It was Martes Guerra and the last few days of Carnaval 2019 in Huaraz. Denis, Mabel and I headed on a Tuesday trek to the village of Willcacocha to join in the festivities. One of the mountain guides we knew, Señor Hugo had a house there and he had invited us to join him and his family.

Willcacocha is a popular acclimatizing trek, and I had been there as one of my earlier adventures in 2018. It’s easy to get to, just less than 20 minutes outside of Huaraz by colectivo.

Misa de Cruces (Mass of the Crosses) is a procession of large, handmade and beautifully decorated crosses. It’s lead by local musicians usually playing the queña (a traditional flute made of wood) and drums. It’s a result of the Spanish Catholic influence, as well as native traditional music. I noticed that the musicians were older, and Mabel said that many of the younger generation no longer wanted to learn some of the traditions.

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