The Condor & The Bull
The rich and storied culture of the indigenous Quechua peoples of the Andes, which has thrived since before the time of the Incas, is now facing the greatest threat to its existence in its history... the rapidly changing modern world. This is the current, self-driven project that I have embarked upon. If you are interested in knowing more about this project, an in-depth description is available at the bottom of this gallery.
The Condor & The Bull (Continued)
A procession of Indigenous villagers emerges from Peru’s Andes Mountains like beacons in the dawn. It’s the first morning of Qoyllur Rit’i (the Festival of the Snow Star), held when the Pleiades constellation returns to the equatorial sky. Thousands of Quechua-speaking peoples have made an arduous pilgrimage 5,000 meters high to honour the Apus (sacred spirits of the mountains), the arrival of the harvest season, and, these days, Jesus Christ.
Ukukus (the half-man, half-bear guardians of Andean culture and tradition) haul heavy, wooden crosses up to the glaciers they protect. Others dressed like black-and-white birds oversee the festivities from the clifftops. They represent the Andean condor—the symbol of the Quechua people, still fighting for their freedom under Spanish reign.
Qoyllur Rit’i is a syncretic event: Catholic imagery and national flags intermix with traditional tassels, feathers, and flutes that shake and whistle in a three-day trance. It’s an example of Indigenous survival and adaptation—resistance and coexistence—through 500 years of colonization, which inspired Canadian photographer Michael Bednar to move to Peru and immerse himself in the culture to document.
Over the past two years, Bednar has withstood arrest, threats of violence and risk of deportation to witness this resilience, along with lasting customs that demonstrate what it means to be Quechua today. In the Yawar (“Blood”) Fiesta, banned in 2015, a rodeo-like event culminated with a live death match between a condor and a bull: that symbol of the Andean people literally strapped to the back of their Spanish rulers.
Today, Quechua culture is alive and strong, but traditions like Yawar are dying out, and the Quechua language—which once united the Inca Empire from modern-day Colombia to northern Argentina—has shrunk to small pockets. Now with globalization, urbanization, climate change, and an ever-growing demand for resources, the Quechua are facing their greatest threats yet in a rapidly changing world.
This is a story of brutality and beauty. Clashes and coexistence. And an indomitable spirit that has the power to protect people and culture, and the land that gives life to both. The Quechua, like Indigenous peoples around the globe, are fighting for their cultures, reclaiming their pride and their rightful place on our planet.