Paul Vallejos / EPA

'Ukukus', or devotees to the Q'oyllur Riti Lord (Snow Star), make a payment in the snowcapped mount Qollqe Punku, in Cusco, Peru, on June 19. The Q'oyllur Riti celebration, considered the biggest indigenous pilgrimage in America, is a multitudinous manifestation of andean religion in which 40,000 people go through a rough path to reach Sinankara creek, next to the Qollqe Punku. The water of the creek is considered sacred, and ukukus stay there until dawn to bring the ice to the people waiting down the mountain.

'Largest indigenous pilgrimage in America' takes place in Peru

This photo is dated June 19, 2011, but was not released until today.

Read more about the ritual on Wikipedia.

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