It is the eve of the third national chaccu. To the national reserve of Pampa Galeras, in Ayacucho department, have come some 2,000 peasant farmers from communities all over the Peruvian highlands. Their task: to help round up the shy and graceful vicuña for shearing.

One of the scissors dancers is Gabriel Hilario from Huancavelica, known to his friends as "Lucifer". Earlier, he and other members of his community have participated in an ageless hillside ceremony to appease the mountain gods, or apus, and ensure a successful chaccu. Outsiders are not permitted to watch the ritual, but he describes it.

"First I blow the pipe in all four directions. Poking with the scissors, we find the right spot to make a hole. Where it enters easily, that's like the mouth of a person and we make an offering of ground corn, of carnations, of minerals or herbs. The hill is like a person for us: the kind of offering depends on each hill. We ask for strength and courage to dance with joy, and not to become tired."

If the gods are pleased with the offerings, the scissor dancers will perform effortlessly, both in the warm-ups on the eve of the chaccu and, more importantly, on the day itself. That in turn, will ensure the success of the event.

The scissors dance is not the only ritual in this age-old festival, which has changed little since Inca times. Another band of peasants climb the mountainside to make their pagapu, an offering to the Pachamama, or Mother Earth.

At Pampa Galeras in July, it would seem that the gods were pleased by the rituals. Long before daybreak, almost 2,000 men and women were already strategically positioned in the hills surrounding the corral, hidden but alert for the signal that would mark the start of the round-up. Once President Fujimori - the modern-day substitute for the Inca - arrived, a horn was sounded and the beaters advanced, driving the vicuña before them. At first, the delicate creatures seemed to have no sense of fear. Concealed behind rocks, we watched them from afar, slowly making their way towards the fenced "funnel" where finally they would lose their dark-gold fleece. But soon the solid line of noisy beaters was closer, waving ponchos and brightly-coloured flags. Realizing they were cornered, the animals became skittish, turning as a herd in an attempt to flee. For several nerve-racking moments they faced their captors head-on: but man prevailed and they swerved back into the pens. Here some 500 were sheared and carefully tagged to ensure that no animal loses its coat more than once every two years.

The fleet-footed vicuña is the smallest of the South American camelids. Living wild at heights of between 3,800 and 5,200 meters above sea level, it is perfectly adapted to its environment. Its fine incisor teeth neatly cut the fragile grass it feeds on, rather than tearing it up. Its cushioned feet do not harm the ground it walks on. It needs little water and is highly resistant to disease. Most importantly, its hair is the finest and warmest in the world, lighter even than cashmere.

Today's chaccu is a revival of an ancient Inca custom. Every two or three years, the Inca's subjects would gather, as they do in Pampa Galeras today, prepare traps and drive the animals. Dozens of the stone-built trenches can still be seen on the mountainside.

After the arrival of the Spaniards, the hundreds of thousands of vicuña gradually started to diminish. By 1963, experts say, there were fewer than 10,000 left in Peru: and Peru is home to more than half the world vicuña population.

A protection program commenced in 1964, with the Pampa Galeras reserve set up in 1967. For almost thirty years, the vicuña was on the CITES international convention list of officially endangered species. Illegal hunting of the coveted animals, however, continued. Poachers, well-armed with powerful sights fitted to their rifles handed over skins to highly-organized international bands of traders. Vicuña garments could be acquired in far distant markets with no questions asked.