Happy carnival Cusco, Peru

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Last week we went to a carnival in Cusco, Peru. Carnival runs from February to March and is celebrated all around Latin America in many different ways. This festival merges Spanish colonial influence with deeply rooted Andean beliefs and pre hispanic fertility rites. This festival was all over the city and involved water fights and silly string battles. That represents purification, meaning the more you get covered, the more purified you are. I can say I am purified head to toe now. 

Yesterday when we were traveling by bus into Bolivia we stopped in Copacabana to switch buses. Here while walking around we saw a Bolivian version of carnival. They had a  band and dancers in weirdo furry wolf costumes. They also exchanged ribbons that were wrapped around their necks. This is called serpentinas and is a way of loosening normal social rules.