All Saints' Day in Cusco: t'anta wawa bread, roast pork and cemeteries

In late October, Cusco's bakeries fill with breads shaped like babies and horses, the smell of roast pork drifts out of homes and families carry flowers and food to the cemeteries. This is All Saints' Day, or "Todos Santos" as locals say: a time to remember the dead by eating, sharing and often laughing. For travellers it is one of the best windows into everyday Cusco life, and almost all of it happens on the street.

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When it happens

Celebrations focus on 31 October and 1 November, according to the Andina news agency. 1 November, All Saints' Day, is a national holiday in Peru, and 2 November is the Day of the Dead (All Souls). In 2026, 31 October is a Saturday and 1 November a Sunday. Bread and pork fairs usually set up a few days earlier; check dates and times in each year's municipal announcements.

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T'anta wawa and horse breads

The star is the t'anta wawa, or pan wawa: "wawa" means baby in Quechua. It is a sweet bread shaped like a swaddled child, with a painted or plaster face. Horse-shaped breads are sold alongside. Anthropologist Rossano Calvo, quoted by RPP, explains that the bread baby stands for a being that is born, and eating it represents decline: the close bond between life and death in the Andean world. Today they are mostly gifts, given by parents and godparents to children, godchildren and friends as a sign of affection.

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The bread baby baptism

A very Cusco custom is the baptism of the wawa, a parody with a "priest", parents and godparents who bless the bread baby before everyone eats it. RPP describes this tradition, and many schools and neighbourhoods still stage it. In 2025 Wanchaq district baptised a giant 10-metre bread baby and shared it free in more than 2,500 portions, according to Andina. If you come across one, it is a cheerful, open event.

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Roast pork, tamal and sweets

The other star is lechón, oven-roasted suckling pork served with tamal, rocoto pepper and wheat bread. Andina also lists the seasonal sweets: maicillos, empanadas, condesas, bizcochuelos and suspiros. Families cook their loved ones' favourite dishes and take them as offerings. Rossano Calvo explains that sharing this food by the grave symbolically sets a table shared with the departed, hence the popular belief that souls arrive as flies and settle on the food.

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Where to experience it

• Plaza Túpac Amaru in Wanchaq: in 2025 it hosted a food festival with more than 50 traditional bakers, according to Andina.
• Plaza San Francisco: in 2025 EMUFEC gathered 85 women entrepreneurs selling traditional products there.
• Markets such as San Pedro or Wanchaq, full of breads and flowers in the days before.
• La Almudena and Huancaro cemeteries, run by the public charity, are the busiest; the private Poroy cemetery also fills up.

Fair locations can change from year to year; check before you go.

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Visiting cemeteries respectfully

Cemeteries fill with families eating, praying, cleaning niches and sometimes hiring musicians. As a visitor:

• Move slowly and do not block aisles or niches.
• Ask before photographing people and avoid close-ups at moments of grief.
• Dress simply and keep your voice down.
• Do not take or ask for offering food unless invited.

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Practical tips

• 1 November is a holiday: some businesses and offices close or change hours; check before you go.
• It is the shoulder of the rainy season, so pack a light rain jacket.
• 31 October is also Peru's Día de la Canción Criolla, so expect live music in peñas and restaurants.
• If you enjoy this festival, December brings Santurantikuy, the big Christmas fair on the Plaza de Armas.

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Notice: This guide shares advice and recommendations based on research and local experience. Prices, opening hours and rules may change: always check with official sources and operators. Cusco Tips is not responsible for third-party services, bookings or decisions made using these guides; some links are affiliate links (see our affiliate policy).