The story
Andean-Amazonian New Year in Tiwanaku
Thousands gather before dawn at the Tiwanaku archaeological site on 21 June, the winter solstice, to raise open palms toward the first sunlight in a ceremony marking the Andean-Amazonian New Year. Amautas, Andean spiritual guides, lead offerings to Pachamama through the night, and Bolivia made the date an official national holiday in 2010, recognizing indigenous cosmovision within the national calendar.
At dawn on 21 June, thousands of people climb the ruins of Tiwanaku, the pre-Incan ceremonial and administrative center on Bolivia's altiplano, to face east and raise open palms toward the first sunlight of the Southern Hemisphere winter solstice.