An Ancestral School for the Q’ero Nation
Extending the Ancestral School to the Q’ero Nation
What began in the Amazon rainforest with the Yahua Ancestral School is now extending to the Andes. We are preparing to develop an ancestral school for the Q’ero Nation: a living space where elders and children remain in daily continuity, and where language, cosmology, land stewardship and rites of passage are transmitted as lived responsibility rather than performance.
Extending the Ancestral School to the Q’ero Nation in the Andean Highlands
Moments from our time with our beloved Q’ero elder, Pampamesayoq Juan Gabriel Apaza Lunasco, who passed from this world in 2024 and whose presence lives on in the mountains — and with his brother, Q’ero elder Pampamesayoq Benito Apaza, who accompanied us back to the village and offered blessings for the continuation of this work. The school is dedicated to Juan Gabriel’s memory.
What the Q’ero Ancestral School will support
- A dedicated physical space for elder-to-youth transmission
- Preservation of the Quechua language and ceremonial knowledge
- Land-based education rooted in Andean ecology
- Intergenerational workshops for children and families
- Infrastructure improvements that support community stability
- Long-term cultural continuity beyond tourism-based income
This is not a museum, and not preservation for spectators. Ancestral schools restore the bridge between generations, and the Q’ero initiative is the next step in uniting the Amazon and the Andes through practical reciprocity rather than romanticism.
How you can take part
Your contribution goes directly to land preparation and building materials, educational supplies, travel and coordination with Q’ero elders, a curriculum rooted in Andean tradition, and long-term sustainability planning. Paititi Institute partners directly with Q’ero leaders so that the community guides every step, from the school’s design to its daily learning. Every donation, large or small, becomes part of a living bridge between generations. Support the school →
Journey to Q’ero Nation
How it began. During the 2021 government Covid lockdowns in Peru, when the world felt most isolated, our team at Paititi Institute came together to serve in the spirit of Pachamama. With the support of our global community, we delivered essential food supplies to over 600 families across Peru — including our dear Q’ero elders in the high Andes, and the Yahua and Bora tribes deep in the Amazon rainforest.
This video shares a glimpse of our journey to the Q’ero nation, where we brought over 1 ton of emergency food supplies to two of the most remote mountain villages, guided by the heartfelt request of Q'ero elder Juan Gabriel Apaza, who has since passed, and his son Julian.
The Q’ero chose the coldest, highest altitudes centuries ago to preserve their freedom and lifeways. Despite harsh conditions, they continue to live with generosity, courage, and profound integrity — embodying values our modern world is in danger of forgetting.
We were welcomed with open arms and shared meals, treated with care, and reminded what it means to live in communion with Earth and one another. To everyone who made this mission possible: thank you. Your offerings became living prayers in action. This is sacred activism — remembering, responding, and regenerating.
Make an impact today
Your gift helps develop the Q’ero ancestral school: land preparation and building materials, educational supplies, travel and coordination with the elders, and a curriculum rooted in Andean tradition. Every donation, large or small, becomes part of a living bridge between generations.