The celebration of the Musuq Varayoq, a custom native to the province and region of Huancavelica, has been declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the Ministry of Cultura (Mincul).
Resolution 000097-2025-VMPCIC/MC, issued by the Vice Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Industries of Mincul, formalizes this declaration.
The traditional celebration of the Musuq Varayoq takes place in the district of Huachocolpa, in the province and department of Huancavelica. Its name means “new authorities” and refers to the rite of transition and renewal of local leaders.
The resolution states that this celebration constitutes “a space for gathering and festivity that brings together the entire population of Huachocolpa and strengthens the importance of traditional systems of authority in the Andean region.”
It is stated that, with the series of ceremonies involved in this celebration, “the importance of preserving the ecological health of the territory is encouraged in the new generations, strengthening the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and the natural environment.”
Loss of traditions
This declaration intends to establish a safeguard plan in the face of various threats that the celebration of the Musuq Varayoq faces.
These include the loss of cultural identity and youth migration from Huachocolpa, as well as the forgetting of traditional clothing and cultural elements of the authorities, and a detachment among children from these customs, in addition to the loss of the traditional system of roles.
The aforementioned celebration comes from the ancestral system of social organization who considered the varayoq as the main communal authority, and this figure, in addition to exercising administrative leadership, acted as a mediator between the community and the forces of nature.
According to the 2017 national census, Huachocolpa has 1,955 inhabitants residing in rural areas of the annexes of Atoccmarca, Corralpampa, Totorapampa, Yanaututo, Chuñumayo, Alto Sihua, and Pallccahuaycco.
Characteristics of the celebration
Preparations for this celebration begin on December 31 with the transfer of the authorities to the main church of Huachocolpa. In this temple, they receive the staffs of command or the whip, as applicable, which are symbols of leadership, justice, and authority.
The reception of these symbols is carried out in hierarchical order, from lowest to highest rank. It begins with the Ñuñupaqwa, who picks up his superior. Both continue the journey, adding the third appointee, and so on, until ending with the Alcalde Vara Mayor, who is the highest traditional authority.
Once gathered and dressed in their traditional attire, the Musuq Varayoq go through the streets “running without stopping, as a form of competition and symbolic act,” it is stated.
During this moment, they are accompanied by women who applaud and encourage them.
The traditional celebration of the Musuq Varayoq properly begins on January 1 with a mass in which the staffs are handed over to the representatives of the annexes, except for the community of Huachocolpa, whose celebration takes place on January 2.
This ritual known as Vara Hayway or Vara Hapiy (“to take the staff”) formally initiates the leadership functions of the Musuq Varayoq. Another ceremony, called Kargo Hapiy or transfer of responsibilities, consists of the outgoing varayoq handing over their staffs in the district’s main church and receiving the priest’s blessing.
A priest hands the staffs to the Musuq Varayoq. They perform a public oath, committing to fulfill their duties with integrity, including invocations to the Pachamama or Mother Earth and to the apus (sacred mountains) of the community.
The outgoing authorities bless the staff of command as a symbol of legitimacy while they present offerings as a gesture of gratitude.
On January 2, the Musuq Varayoq officially initiate the position through the ñawpaq watukuy (first visit or initial visit). This protocol requires a visit to the main district authorities such as the mayor, the Justice of the Peace, the sub-prefecture, among others, to strengthen the connection between the traditional organizational structure and the district authorities.
By noon, the outgoing varayoq formally leave their role, and the Musuq Varayoq assume it.
Offering of coca leaves (coca kintuy) accompanies this transition to ask for strength for the new leadership cycle, and by agua ardiente (a strong liquor) for purification and strengthening of the spirit.
The Musuq Varayoq take on leading roles in other festivities and ritual celebrations, such as carnivals, organizing activities related to the preservation of natural resources, making offerings to the earth, and planting trees in different areas of the community.
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(END) FGM/MAO/JMP/ MDV
Published: 5/7/2025