Between Christmas and January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany called the Bajada de Reyes, manger scenes appear all over Cuzco. They can be simple or very elaborate. Families make them. Businesses make them. Governmental organizations put them up as do religious bodies. Indeed there is a culture of nativity scenes that is particular to Cuzco.
In recognition of this, every year Cuzco’s EMUFEC, its body responsible for overseeing and organizing feasts and festivals, holds an official competition of manger scenes where they value both traditionalism in the elements used as well as creativity, the new and the traditional.
In the spirit of the challenge they place before the people of Cuzco, we offer here a few photographs of public manger scenes around the city.
