Choquekillca

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May 20^th, 2013

Choquekillca.  It all started an impossible amount of years ago, in a mysterious place, with a man, his horse, a river, and some beers.  This myth is, of course, according to the nine-year old on the combi ride to the nearby town of Urubamba.  The man, well, the Senor, was drunk.  He was riding his horse around the Sacred Valley and came across a river that had a giant whirlpool whirling around it.  He drunkenly decided to cross the river, using only a few sticks he found to make a bridge.  About midway through the river, right above the whirlpool, the stick bridge broke, the man fell in, and miraculously a cross emerged.  Thus was born the festival of Choqeukillca.  For a more accurate description of the myth behind the 4 days of incessant and belligerent partying, you may want to consult the internet.  Basically, the bare bones of that story still are manifested in present day: beer.  For four days in Ollantaytambo, the town gets wasted.  Old Quechua speaking woman wearing their skirts and beautifully woven capes that carry babies chug beer, toddlers drink chicha (fermented corn beer), teenagers slug back pisco with no regret.  People begin drinking at 4am and don’t stop until 4 am.  The premise is to celebrate El Senor, who on all the t-shirts looks exactly like Jesus.  There are 17 dance troupes that are handpicked and involve about 20 dancers each in incredibly be-jeweled costumes, masks, and whips.  The dances represent everything from the Spanish invasion to the heritage of those living in the high altitude regions.  Each dance troupe has its own party, or cargo, around town.  The party hosts were carefully picked at last year’s celebration, and have spent months planning for a feast – they often hire bands from Cuzco and caterers for this event, and have to cook for hundreds of people, without rest, for four days.  To be invited to a cargo officially, the hosts go around with bread and beer about three months before to each invited family’s home.  The invited person then describes what they will bring as a gift for the host at the cargo.  Typically, the gifts are crates of beer.  My host family hosted a cargo for a dance troupe last year, and my host mom had to deliver gifts to each family that came last year that is now hosting their own cargo. 

Lastly, the most crazy part.  The replica of El Senor must be protected 24 hours a day by the dancers.  The replica is in the church in the plaza.  Each dance troupe, who has a specialized dance they perform, must protect the Senor for two hour shifts, bringing their cargo, or party, with them, including the crates of beer.  They dance in front of the church, with community members, or without them if no one is there.  A few tidbits to explain: to be a part of a dance troupe you must commit three years of dancing.  You also dance at other celebrations throughout the year.  You must stay in costume throughout Choquekillca, unless you are at home resting.  You must eat and drink whatever is put in front of you.  This part is ridiculous, and on one day, the day where all the dance troupes visit all the other troupe’s cargos, only the captains have to eat everything.  That means the captains have to eat about 16 full meals, including 16 huge beers, shots of Pisco, and some random brown “digestive” liquor that is often poured out of a big water bottle.  And glasses of chicha.  As a dancer, you must attend a certain amount of church ceremonies per year, or you will get whipped.  Which beings me to another interesting point.  If you are late for your dance, or are new to the troupe, or mess up the dance (even after drinking 16 huge beers), you will get whipped.  I witnessed this!  They take it very seriously.  They will whip you with huge whips either on the back (in certain dance troupes they tie people up), or on the ankles.  My host brother was in a dance where all they did was dance around on one foot until someone blew a whistle, then one person would whip another person.  There were children involved in this dance as well.  I saw his legs today, they looked broken from the bruising.  The men wear layers of socks, but the women just ear thin nylons under their dresses.  They even whip the women.  There is no tolerance for being late to dance practice.  This is a basic summary of Choquekillca.  By far, the most drinking I have ever seen in my entire life took place this last weekend.  If I went to a huge university, grabbed all of the fraternity brothers, dropped them in on this weekend, and told them to enjoy the fiestas, they wouldn’t make it past 2 days.   This was serious partying.