Amaicha and its tribute to The Pachamama: a celebration of gratitude and tradition.

The Garden of the Republic is a land of tradition. Every corner of the province holds vestiges of cultures that preceded us and are still standing today, like a reed. Between drums that resonate in the hills and the aroma of nature in its maximum splendor, Amaicha del Valle becomes the scene of a vibrant festival of dances, songs, and ancestral rituals. The Pachamama Fest comes to life in Tucumán, every year, as a celebration to remember the importance of honoring and protecting Mother Earth.

Located in the immensity of the Calchaquí Valleys, Amaicha del Valle stands as a synonym of history and culture, which has remained intact for decades. For almost 90 years, pre-Hispanic customs mixed with contemporary cultural expressions every summer, creating an encounter in which nature is the center of everything. In February, when the harvest begins to show its fruits and summer is still unfolding, the communities thank the earth for its generosity with a ceremony full of color and mysticism.

It is not Pachamama Day but a popular fest that unites tradition, culture, and spirituality in a great tribute to Mother Earth. The provincial government proposed celebrating it for the first time in 1947 as a folkloric celebration that promoted tourism and traditional valley values. Due to the rapid acceptance of tourists, it began to grow and become a complex festival that also celebrates carnival.

In addition to the festival itself, the celebration of Pachamama is an opportunity to value and rescue the traditions that have been transmitted from generation to generation. In an increasingly accelerated world disconnected from nature, this kind of celebration reminds us of the importance of gratitude and respect for the environment and the link with our roots.

Perhaps the most important moment is the election of Pachamama. Since 1949, an elderly woman from the community has been chosen every year to represent the wisdom and protective spirit of Mother Earth. This celebration takes on an even deeper character, reaffirming the connection between the native peoples and their environment. However, she is not the only one: there are meetings of copleras (women who play coplas) and comadres (close friends), musical shows and dances, and the Ñusta, a woman who embodies youth and the young earth, is also chosen; the Pujllay, the carnival devil; and the Yastay, the animal protector deity. All of them, then, will have a key activity in the coming year: to take care of Mother Earth in the coming months.

Also festive

Everything happens at the Pachamama Precinct, in Amaicha. Once the floats have paraded and the figures of the year are presented, the carnival begins. It is the blessing of the new Pachamama that gives the signal for the atmosphere to become festive. Snow fills the air, the “bombuchas” (water-filled small balloons) begin to crash and the paint fills the grounds with color (and everyone present). And you have no choice: you have to join the party, one in which fun and colorful elements are the protagonists.

The Pachamama Fest in Tucumán is not just a folkloric event but a bridge between past and present, a manifestation of identity and cultural resistance. It is an invitation to celebrate, to give thanks, and to feel the heartbeat of the Earth in every song, dance, and offering. And, above all, it is an experience that leaves a mark on the soul of those who experience it, a celebration that reminds us that Pachamama gives us everything and that we have to honor and protect her.