I present in these pages the most important points of the Christianization of the Peruvian indigenous. I limit myself to the evangelizing task during the 16th century, and only on some points —such as the fight against idolatry— I extend well into the 17th century. By Christianization I understand the reception of baptism and a series of values, rites and norms that can be considered Christian.

I present in these pages the most important points of the Christianization of the Peruvian indigenous. I limit myself to the evangelizing task during the 16th century and only on some points -such as the fight against idolatry- do I extend well into the 17th century. By Christianization I understand the reception of baptism and a series of values, rites and norms that can be considered Christian.

Presento en estas páginas un capítulo de "El mundo religioso de Urcos", obra que aparecerá próximamente y que es el resultado de la primera investigación sistemática sobre la religiosidad campesina, organizada por el Instituo de Pastoral Andina (IPA) del Cuzco. La parroquia piloto de Urcos comprende tres distritos de la población de Quispicanchis y tenía en el último censo una población de 17.313 habitantes. Para investigarla, se eligieron dentro de la misma cinco pueblos que representaran cinco niveles de modernización y, por lo tanto, de religiosidad.

I have just been in the parish of Taraco (province of Huancané, Puno), one of the two Quechua parishes that the Aymara prelature of Juli has. I have been collecting material for a study on the peasant priesthood. I have spoken with Fr. Tomás Verhoeven, M.M., promoter of the rural catechetical movement in the mountains and founder of the schools in Puno, Cusco, Huancayo and Huaraz. Now Father Tomás is directing his catechesis to the formation of grassroots Christians. One day, after the meeting with the grassroots Christians of the Patascachi bias, one of them asked me: can a Christian offer a payment to the land? This question is the starting point of these pages, which try to guide the resolution of this "case of conscience" for the majority of the peasants of the so-called "Indian spot" (Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Abancay, Cuzco and Puno), that during the nights of the month of August ...

Como se sabe, el momento más importante del Indigenismo peruano moderno es la década de los años 20, en la cual vuelve a reconocerse la existencia de la comunidad indígena, sucesora de la antigua "república de indios", y se publican una serie de sugestivos ensayos sociales, replanteando el tema indígena, después de un largo silencio. Tales ensayos son: Nuestra comunidad indígena (1924) de Hildelbrando Castro Pozo, Tempestad en los Andes (1927) de Luis E. Valcárcel, Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana (1928) de José C. Mariátegui, El nuevo indio (1930) de José U. García y La realidad nacional (1931) de Víctor A. Belaunde.

As the 20th anniversary of the Allpanchis magazine is celebrated, I have been asked to reflect on the investigation of Andean religion. This celebration is, without a doubt, a good occasion for such reflection. Those of us who, two decades ago, put our quota of enthusiasm and creativity into carrying out the project of the bishops of the Andean South to found the Andean Pastoral Institute (IPA) to support the work of the Church among the Andean population, are happy to what has been achieved, although soon it was others who took over and others the immediate goals of the first fifteen years of the IPA in Allpanchis (1984, XX:9-26).

Uno de los fenómenos sociales más importantes ocurridos en el país en las últimas décadas es el de la urbanización. Al comparar los últimos censos nacionales, se observa que la población urbana ha tenido un enorme crecimiento. Efectivamente, en 1940 era el 35.39% de la población total del país, en 1961 el 47.42%, en 1972 el 59.52% y en 1981 el 64.86%. Aunque dichos censos manejen una definición de población urbana discutible (la que habita en centros poblados que tienen un mínimo de 100 viviendas agrupadas contiguamente o son capitales de distrito), es indudable que la urbanización es un hecho, que las únicas cuatro ciudades que en 1961 superaban los 100 mil habitantes y albergaban el 20% de la población total del país son en 1981 once y albergan el 37/ de la población y que Lima tenía en 1940 el 10% de la población del país y en 1981 el 27% de la misma (Perú: Hecho...

There is a question that I have heard several times from the lips of priests, they are concerned about the effectiveness of their current pastoral methods, not only because those methods were never very adapted for certain sectors (think, for example, of the different indigenous groups), but also because rapid changes in society and increasing secularization. Consequently, they fear that the divorce between the religiosity of the priests and of the more cultivated minorities and the religiosity of the majority will be accentuated, and thus they feel the urgency to do some religious research in their parishes to know the real situation.