Cusco is politically active, a city of protests and processions. Today there was a protest regarding mass transit (buses); on Monday we saw another religious procession. The religious procession was mid-afternoon, down a busy street. I don't know where it originated or ended, but it attracted a good marching-along crowd, had great marching music and dancing, followers, and tourist photographers as deep as the procession at times (have I mentioned the tourist nature of this town?!).
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| At the front -- banners and photographers. |
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| Leading the way, the banners. |
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| Gaucho guys, acting drunk, wearing big nosed masks. |
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| The dad was marching along, carrying this adorable little hatted girl. |
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| Big-nose masked boy, little hanger on who did some of the moves - so cute. |
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| Gringo photographer in the back. Steve. |
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| The figure being "processed", with someone lying on his back underneath. Pretty sure it's not Maria, for a change. I wish I knew my saints. |
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| The somber looking band in back. |
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| May have been a hired band, not the church's own. |
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| The lead big nosed guy, resting. |
We learned that the big-nosed masked guys, and the blank-faced light masked woman are representations of Spaniards, from the early days (1600s) of the Spanish takeover. They show the Spaniards in exaggerated and unflattering form and action (the guys dance drunkenly, the woman just prances around) -- a way of poking fun, disrespecting the Spaniards, while (obligatorially) including them in the religious rituals. It's fun to watch, the masks are weirdly happy looking.
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