The Antlers of a Trilemma: Rediscovering Andean Sacred Sites - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 61

provincial-based within a country) and are seen as ultimate socio-ecological
transformative landscapes (Rhoades et al. 2008 ). In fact, there has never been a
monolithic Andean identity, thus the appropriation of sacred spaces to turn them into
places of sacred power has never been done in the same way in the region. However
despite the milieu of choices and roots, a unifying tendency of radicular syncretism,
or even a dendritic ritualization of pilgrimage, offerings, sacrifi ces or actual
payments, are obviously present in the determination of Andean sacred sites
(Sarmiento 2003 ). Biocultural heritage narratives of the present mountain communi-
ties require the affi rmation of an indigenous sentiment of respect for the land and for
the overall maternal homerange ( pachamama ) of their indigenous nations and the
agreement to maintain traditional cultic practices amidst the powerful winds of
change prompted by current society's ruling class. Many indigenous nations coped
with this in colonial times with syncretism, but it remains to be seen if the prolifera-
tion of modern technologies employed to impose globalized ideologies will be det-
rimental to sacred natural sites.
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