THE HUAYLÍA WARRIOR DANCE: HISTORICAL TRAJECTORY, FESTIVE MILESTONES, AND PERFORMATIVE MODALITIES IN PATAHUASI, HAQUIRA, APURIMAC

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the historical origin, festive processes, and modalities of the huaylía or wayliya dance in the community of Patahuasi, Haquira, Apurímac. The research was qualitative with ethnographic design, employing participant observation and in-depth interviews with five community members. The results showed that Patahuasi, whose history dates back to the colonial reductions of Francisco de Toledo, constituted a cultural center of the ancient Ch'umpiwillka Nation before the republican delimitation of 1825. This explains why its ancient huaylía is the original matrix that gave rise to the Chumbivilcas variant. Furthermore, it was determined that the dance is manifested on two key dates: December 25th in honor of the Christ Child and January 17th in homage to the patron saint, Saint Anthony Abbot "Abar," a festival that combines the religious procession with the takanakuy dance as a mechanism of social regulation. Seven traditional dance forms were identified and characterized: the Majeño, the Negros, the Negrillos, the Comba, the Llameros, the Waylala or Waylaka, and the Wayruru. It was concluded that the Huaylía of Patahuasi transcends the commercial folkloric framework, consolidating itself as an autonomous ritual system of cultural resistance, collective memory, and Andean identity, which safeguards the original socio-historical dynamics of the highland provinces of Apurímac.