![[Feature:] Hal Weitzman: “Latin Lessons”](http://rachelinperu.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/latin-lessons-book.jpg?w=190&h=110&crop=1 "[Feature:] Hal Weitzman: “Latin Lessons”")
Out of all the months in the year, February is perhaps the best month to travel to Peru. Since Peru is situated south of the equator, February is a time of summer vacations, days spent at the beach, ceviche, D’onofrio ice-cream, vacaciones útiles for the kids, and of course Carnaval. February is the month of Carnavales in Peru and it is a month which best captures the jovial and festive spirit of the Peruvian people. This is the month where the entire country parties 7 days of the week for 28 days (or 29 if it’s a leap year). It is also the month where you cannot step outside (especially on Sundays) without the worry of being assaulted by water balloons, super-soakers, and in some cases a fresh coat of paint.
Although Carnaval is celebrated in various parts of the country, Cajamarca {“Ka-ha-mark-uh“} is the unofficial Capital of Carnaval in Peru. Any student of world history would know that Cajamarca is the infamous city where the last Inca Emperor, Atahualpa, was captured, betrayed, and executed at the hands of Conquistador Francisco Pizarro.
Although many tourists visit Cajamarca for this reason, the month of February brings them to Cajamarca for another — that is to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of Cajamarca’s Carnavales.
Similar to the more famous Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Cajamarquinos get together to compete in Carnaval parades and music competitions, but unlike the Carnaval of Rio, there is no Samba Drome or scantily clad, plastic surgery goddesses who adorn their Carnaval floats. Peru’s Carnaval is more Andean than tropical and thus you’re more likely to be dancing to Huaynos and Cumbias rather than Sambas.
Also similar to Rio is the tradition of picking a a Carnaval Queen, but again, unlike the Brazilian beauty queens, these young women are more modest and typical representatives of their barrios or neighborhoods in the Cajamarca tradition.
The Carnaval of Cajamarca may not be as big, as loud, as bright or as colorful as the Carnaval of Rio de Janeiro, but it is definitely a worthy alternative for your Carnaval/Mardis-Gras bucket list. So mark your calendars for February 2013 and beyond for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru. There’s no better month to visit than the month of Febrero.
