Music, dance and storytellingLatin America and the Caribbean
Huaconada
A three-day January ritual dance in Mito, Peru, led by masked men called huacones
Huaconada is a ritual dance kept in Mito, a village in the Concepción province of Peru's central Andes. Each January, for three days, masked men called huacones dance in the village centre to the beat of a small drum, the tinya; the role passes from father to son, and UNESCO recognised the dance in 2010.
When is Huaconada kept?
Huaconada is kept on the first three days of January each year.
Huaconada is a ritual dance from Mito, a village in the Concepción province of the central Peruvian Andes. Every January, masked men known as huacones dance through the first three days of the month in the village centre, keeping time with a small drum called the tinya. The dance, its costumes and its carved masks pass from father to son, and only men of sound character are chosen to take the role.
What it is
Huaconada belongs to Mito, a village in Concepción province, in the central Andes of Peru. It is a ritual dance. On the first three days of January, men put on masks and costumes and move through a set sequence of steps together in the middle of the village. These dancers are known as huacones, and the dance takes its name from them. A small indigenous drum, the tinya, sets the rhythm they follow. In 2010, UNESCO added the Huaconada of Mito to its register of intangible cultural heritage, which brought the village's dance attention beyond Peru.
Two kinds of huacone
Not every huacone looks the same. The dance has two sorts. One wears the traditional costume, finished with a mask cut and carved with care. These masks are meant to stir respect and fear. The other sort wears modern clothes, and its mask carries a different mood: terror, sorrow or mockery. Both appear during the January days in the centre of Mito, moving to the rhythm kept by the tinya. The masks and the garments travel with the dance, passed down alongside it.
Who may dance
The part of huacone is inherited. A father hands it to his son, and with it the clothing and the masks that belong to the role. The right to dance is not automatic. The village permits only men whose conduct and character are judged to be upright to perform as huacones. In that way the dance is tied to how a person lives the rest of the time. Keeping the role is also a matter of keeping a good name among neighbours in Mito.
A wider recognition
The Huaconada spent most of its history as a village matter in Concepción province. In 2010 that changed. UNESCO added the dance to its register of intangible cultural heritage at its fifth session, with Peru named as the state party. The entry carries the reference number 00390 and sits in the Latin America and Caribbean region. What the record describes is what the village already does: knowledge kept in families and given from a father to a son, together with the costume and the carved masks.
How Huaconada is kept
On the first three days of January, the men who hold the role of huacone gather in the centre of Mito. Wearing their masks and costumes, they dance a set sequence of movements together, with the tinya drum keeping time. Two sorts of huacone take part: those in the traditional dress with carefully carved masks, and those in modern clothes whose masks suggest terror, sorrow or mockery. The role is inherited, passed from a father to his son with the clothing and the masks that belong to it. Only men considered upright in conduct and character may dance as huacones.
When and where
The dance is kept on the first three days of January each year. It falls at a fixed point in the calendar rather than on a moveable date, so it returns at the same time annually. During those days the huacones dance in the centre of Mito.
The Huaconada belongs to Mito, a village in Concepción province, in the central Andes of Peru. The village centre is where the huacones dance, and Mito is named as the dance's home. Peru is the country recorded for the tradition.
What Huaconada means
The masks carry much of the meaning. The traditional ones are carved with care and are meant to stir respect and fear in those who see them. The modern ones work in another register, suggesting terror, sorrow or mockery. The two kinds sit side by side in the same dance. Beyond the masks, the village ties the right to perform to a person's conduct, since only men of upright character may dance as huacones.
Questions people ask about Huaconada
When is Huaconada kept?
Huaconada is kept on the first three days of January each year.
What is the Huaconada?
It is a ritual dance kept in Mito, a village in the Concepción province of Peru's central Andes. Masked men called huacones perform a set sequence of dances in the village centre, with a small indigenous drum, the tinya, keeping time.
Where does it come from?
From Mito, in Concepción province, in the central Peruvian Andes. Peru is the country tied to the dance, and Mito is the village where it is kept.
Who may dance as a huacone?
The role passes from father to son, together with the costume and the carved mask. Even so, the village allows only men whose conduct and character are held to be upright to take the part.
What is the tinya?
It is a small indigenous drum that beats out the time for the Huaconada. The dancers follow its rhythm as they perform the choreographed sequence in the village centre.
See also
MorenadaA Bolivian folk dance featuring heavy masks and rattling instruments, performed in festivals across the Andes.ZambaA graceful Argentine couple dance of circling steps and fluttering white handkerchiefs
CuecaA courtship dance of Chile and the Andes where partners trace circles with handkerchiefs to mimic a rooster and hen.
DiabladaAn Andean masked dance depicting a battle between devils and the Archangel MichaelGood reading and sources
- Huaconada, ritual dance of MitoUNESCO, Heritage listing
- Huaconada, ritual dance of MitoUNESCO, Article
- Huaconada on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Huaconada", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.
More from Peru
All the traditions of Peru
🇧🇴 Oruro, Bolivia and 3 moreMorenada
A Bolivian folk dance featuring heavy masks and rattling instruments, performed in festivals across the Andes.Performance
🇨🇱 Santiago, Chile and 3 moreCueca
A courtship dance of Chile and the Andes where partners trace circles with handkerchiefs to mimic a rooster and hen.Performance
🇧🇴 Oruro, Bolivia and 3 moreDiabladaDanza de los Diablos
An Andean masked dance depicting a battle between devils and the Archangel MichaelPerformance
The same idea elsewhere
All of this kind
🇹🇷 Kayseri, Turkey and 4 moreHalay
A traditional line and circle folk dance kept across Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Syria.Performance
🇳🇿 Auckland, New ZealandPoi
A Māori performing art of swinging tethered weights in rhythmical patterns.Performance
🇺🇦 Kyiv, UkraineBanduraБандура
A Ukrainian plucked string instrument played to accompany epic songs and folk balladsPerformance
🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 morePangalay
A traditional fingernail dance of the Tausūg and Bajau peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah.Performance