Horses are part of everyday life at Huayoccari, as in any authentic farming estate. In Peru, the landowner’s constant companion in the daily inspection of his lands is the Peruvian Horse. With Barb, Andalusian and Arab ancestors, it was bred for four centuries until its breeders obtained a variety declared Peruvian Equine Breed by the National Culture Institute. As powerful as it is graceful, the Peruvian Horse has a unique, ambling, four-beat lateral gait. Thanks to this gentle horizontal movement it can traverse an entire farm without getting tired and without exhausting the chalán, as the rider of the Peruvian Horse is known.

Visitors to Hacienda Huayoccari may enjoy demonstrations led by expert chalanes; they will witness the different training stages of the Peruvian Horse, admire its brío (its exuberance and liveliness), behold its rhythmic gait and even see it dancing the marinera, as partner to a woman dancer on foot. They can also experience first-hand the gentle gait of this Peruvian breed, in a two-hour ride through the estate’s environs or a day-long ride to Maras and Moray.

Peru is a veritable cultural melting-pot; its history has moulded its national food, music and dances. Marinera, declared a national heritage by the National Culture Institute, is one of the most representative dances in the country, with Spanish, pre-Columbian and African roots. Even its name reflects Peru’s turbulent history. Previously known as ‘chilena’, after Chile’s victory in the Pacific War it was rechristened ‘marinera’ - the Navy dance - to honour the valiant actions of Admiral Miguel Grau, who led the Peruvian Navy. This courtship dance from the Coast requires enormously skilled and graceful dancers. Waving handkerchiefs, they flirt and playfully rebuff each other. The male partner flourishing his hat and the female partner with her wide skirts and multiple petticoats, revolving around each other, are a sight to behold. In one of the most beautiful variations the woman dances with a chalán riding a Peruvian Horse. This instance of living culture is part of the marinera and Peruvian Horse show at Hacienda Huayoccari.

Criollo music is the result of Peru’s multi-ethnic history. The style has roots in Spanish music, Viennese waltzes and other European genres, which fused with traditional Peruvian styles as well as African music brought by the slaves which laboured mainly in the coastal farming estates. With guitar, voice, Peruvian cajón and tap dance, our talented musicians add verve to the marinera and Peruvian Horse show in the spacious garden at the Old House.

As a child, Nilda Callañaupa took her family’s sheep to graze on the hills near her village, Chinchero. To pass the time, she learned to spin and weave from an older peasant. Later, encouraged by a scholar couple from the USA, she recovered the profound textile tradition of her place of birth. Callañaupa became the first woman in her community to go to college, studied historic textiles at Berkeley and met regularly with fellow weavers to recover the ancient designs and techniques that were on the verge of disappearing in time. Her village went back to spinning wool from their sheep and colouring it with vegetable dyes. She founded the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Cusco Traditional Textiles Center, CTTC), which became a reference for those on the lookout for authentic pieces. This exciting work of recovery of the rich Cusco textile tradition can be witnessed in the CTTC weavers demonstrations at Hacienda Huayoccari.