The Second Anta International Fair, 2013, was inaugurated last Friday. A crowd of people from Cuzco traveled half an hour for the event in bus from the City of Cuzco.
Anta is known as the agricultural capital of the Region of Cuzco. They deserve the accollade since in teh majority of agricultural fairs in Cuzco people of Anta took first and second place. Anta is proud to organize this event which will last from the 21st of June through the 31st. It promises to present agricultural competitions for cattle, sheep, and camelids (llamas and alpacas).There are grand prizes such as a tractor for first place. For the contests they have contracted nationally and internationally recognized judges.The goal of the fair is to promote the economy and industry.
To this end, our neighbor Ecuador was invited and it promises to share its knowledge with the population of Anta. Just as in any Andean event, and even more so since the opening of the fair coincided with the winter solstice, an offering was made to the Pachamama.The organizers asked that the event would go well and be a success.
Afterwards they presented native dances for the pleasure of the visiting population. On entering into the fairgrounds, one is impressed with how extensive they are. We see many different sections divided in sectors. These include one for gastronomy, where the famous spit-grilled pig (chancho al palo) is shown as well as the pachamanca (a meal cooked underground on hot stones), chicharron, and more.
Not only does this section emphasize national (or creole) food, but thanks to the projects of the government of Cuzco, communities from the region offer their typical dishes, such as olluquito con cuy al horno (olluco with baked guinea pig) as well as the corn cake (tortilla de maiz). There flavors are stunning.
On another side we have the agricultural sector, where the thirteen provinces of Cuzco are represented. The displays start from the highlands and go to the lowlands. We find displays of varieties of potato, corn, broad beans, quinoa, cacao, fruit, and more, as well as displays of the various government aided programs to promote these.
It is fascinating to get to know and appreciate all that our state produces. Different breeds of sheep and of milk and beef cattle are shown. (Some of the cows are able to produce 37 liters of milk a day.) You can also see the different types and breeds of South American camelids.
We could say that it is a complete fair. You can also observe all kinds of industrial products for the home, as well as purchase all kinds of clothing for all the different parts of our region.
