The Antlers of a Trilemma: Rediscovering Andean Sacred Sites - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 60

It is diffi cult to describe Andean sacred sites from the perspective of Amerindian
people, not only for the huge diversity of cultural backgrounds and philosophical
and religious affi liations, but also because the notion of sacredness is highly inter-
twined with the notion of identity (Sarmiento et al. 2005 ). Unlike Judeo-Christian
doctrine that puts people above the non-human entities of the planet with intangible
existence after death in eternal heavenly existence or damnation, Amerindian
doctrines rely on the notion that people are part of other tangible and intangible ele-
ments, of the web of life, in a process that cyclically converges towards new
beginnings ( pachakutik ).
Borman ( in press ) calls attention to an overarching sentiment of a consecrated
environment, the challenge for the revival of indigenous lifescapes relies mostly in
the articulation of their sacredness with the overall Westernized beliefs via syncre-
tism. Alternatively, the application of syncretic principles in daily chores and in
yearly ceremonial observances of cleansing or divination is essential. In as much as
the invasion of missionaries continues unabated towards indigenous territories, not
only indigenous territories but also vernacular epistemographies are endangered by
acculturation and secularization (Verschuuren et al. 2010 ). The fact that no artifi cial
building is identifi ed as the place to experience the manifestation of god, the com-
munication with spiritual power does not convey the need of a constructed temple,
thus there is no need for monumental architecture or a centralized power holding
sanctuary in a citadel. For instance, mountains are abodes of gods and their telluric
power is a manifestation of the need of respect, even reverence. Entering a sacred
cove of the Cofan, where fi sh tree stumps survive centuries of exposure to the tropi-
cal forest of the headwaters of the Napo River in Ecuador, is equivalent to entering
the holy basilica of the 'Virgen de Guadalupe', the largest Catholic sacred site in the
region. A cursory search of sacred sites in Latin America, for instance, will include
listing the most important sites of Catholicism and some Evangelical shrines and
cathedrals.

5.7 Beyond Belief

Sacred natural sites are increasingly recognized for making a positive contribution to the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity globally. (Bas Verschuuren 2010 , p. 3)

The Andes Mountains hold a diverse array of ecosystems and cultures in a mosaic
of topographic and ethnographic palimpsest that pretends to unite a heterogeneous
nature into a homogeneous cultural denominator. Many of the cultural landscapes of
the region are considered Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) which function under
global stressors of environmental change that must be carefully steered towards
positive, sustainable, and transformative end points of development via Earth stew-
ardship (Chapin et al. 2011 ). Sacred sites are thus generalized by ecoregion (tropan-
dean, isthmian, equatorial, central, southern, Patagonian, Magellanic) and also by
climate (humid, dry) or by political boundaries (country-based within the region, or