Takanakuy: Fistfighting in the Andes

A documentary filmmaker heads into the mountains of Peru to test himself against the some of the hardiest people from one of the harshest environments in the Americas.

Overview

Once a year around Christmas in the Peruvian Andes, the whole town gets together to dance, drink and beat the hell out of each other. In the Peruvian Andes, folks know how to celebrate the season right. What they do is, they put on a colorful ski-mask, dress up like Mad Max mountain bikers, tie a dead eagle to their heads, and get drunk and dance for about a week straight. Then, come Christmas morning, they all gather together in the middle of town and beat the baby bejesus out of each other. Now we're talking, right? This year we decided to forego the annual family snoozefest and head into the mountains of Peru to test our mettle against the some of the hardiest people from one of the harshest environments in the Americas.

Production

VICE Media