Description

This study explores the Quechua tradition of flying witch heads in the departments of Ayacucho, Huancavelica, and Junín in the south-central Peruvian Andes. Through rigorous ethnographic, anthropological, and symbolic analysis, authors Néstor Godofredo Taipe Campos and Nolberto Claudio Rojas Porras investigate the pre-Hispanic origin and historical transformations of these magical-religious beliefs. The work reveals how these narratives function as mechanisms of social control and domination, particularly against indigenous women, while unraveling the deep cultural meanings of this oral tradition also present in Bolivia and Argentina. With firsthand testimonies and an interdisciplinary approach combining anthropology, history, linguistics, and semiotics, this book represents a fundamental contribution to making visible and revaluing the intangible cultural heritage of contemporary Quechua peoples.

Authors:

-Néstor G. TAIPE CAMPOS

-Nolberto C. ROJAS PORRAS

Prologue: Abilio Vergara Figueroa