D'a del Puno

D’a del Puno

November 5

Each year a festival takes place in Puno, Peru, during the first week in November to mark the legendary birth of the first Inca ruler, Manco Capac, and his wife Mama Ocllo. It is said that they were the children of the Sun, intended to be the first rulers of the Inca people, and were born on an island in Lake Titicaca. On November 5, the date associated with their birth, a parade of reed boats, called balsas, accompanies an elaborately decorated boat that takes a couple playing the roles of Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo to an island in the lake. There the birth is dramatically reenacted.
Festivities include performances of traditional dance and musical groups, sporting events, exhibits, and a crafts fair.

CONTACTS:
Commission for the Promotion of Peru
Calle Uno Oeste No. 50, piso 13th
Urb. Corpac
Lima, 27 Peru
51-1-4224-3131; fax: 51-1-224-7134
www.promperu.gob.pe

SOURCES:
FestWrld: Peru-1998, p. 20

Celebration day: Nov 5