Funeral song in Quechua Anhil Santu

Abstract

To transmit to the people the beliefs and principles, religions resort to songs and rituals. The Quechua funeral song Anhil Santu (Saint Angel) is one that has been used by Dominican and Franciscan priests to promote the veneration of Virgin Mary. The Virgin, to save the soul of the devout sinner destined for hell, confronts stern judges such as Saint Peter, Saint Michael, and Jesus. Before these negative responses, Patsa Mama or Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) tries to replace the soul. The Spanish version is the translation of Francisco Carranza, keeping the metric of the original poetic text that is in Quechua of Ancash.