Patabamba Community

Approximately 200 families are living in Patabamba. The principal activities are agriculture and animal husbandry: herding Andean camelids, sheep, and cattle, although they dedicate themselves largely to textile and handicrafts.

The community has a viewpoint over the natural landscapes of the Sacred Valley of the Incas called the Balcony of the Sacred Valley.

Typical traditional dishes are Sancc’u, a combination of cereals with aromatic plants, salt, and sugar, and cuy lawa, a cream soup with guinea pig. Typical drinks are chicha de jora, made of fermented corn, and white chicha, made of quinoa with corn and beans.

The community still has many ancient traditions, such as the following festivities: Carnival (between February and March), when single men and women celebrate by picking flowers and dancing with the traditional yunsas (party around a tree). During Carnival, they also celebrate the marking of the limits of the communities, a feast led by the carguyoc or mayordomo. On May 3rd, they celebrate Cruz Velacuy, and on June 24th, they celebrate the feast of San Juan.