Etymologically, the Word derives from the American term “Moreno”, a man of colour who came to Peru as a slave.
“The Moreno King” was originally danced in the tropical regions of the Peruvian – Bolivian Altiplano (High Plains).
At the beginning of the 16th Century, Negro slaves came to Peru from far off Uganda and Kazombe (Africa) via Brazil and Bolivia and destined for the mines of Laykakota and Potosi. A feature of the Morenada, or King Moreno, is the rattles that sound like the chains of oppression that tortured the slaves in their long pilgrimage.

It is a dance of Aymaran inspiration that satirizes the Spaniard. The “Pusi Moreno” is an old man who dances to justify his own existence when the rest of the town dances. It was danced in groups of over 500 male only dancers, although today we can see that the women accompany the dance as “Cholitas” and daughters as “Chinese Morenas”. A symbol of a people that refuses to die and still lives on in the interior of the mountains. And in the warm heart of Puno.