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Usually anywhere between mid-May and the beginning of June, the people of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley near Cusco celebrate a festival in honor of their patron saint, the Señor de Torrechayoc.
The veneration for the Lord of Torrechayoc most probably dates back to the 1860s. For the inauguration of a new section of the road connecting Urubamba and Lares, a group of devout Christians set up a cross in the snowy mountain area. In the following years, people passing by the cross claimed to have heard voices around the cross. The Lord was telling them how he suffered in the extreme cold of that place.
One day the parish priest of the nearest community ordered to move the cross to Urubamba, where the Lord of Torrechayoc achieved such fame that he became the patron saint of the province.
And since then, in May or June (the date varies), hundreds of people gather in and around Urubamba to celebrate honoring the Señor de Torrechayoc.
Festivities include a pilgrimage to the Abra de Sicllaccasa, bullfights, cockfights, and other activities and on the central day a mass, dance presentations, colorful traditional costumes, lots of excellent food and drink, and a procession to the small chapel of the Lord of Torrechayoc out of town.
