The Peace and Dignity journeys are spiritual runs that embody the prophecy of the Eagle and Condor, which mandates that Indigenous peoples reunite in order to heal and work towards a better future for the coming generations.
The runs started in 1992 and take place every four years. They start with runners on opposite ends of the American continent: Chickaloon, Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. They run for six months through indigenous communities, where they participate in their respective spiritual practices and traditions. They participate in dialogue and receive the communities prayers. The prayers and conversations are then ‘carried’ to proceeding communities until the runners reach the center of the continent.
They will converge in Central America for a final gathering on Nov. 28 in Tikal, Guatemala, where there will be a four day closing ceremony.
On Aug. 7, the runners arrived at Instituto Familiar de la Raza in San Francisco. They crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and celebrated with dance and ceremonies. El Tecolote photographers Shane Menez and Michelle Gutiérrez were there to capture this part of their journey.