Festival of the Crosses: When the Crosses Come Down from the Andes

The Festival of the Crosses, also known as Cruces de Mayo, is one of the most vibrant and profound celebrations in the Peruvian Andes. Every year, between May 1 and 3, towns throughout the highlands fill with color, music and devotion to honor the cross, a symbol that weaves Catholic faith together with the ancestral Andean worldview.

Where it beats the strongest

Although it is celebrated in many places across Peru, one of the best-known versions takes place in Chavín de Huántar, in the Áncash Region, at about 3,200 meters above sea level (nearly 10,500 feet). Surrounded by mountains and beside one of the most important archaeological sites in the Andes, the festival takes on a unique dimension.

Crosses that come down from the hills

For much of the year, the crosses stay high on hills and mountains, watching over the communities. For the festival, they are brought down to the village in procession to receive blessings and veneration. Each cross is adorned with mirrors, cloth, flowers and shining ornaments, becoming a work of folk art full of meaning.

The celebration weaves together several moments:

• Processions that wind through the cobbled streets, accompanied by bands and dancers.

• Rituals of blessing where Catholic faith and Andean traditions blend.

• Community gatherings that bring several generations together around the living memory of the village.

A view through the lens

The photographer Michel Catalan portrayed this festival in a documentary photobook that captures its spiritual strength and its beauty in black and white: faces, crosses, mountains and the pulse of a people celebrating their roots.

We invite you to browse the full gallery and let yourself be carried away by the images of this ancestral tradition.