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In this June 14, 2015 photo, a woman dressed as Our Lady of Sorrows, takes part in a procession marking Ecuadors identity as a Catholic nation with its consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Quito. Pope Francis will encounter on his South American tour indigenous people whose traditions date back centuries to even before European priests brought Christianity to the New World. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__6_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, after the indigenous dancers are long gone, Catholic priests take part in a procession through the streets of Pujilí, Ecuador, continuing with the the Catholic ritual of the Corpus Christi festivities. Although eight of 10 people in Ecuador say they are Catholic, a recent Corpus Christi festival in the city of Pujilli featured joyous dances and ceremonial acts of thanks to the ancient native god Inti, or Father Sun. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__1_]()
In this June 24, 2015 photo, an elderly Quichua Catholic Indian man wears a strand of rosary beads around his neck, in Piaba Chupa, Ecuador. While most of the regions native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the churchs traditional beliefs with native customs. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__4_]()
In this June 14, 2015 photo, a girl dressed as angel parades with her hands folded in prayer during a procession marking Ecuadors identity as a Catholic nation with its 1874 consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Quito. Although eight of 10 people in Ecuador say they are Catholic, many take part in festivals that feature joyous dances and ceremonial acts of thanks to the ancient native gods. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__7_]()
In this June 24, 2015 photo, two musicians walk past a religious mural in Peguche, Ecuador, during the celebrations of the Catholic feast day for St. John the Baptist and the Indian celebration Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun. While most of the regions native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the churchs traditional beliefs with native customs. Many Andean people see no contradiction in it. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__5_]()
In this June 14, 2015 photo, a man parades with a framed image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus during a procession marking Ecuadors identity as a Catholic nation with its consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1874, in Quito. Although eight of 10 people in Ecuador say they are Catholic, many take part in festivals that feature joyous dances and ceremonial acts of thanks to the ancient native gods. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__8_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, a group of dancers perform on the main altar of the Catholic church in Pujili, Ecuador, showing gratitude to the Inca Sun God, Inti, the harvest, as well as celebrating the Holy Communion. While most of the regions native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the churchs traditional beliefs with native customs. Many Andean people see no contradiction in it. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__10_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, a group of dancers enter the church, beginning the start of the Corpus Christi festival, in Pujili, Ecuador. The priest authorizes the entry of the dancers who then perform in honor of the Christian God. This mix of indigenous and Catholic traditions show the syncretic character of the Ecuadorian Andean cultural heritage. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Trump_Wont_Back_Down]()
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at a fundraising event at a golf course in the Bronx borough of New York, Monday, July 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__3_]()
This June 14, 2015 photo shows framed images of Catholic icons on a street in downtown Quito, Ecuador. Pope Francis will encounter on his South American tour indigenous people whose traditions date back centuries to even before European priests brought Christianity to the New World. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__17_]()
In this June 7, 2015 photo, a dancer wearing a folkloric mesh mask representing a Spaniard and an ornamental headdress decorated with a prayer card of Jesus of Great Power and doll heads, performs in the "Danzante de Pujili" in a mix of Indian ancestral traditions of the harvest and Catholic Corpus Christi in Pujili, Ecuador. Pope Francis will encounter on his South American tour indigenous people whose traditions date back centuries to even before European priests brought Christianity to the New World. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__14_]()
This June 7, 2015 photo shows an embroidered collage of Catholic and indigenous symbols that intermingle on a dancer's costume, in Pujili, Ecuador. Although eight of 10 people in Ecuador say they are Catholic, a recent Corpus Christi festival in the city of Pujili featured joyous dances and ceremonial acts of thanks to the ancient native gods Inti, or Father Sun, and Pachamana, or Mother Earth. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__11_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, a boy representing a steward or prioste, carrying a staff or guion, takes part in a Corpus Christi festival, in Pujili, Ecuador. While most of the regions native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the churchs traditional beliefs with native customs. Many Andean people see no contradiction in it. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__13_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, a Pujili dancer wears a headdress decorated with Catholic and indigenous symbols, as he performs in the streets of Pujili, Ecuador, during the Corpus Christi celebrations, jointly honoring the Holy Communion or Eucharist and Inti the ancient Inca sun god. While most of the regions native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the churchs traditional beliefs with native customs. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__9_]()
In this June 4, 2015 photo, a group of dancers enter the church, marking the start of the Corpus Christi festival, in Pujili, Ecuador. The priest authorizes the entry of the dancers who then perform dancers in honor of the Christian God. This mix of indigenous and Catholic traditions show the syncretic character of the Ecuadorian Andean cultural heritage. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__16_]()
In this June 7, 2015 photo, women walk past an altar dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, as they enter a market in Pujili, Ecuador. Pope Francis will encounter rich indigenous traditions on his South America trip that date back centuries to even before European priests brought Christianity to the New World. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__12_]()
In this June 7, 2015 photo, the steward or prioste, accompanied by his family, leads the way for the dancers during the Corpus Christi celebrations Danzante de Pujilí, in Pujili, Ecuador. Dressed in brightly colored costumes and tall headdresses decorated with beads, coins, crosses and mirrors, the performers danced to the indigenous deities.(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)![Ecuador_Indigenous_Pope__15_]()
In this June 7, 2015 photo, a steward or "prioste" carries a staff or "Guion", depicting a mixture of Catholic and indigenous symbols, during the celebration of Corpus Christi or Danzante de Pujilí, in Pujili, Ecuador. The crescent of the Guion is engraved with a variety of symbols and a mirror embedded in its center. The Guion is also garnished with jewelry and ribbons, and topped with a crucifix, symbolizing the region's cultural heritage. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)Pope Francis soaks in Ecuador's indigenous traditions
While most of the region's native peoples identify themselves as Roman Catholic, some practice syncretic rituals that blend the church's traditional beliefs with native customs.
Move Forward
- Pope Francis soaks in Ecuador's indigenous traditions
