipping are present in colorful religious festivals and modern-day rituals.

The pictures below were taken with the Hipstamatic app on my phone. The app uses software filters to make the images look as though they were taken with a vintage film camera. This makes the result quite random and there is no editing after the picture has been taken. For more of my Hipstamatic pictures have a look in the Hipstamatic portfolio or under the Hipstamatic topic.