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| Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille National Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Reserva Nacional Pampa Galeras – Barbara D’Achille | |
IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources) | |
 Vicuñas in Pampa Galeras | |
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 Interactive map of Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille National Reserve | |
| Location | Ayacucho,Peru |
| Area | 65 km2 (25 sq mi)[1] |
Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille is located in theLucanas Province of theAyacucho Region inPeru. Its main purpose is to protect the habitat of thevicuña.[1] The park is named afterBarbara D'Achille, a Letonian conservationist who was murdered by theShining Path leftist terrorists in 1989.
Every June 24 at theChaku festival (Quechuachaku hunt) hundreds of people trap the vicuñas with a big fence and a long rope. The vicuñas are driven into a corner where they can be sheared after the performance of a dance calledSupaypa wasin tusuq (Quechua for "dancer of the devil's house", also known asdanza de tijeras (Spanish for scissors dance)) and an Inca ceremony. The dance and the ceremony are probably performed as a pledge to the gods that the gods will agree with taking the crop. Vicuñas give the most preciousvicuña wool.
14°41′35″S74°22′08″W / 14.693°S 74.369°W /-14.693; -74.369
