Qhapaq Qolla is one of the most loved folk dances of Cusco. During the dances, they sing songs that express nostalgia and gratitude and are the only one of the 19 masquerade groups that sing to the Virgin del Carmen.
The Quollas are male characters, born in Paucartambo. They represent a mythological being, half human and half llama. Concurrently, they represent the merchants of the highlands who bring goods to Cusco from the Paucartambo region, such as Pisco liquor.
His wardrobe is composed of a square flat hat intricately decorated with sequins called an aqarapi, the white ski mask called waqollo, the llicola shoulder cloth made of fine wool of the vicuña, and the qepi containing a young dead vicuña. Vicuña are the ancestors of alpacas and are both sacred and protected in the Andes.
The masks and wardrobe of the Qhapaq Qolla have been declared a Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the Ministry of Culture.
