Who are the Q'ero Inca Shamans (Paqos)?
At the highest altitudes in the Andes Mountains in Peru, live a group of indigenous Indians called the Q'eros. They are the direct descendants of the ancient Incan people who were invaded by the Spanish Conquistadores in the 1500's. During that time, many of the Incan people were forced into labor in the gold and silver mines by the Spanish, but a few others escaped to the "villages in the clouds" in the refuge of the holy mountains (apus). These people survived and safe-guarded much of their sacred knowledge, keeping it intact over the centuries.