Last of the Paka-Jakes

Ages & ages ago, the Snow God "Kun" destroyed all life on earth, and only the ill-tempered "supaya" (devils) lived to roam the highlands of Bolivia. The" Pacha-Camaj" (Gods of Fertility) then sent down their own sons, the "Paka-Jakes" (Eagle Men), to create a new race of their beloved Aymara people, all of whom had been snowed under by Kun. The Paka-Jakes settled on the land around holy Lake Titicaca, recreated the Aymaras, and named the province Pacajes after themselves.

Centuries passed. Not so many years ago the last of the Paka-Jakes returned to the Aymara people of Pacajes. He was fortyish and fat, but he had the authentic eagleface of his predecessors. He was illiterate, and he bore the earthy name of Damasco Maldonado. But he had the power to look into the future and the past and the thoughts of men; he cured sick llamas and women & children, got rid of bad ghosts and made things tough for his enemies. In the small Aymara pueblos of the Altiplano and among the Indies who worked the copper mines near the Chilean and Peruvian borders, his name was spoken with reverence. On festive days thousands of Indians crowded Lake Titicaca's shores, watched in awe and admiration as Paka-Jake swam: no mortal, sensible Indian would think of swimming in the holy water which is also ice cold.

A true god needs apostles, and Paka-Jake picked up plenty. He especially favored females between 15 and 18, and selected the likeliest of them on his excursions through the province. Each chosen one had to present herself alone at "Kullusmalla," favorite miracle-place of the gods. There & then the earth trembled, fire flashed and from behind clouds of smoke Paka-Jake appeared, smiling.

But, even to a god, there comes a time of reckoning. When his female disciples numbered more than 50, young Indians became jealous and old ones were shocked. Even the divine performance in the waters of Titicaca lost its interest, mainly because the Indians found it more fun to watch the new football team which had been organized in Paka-Jake's native village.

Paka-Jake, needing another outlet, concentrated on clairvoyance: he could always tell that one of his more affluent neighbors was about to die in a few months. Forthwith one of the disciples would be dispatched with a warning--and a promise that Paka-Jake would intercede with the gods if the neighbor paid Paka-Jake a couple of thousand bolivianos (about $40). Sometimes he paid and sometimes not. If not, the neighbor kicked the bucket.

Last week Bolivian authorities put Paka-Jake in jail, began to produce evidence that, in at least 28 cases, his divine prophecies were nothing but ungodly murders.

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