Peruvians climb mountains to pray to Lord of Star Snow amidst shrinking glaciers

Hundreds of Peruvians climb the slopes of Mount Sinakara to pay homage to the Lord of the QoyllurRit'i (Star of the Lord of the Snow) at an altitude of 4,700 metres in the Vilcanota mountain range, Southeast of Lima.

During this religious festival, pilgrims returned to their communities carrying large blocks of ice on their shoulders to symbolically irrigate their lands with the sacred frozen water. This religious festivity is one of the largest festivals of Indigenous nations in South America.