Misti Kachampa Dance
Category: People
Photo and caption by Ursula de Bary
Antique warrior dance which has its origins in Inca times and is performed in Ollantaytambo every 6th of January. Misti kachampa is a quechua expression which means young and athletic strong man. Each dancer has to demonstrate his strength and they do it by dancing in a particular and individual manner. There comes a moment in the dance where every dancer throws lashes at each other and the objective is to stop whipping each other when a character called the kusillo can`t resist any longer and is “agonizing”.
Location: Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Peru
