Tenientes Granizo - Hail Lieutenants
There are over 4000 varieties of potatoes that grow in the Andes Mountains of Peru and Bolivia where the humble spud originates. Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are not from Germany or Ireland and didn’t arrive in Europe until the 16th century after the Spanish began colonizing South America.
Potatoes hold a crucial place in the lives of the indigenous people of the Andes. They make up a large part of people’s diet and they are also an important part of commerce for the people of the high elevation communities. Not surprisingly, they are an integral part of culture as a result.
The best potatoes grow at high elevations and they blanket the landscape of the altiplano. The farmers rely on the rains to grow their crops as there is little water otherwise. However, as the climate changes storms have grown more severe in recent years. Hail storms and downpours have become more common and more violent like the one I witnessed this past weekend in Cusco.
These storms and specifically the hail can have a devastating impact on potato crops and the lives of the people. Therefore people always have a watchful eye on the sky for dark clouds on the horizon.
When they do begin to build up and the threat of a hail storm approaches, small groups of men known as the Tenientes Granizo or the Hail Lieutenants make their way out to different positions amongst the fields to do battle with the storm clouds.
Although the Spanish were successful in imposing Catholicism as the dominant religion, the indigenous people still held fiercely to their traditional beliefs. This includes the belief in magic and spirits, both good and bad. The dark, ominous storm clouds that bring hail are viewed as dark spirits that must be fought off.
The bad spirits that bring the hail are fought using fireworks and smoke. The men launch fireworks to bust the clouds and break them apart as they say prayers and make offerings of coca and alcohol. Fires are lit as it is believed the black smoke they produce is needed to fight darkness with darkness. Although it is counterintuitive to the root cause of more severe storms and the changing climate, tires are often used for these fires as they burn with intensely black smoke.
As I stayed with the men and learned of this ritual, we watched the angry, black clouds disperse and leave without doing any damage. My presence was seen as being a good sign on this occasion and I was offered libations, hearty hugs, and invitations to people’s homes. I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have been offered had the ritual not been a success.
MB
