Paucartambo a picturesque but quiet place situated in a valley above the eastern jungles, 115 km from Cusco, is best known for its yearly festival of the Virgen del Carmen, a very colourful local fiesta with the best traditional dances, and the most varied and exotic masks and costumes to be seen anywhere in the Cusco region.  One of these dances represents the legendary merchants from the altiplano (Lake Titicaca) who used to bring products to trade or exchange for products from the Paucartambo and jungle regions.  The festival dancers wear knitted woollen masks called waq'ollos and beautifully adorned square flat hats called aqarapis which usually have antique coins hanging from their edges. The Qhapaq Qollas dancers sing tender songs to the Virgin to demonstrate their devotion to her. One of the main characters of the dance is the Mayor (El Alcalde) who carries a large wooden staff of authority.