The Israelite Mission of the New Universal Covenant, or “Israelite”—a sect founded in the central jungle of Peru—has been preparing for Armageddon for more than 50 years. Ezequiel Ataucusi Gamonal, the late leader of this religious-messianic movement, founded an institution that prepares for the end times according to the precepts of the Old Testament and Andean tradition, which longs for the Tahuantinsuyo, the vast empire of the Incas. Its members dress as in biblical times: tunics, long hair, and veils covering the women’s heads. They observe the Sabbath, perform fire sacrifices to God, and seek redemption through agricultural work in the countryside and independent trades in the city.

Many Israelites have migrated to the Andes and the Amazon to create communities, governed by their own laws, that will survive the Apocalypse. The rest of humanity, which did not heed their preaching, will succumb to the massive catastrophe. But, in the meantime, in various parts of the Amazon rainforest and the Peruvian Andes, the promised land is being forged.