The Ministry of Culture declared on March 13 the Carnival of the rural community of Paccha, located in the district of Vinchos, province of Huamanga, department of Ayacucho, as National Cultural Heritage. The recognition was made official through Vice Ministerial Resolution No. 000062-2026-VMPCIC/MC, which identifies the Paccha Carnival as a representative cultural expression of the community.
This festival is closely linked to Andean concepts of fertility, abundance, and renewal of life. It takes place between February and March during the rainy season and crop growth period, which is an important time in the Andean agricultural calendar.
The celebration is based on communal organization and a traditional system led by varayuq authorities who guide ritual processions and collective activities. Key practices include pukllay, convido, saqtanakuy, and ritual journeys across communal territory accompanied by music, dance, and singing in Quechua.
Traditional elements such as music played with Andean instruments—mainly quena (flute), esquila or bell, and varaqu made from bull horn—are central to the festivities. Collective singing in Quechua, ritual competitions like saqtanakuy or luchyu and unsa rumi, as well as collective service known as alamanos based on ayni (reciprocity), are also maintained. Preparatory activities such as urquy carnaval are part of the tradition.
The event begins with communal processions led by varayuq alongside musicians and singers announcing the start of carnival. On the second day, ritual and collective activities intensify from early morning with church bells ringing at dawn. During this day participants engage in pulseo or saqtanakuy—a controlled physical contest testing endurance and self-control among same-sex pairs.
Moments for sharing traditional foods like qarwi soup and ulla or sachaculis with chicha de jora reinforce the collective nature of the gathering. A symbolic element during convido is arranging cancha (toasted corn) in a cross shape on a suysuna cloth placed over a blanket.
Musically, Andean instruments are played together while brief repetitive verses sung collectively in Quechua address themes such as communal life, family relations within territories, agricultural cycles, carnival elements themselves—with playful humoristic content including social satire.
The resolution also states that every five years the Directorate of Intangible Heritage will coordinate with Ayacucho’s Decentralized Directorate of Culture and local bearers to prepare detailed reports on the state of this cultural expression to ensure its monitoring and proper safeguarding.
