More than a meal, a pachamanca is a feast in which all the animals and fruits of the earth are converted into a delight fit for the Gods. A pachamanca is also a piece of a theater -a riotous rustic ceremony in the open air and (preferably) sunshine.

At the same time a pachamanca is a seldom for the few -it is more like a community banquet with entire families united in celebration. A pachamanca has something of the ritual about it and, simple though is it is, it is perhaps the most lavish feast to be found in rural Peru.

Everything starts with a hole in the ground. This is filled, as a rule, with very hot stones, although the heat can be provided by charcoal or embers of any sort, depending on the customs of each region. Into de hole, then, go the ingredients, in strict order. Those that need cooking longest -beef and mutton, for example go in the bottom. Then come guinea pigs, rabbits, chikens and finally, the representatives from the vegetable kingdom. Each group is separated by banana or maize leaves and the hole is covered by sacking and earth to keep the heat in like an oven, which, in a manner of speaking it is. Cooking can take several hours, and above ground the dinners wait and celebrate.

The pachamanca has always been thought of as a Pre-Colombian preparation -at least as far as the culinary technique is concerned.

Today's version though is more of a mestizo affair. There is no other way to explain the presence of meat and fowls from other lands. On the other hand the world pachamanca thought undoubtedly of Quechua origin only appeared after Peruvian independence. The first Spanish chroniclers mention "huatiay" or "huatia", according to Holguin (in the 16th century) this term meant to "roast among embers in a hole in the ground".

The pachamanca, in its different regional variations, has come to dominate the Parnassus of Peruvian gastronomy. In certain parts of the Southern Andes, however, hey still prepare "huatia", a more modest feast usually involving only root vegetables and maize. In the northen coastal desert there is a variant that uses carob charcoal, known as "copus".

The areas where the tradition of preparing the pachamanca is strictest are Ayacucho and the Mantaro Valley. In Ayacucho the pachamanca has its own special seasoning for the meat: ají panca and achiote spices, garlic and cooking oil, as well as seasoning for the garnishing. The meat and vegetables are buried together with clay cooking pots, one of which contains cachipa, fresh Ayacucho cheese, another with chicken gravy (in a sauce of tomato, onion and wine or chicha maize beer with sour orange). In the highlands, the pachamanca is presided over by sponsors called padrinos (godparents), who pay for or organize the party. The godparents place the cross of flowers over the sealed pachamanca, and after a couple of hours of cooking, dig out the first spadefulls. They then remove all the soil covering the pachamanca before placing the cooked meat and vegetables in wooden bowls or on blankets.

The pachamanca is eaten in a festive atmosphere. A band of musicians usually lighten the proceedings, while chicha and beer boost everyone's spirits. The banquet is accompanied by a great deal of dancing and enjoyment. The women decorate their hats with flowers, the position and color of which are a sign of their marital status (free and single, brides, married and widows).