Wititi Dance

The wititi is danced across the Colca valley by paired couples, the women in embroidered skirts, jackets and the distinctive hats - flat and sequined in the Cabana communities, embroidered straw in the Collagua - and the men in two overlapping skirts of the same kind with a sling worn across the body and a hat wrapped in cloth. The men's costume is the point: the standard explanation is that it recalls a story in which a young man dressed in women's clothing to enter a village and reach the woman he wanted, and the dance retains that transgression as courtship. It is danced at patron festivals through the year, most heavily around December, and at weddings and community events. UNESCO inscribed it as intangible cultural heritage in 2015, which raised its profile and increased the number of staged versions performed for visitors.

What you actually see

• The men's skirts - two overlapping women's skirts worn with a sling and cloth hat.
• The women's dress - embroidered jackets and the hats of the Cabana and Collagua styles.
• The courtship - paired dancing, competitive and teasing in form.
• The recognition - UNESCO intangible heritage listing since 2015.

When to go

Village patron festivals run through the year, with December the heaviest season. Staged morning performances happen in Yanque and elsewhere in the tourist season.

Honest expectations

Staged performances for tour groups are short and payment for photographs is expected. Real festival dancing goes on for hours and involves heavy drinking. At 3,400 metres and above, cold once the sun goes. Asking before photographing individuals is basic courtesy.

Nearby

Yanque, Chivay and Cabanaconde are all wititi villages in the Colca valley.