The author intensively analyzes Cruz Velacuy, the Day of the Cross,
in Cusco City, Peru, and points out that the local festival has risen
abruptly in the short period since the 1950 earthquake. According to
this analysis, the reasons for the sudden growth of the festival in Cusco,
when it was traditionally celebrated in the rural communities are:
1) the accelerated migration from the rural areas to Cusco City,
2) the strong integrative function of the Cross among the citizens of
Cusco,
3) the high adaptability of the local festival to the urban socio-cultural
environment while maintaining the core of the belief, namely faith
in the Cross, in the process of its transplant and fixation.
The author concludes that the rapid transformation of Cruz
Velacuy is an adaptive process of faith in the Cross as an integrative symbol
which has been brought by the increasing number of migrants from
the rural areas to Cusco City.