Candelaria Festival in Puno
 During the 18 days of the festival Puno, which lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 3,870 meters, becomes the folkloric capital of the Americas. There are more than 200 musical and dance groups in attendance to celebrate the mother Candelaria. The festival is related to the pre-Hispanic agricultural cycles and also to mining activity in the region. It is a product too of a combination of the ancient languages Aymara and Quechua.
The devils dance is one of the principal folkloric themes and originates from a group of miners who when trapped in a cave put themselves into the hands of the Virgin of the Candelaria. The dancers make offerings to the earth (Pachamama) and play flutes, dressed in striking outfits which nearly always include a mask.
The most impressive masks, for their terrifying effect, are the stag masks which have long twisted horns and are associated both with demons and Jacancho (the God of minerals). At the end of the festival the masquerading groups that fill the streets finally make their way to the cemetery to pay homage to the cult of the dead.
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