Alta Moda

This traditional costume can be adapted for the dance using a white handkerchief. The handkerchief covers the montera (hat) and symbolises the purity of the female virgin. She also wears two llikllas (shawls) over her shoulders. The Tupay dance represents the mating of alpacas, and summons single young people during Carnival festivities.

The montera is covered by a white handkerchief from which coloured woollen ribbons called trencillas (little braids) hang.

The women wear a short jacket, llikllas and a hand-woven black woollen pollera (skirt), which is richly decorated with embroidered ribbons. The short ankle boots are made of black leather and embellished with decorative figures related to farming.

The initials of the Filigranas Peruanas association can be seen on the back of the pollera.

A velveteen montera (hat) with a crossed and sewn golden ribbon, decorated at the front and back with a small, red pleated fretwork, which is a detail that usually shows that the wearer is unmarried.

From the montera hang coloured woollen ribbons with small, circular mirrors embedded in cardboard stars wrapped in coloured glossy paper. When the sun’s rays are reflected in the mirrors, they are said to give out bright signals that attract men. This is known as qoylluríchiy (to decorate with stars, to shine).

The jacket, lliklla (shawl) and pollera (skirt) are profusely decorated with embroidered ribbons.

The costume consists of a montera (hat) decorated in the centre and edges with white ribbons that have small pieces of coloured ribbon sewn onto them, from which numerous red ribbons, called rayatillos, hang down. The llikllas (shawls) are richly adorned with geometric and animal symbols, in mainly in black and red tones with hints of other colours. The most elaborately decorated llikllas can be found in these communities, and they contain many of the symbols of Cusco.

The edges of the black woollen pollera (skirt) are decorated with cloth appliqué work in diamond shapes. These rural communities are renowned for their fine textiles that are predominantly woven in red and black and which are known as hauyruros, after the black and red seed that is worn as an amulet and believed to bring good luck.

The tupu (metal clip) is a pre-Columbian feature that continues to be used in women’s clothing today. It is used to fasten llikllas (shawls) by holding the two edges together. It can also be used to attach the unkuña (head dress) to braided hair, and as a piece of jewellery to decorate a dress and give the woman a more elegant appearance.

The woman’s hat is made of black felt decorated with black silk ribbon on the brim and the crown. The rectangular lliklla of maroon and white stripes is finished with velvet trim on two of its sides, and decorated with white embroidery using the maquinasqa technique (machine-embroidering).

The tupu used by women from Paruro is a colonial style piece, and is an allegory of nature. At its centre is a tangled design that includes a flower surrounded by birds, crowned by a peacock with its outstretched wings, whilst the lower section is made up of seven well-defined fish. Four maroon glass beads adorn the piece, the same colour that is also used in the earrings, and on the lliklla.

Her blouse, made of patterned yellow cloth, illustrates the woman’s flirtatious beauty, expressed in the lace and ribbon appliqué on the bosom.

Tupay means “meeting” in Quechua. It is a dance associated with Carnival, performed in Canas and Espinar provinces, which represents the mating of alpacas and it is thought to kindle love between the young single people who perform it. The people in these provinces, as well as in the province of Chumbivilcas, mainly work in breeding alpacas, llamas and sheep. The men usually rend their grazing animals on horseback.

The men, who symbolise the male alpaca, wear a chuku (cape), made of coloured woollen fringes that weigh around fifteen kilos and represent the animal’s fur. They also wear a montera (hat) covered in fringes and woollen tassels that falls over the chuku, completing their costume.

They wear qarawatanas (high gaiters), a leather accessory that protects the rider’s trousers, which are decorated with white leather appliqué depicting images of the festival and cattle farming.

While they dance, the men play music with a pinkuyllo, a musical instrument from the region made from a hollow cane, while the women sing songs in Quechua.

The European Carnival, a descendant of the Roman Saturnalia, was an irreverent festival that allowed the temporary breaking of social rules during a period of festivity and relaxation before Holy Week, a time for recollection. In the Andes, the Carnival fell during the rainy season, when the abundance of water led to rising levels in rivers and lakes and in which plants flowered, thus associating it with the cycle of life. The rural Carnival is therefore an invocation of fertility and a celebration of life, and a window of opportunity for young people to meet and to form partnerships.

As in other Andean Carnivals, the man represents a species of water bird. In this case it is the sargento (agelaius thilius), a bird that is associated with lakes and wetlands.

The costume consists of a montera (hat adorned with ñiwa (pampas grass) plumes from a type of cane that grows in the highlands of Cusco, worn over a multicoloured chullo (hat).

The long woollen coat, the tablacasaca, is decorated with buttons that form geometric shapes. White cloths, usually made of canvas, are worn over the arms, which symbolise the bird’s wings and flare out as the dancers spin.

A small poncho with geometric designs is worn over the shoulders, from which decorated ribbons hang, and hand-woven woollen black trousers and leather ojotas (sandals) are also worn (scroll down to see).

The Q'anchi is a dance related to the agricultural cycle, and it pays homage to mama sara (the corn mother) and it is danced to encourage the growth of the corn crop. This ritual dance is presided over by a varayoq, the traditional elder in rural communities who uses a wooden staff decorated with metal that symbolises their authority.

The upper part of the costume consists of a long jacket of hand-woven woollen cloth decorated at the cuffs and hem, with stripes embroidered with coloured designs. The jacket is covered with two cloaks or qepi (tied shawls used to carry objects) and coloured woollen tassels called t'ika waraka (slings of flowers). They wear chuspas (small woollen bags), woven on a traditional loom and decorated with geometric designs. The black trousers are made of hand-woven woollen cloth.

The montera (hat) is worn with the brim facing upwards, decorated inside with white ribbons and on the outside with cloth stripes embroidered with coloured designs.

The model in the centre represents the varayoq and carries the staff.

The models on each side of him carry sticks, an accessory which is thrown into the air during the dance, and these sticks probably symbolise the chakitaqlla, a pre-Hispantic ploughing tool that is still in use today.

The provinces of Chumbivilcas, Canas and Espinar,in the far south of Cusco region, have vast natural plains where cattle farming and subsistence farming are the main economic activity. Bullfighting and horse racing are the preferred cultural pastimes.

In this part of the country, the woollen cloth used in clothing is typically decorated with designs of corn sheaves, as can be seen on the sleeves and on part of the body of the women’s jacket and the man’s trousers.

Both the male and female costumes feature images which allude to the festive personality of the Chumbivilcanos.

The woman’s costume includes a felt hat decorated with patterned ribbon using the maquinasqa (machine-embroidering) technique. The lliklla (shawl) is tied around her back in the style of the qepi.

The design of her jacket and pollera (skirt) consists of overlapping layers in grey tones and red and black woollen cloth. The black leather boots are appliquéd with white leather.

The man’s costume includes a felt hat, a woollen shawl decorated with embroidery and a white cotton shirt. His waistcoat and trousers are made of hand-woven woollen cloth. He wears a qarawatana, which is a leather accessory used to protect the horseman’s trousers. On his upper body he wears the typical qorilazo (golden lasso), the liwi (lasso) and the red poncho.

This dance appeared after the war between Peru and Chile (1879–1883). It is a satire of the occupation of Peru by Chile, and the oppression of its people by Chilean soldiers and officials under the leadership of a machu (old man).

“Auqa” is the Quechua word for “enemy", and thus the name of dance is “Chilean enemy". This dance takes place in Paucartambo, during the festival of the Virgen del Carmen, as well as in various other provinces of Cusco during other patron saint’s festivities.

The machu wears a black top hat and a mask with a grotesque nose, together with a black waistcoat and a coat with high relief black embroidery, black trousers and shoes. It is an outfit that is sombrely elegant.

He carries a book in his left hand — a symbol of the law — and a whip in his right hand, to punish anyone who acts against him.

A young and whimsical mestizo girl — a symbol of his dominance — accompanies him; he holds her arm to show that he owns her and to stop anyone else from courting her.

The girl is dressed as a typical mestiza from Cusco, wearing a straw hat painted white with a green ribbon, a white fitted blouse, and a pleated silk skirt decorated with yellow ribbons edged with green velvet. A Manila shawl over her shoulders, and leather ankle boots with white appliqué (scroll down to see).

This dance is a testimony from the perspective of the Andean man of suffering of the black slaves who worked in the haciendas (ranches) in the Paucartambo jungle during the colonial Viceroyship and the Republican period until 1854. According to the collective memory of the dancers, a group of slaves escaped from the hacienda to pay homage to the Virgen del Carmen during her festival; their punishment for this was to be chained to the platform of the Virgin.

The dance conveys this legend and it also fulfils a contemporary social and aesthetic function, as it is one of the most eloquent expressions of devotion to the Virgen del Carmen and the cultural identity of the people of Paucartambo.

The guiador, a character who represents the foreman and leads the dance, wears a red silk robe and hat with gold details, reminiscent of a nightgown that was stolen from the landowner to be worn to the festival. He carries a rattle in his hands, with which it is said that he set the peace of work, and which now accompanies the rhythm of the dance.

He is surrounded by mayorales — lead partners — who wear white silk shirts, wide trousers — which would have been worn by the slaves in the legend, over which they wear silk Manila shawls. They wear a maiki (hand, in Quechua) tied around the waist, and carry a carved wooden truncheon that symbolises their rebellious spirit to servitude, which they brandish to the rhythm of the music.

The masks express the hardship of a long day working in the open air, and the chain that hangs from waist to ankle represents their slavery The chest panel allows them to wear an image of the Virgin close to their heart, and it is for this reason that it is one of the items of the costume that is most highly valued by the Qhapaq negro.

The saqras represent devils and during the processions in the Virgen del Carmen festival, effigies of saqras are placed on balconies and rooftops to tempt the Virgin as she passes, in a kind of popular staging of the tension between good and evil. The dance is composed of men, with only one female character who is the china saqra.

The female character is dressed in a silk costume that is similar to the Cusco mestiza. It consists of a full skirt and very colourful silk blouse decorated with rhinestones and embroidered with spiders.

She covers her face with a papier-mâché mask, and wears filigree earrings and a colourful, dishevelled wig with horns.

Her gloves have long nails, and in her right hand she carries a well-known object, a garabato, which she uses as a part of the dance.

The machu (old man) is a satirical depiction of a character from the dominant elite, and accompanies the other male characters in the dance. The machu is also present in other dances from Cusco such as the Contradanza and the Anqa chileno.

The clothing of the machu shows the late colonial origin of the dance by the use of various garments from the fashion of the eighteenth century. The character dresses in livery — a long jacket made of blue velvet with floral decorations in raised embroidery — which princes and masters gave to their servants. The maroon velvet trousers are also embroidered. His shoes are decorated with silk roses with bells at their centre. Under his hat, which is is finely decorated with rhinestones and small masks, he has a braid of grey hair, made of cabuya or maguey (agave plants).

The mask, made of plaster and glue, with its bulging and grotesque nose, gives character to the machu.

The clothing worn by the characters that surround the machu is simpler than his although it is also in the fashion of the eighteenth century. His wire mesh mask is painted to resemble a Spaniard.