A despacho offering is a ritual or ceremony used to provide a reciprocal exchange of thanks between humans, the Apukunas, or sacred mountains, Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the Hanaq Pacha, the Upper World. These offrendos, or offerings, can be quite diverse and the intention can be more focused such as for weddings or new babies, yet basically they are usually comprised of various plant, animal, mineral, and human-made products, which are arranged on a square sheet of white paper and usually burned, or sometimes buried, or offered to the waters, as a way to maintain a reciprocal relationship between ourselves and the living universe. Source: Peruvian Shamanism, The Pachakuti Mesa by Matthew Magee.
