Suddenly the sound of drums and Indian flutes are heard from a huge band and down the slope on the other side dancers are swinging and running dressed in colorful costumes. Hundreds of dancers filling up the grassy field and dancing in rows, rings, marching, swinging to the ecstatic music from the flutes and the drums. Some blow conches, making a loud hollow sound, considered so dangerous by the Spanish rulers that it was forbidden.
The dancing continues for more than an hour, all beautifully choreographed. There are four kinds of costumes, each one referring to a part of the mighty Inca empire, the coastal area, the desert, the jungles and the mountains. In the Inca days warriors from the four corners had walked to Cusco to celebrate Inti Raymi.