Villagers gather to watch ancient INCA sport of Gayado in Peru's Cusco region

Nov 09, 2015 Excitement recently ran high in Peru’s village of Coya as residents gathered to watch two teams compete in the highly anticipated ‘gayado’ match.

The sport, which bears resemblance to modern-day field hockey, was originally played by the Inca ancestors.

Florencio Morales, a participant at the games, explained how and why the Gayado match is played.

“This Inca gayado is a tradition from our Inca ancestors. And we continue to keep it alive only in this village of Coya. This custom is carried out every November 2 to honour the planting of potatoes, the papacasui.”