Discovering Our Inca Princess

The Bustinza family decided to reunite and celebrate Christmas in Arequipa, Peru, after nearly twenty years apart, as life slowly returned to normal following the COVID-19 pandemic. What made this holiday especially memorable was the presence of the twins, Miguel Ángel and María Ángela. The day after Christmas, after listening to a few fairy tales, they asked a simple yet profound question: "Was there ever a princess in our family?"

That question opened the door to a journey through history and geography, where the discovery of an Inca princess as the origin of the family line became a source of inspiration. The children suggested honoring her life in two ways: through the Catholic tradition of praying the rosary and through the Inca ritual of the Pago a la Tierra ("Payment to the Earth"). In response, the gods of the mountains sent the spirit of the princess to them.

Her spirit brought with it a mission: to inspire the conservation of two emblematic animals of South Americaâ€"the vicuña and the Andean condor. Through this work, readers are invited to experience "The Prayer of the Vicuña" and "Let's Save the Condor" with the purpose of raising ecological awareness and preserving the magnificent biosphere that Mother Earth has given us for future generations.

-- Aurea Pearson