In this July 14, 2013 photo, masked fighter Alejandro Alvaro wears his costume before taking part in an Andean fight known as Takanakuy in Lima, Peru. Takanakuy, which means "When the blood is boiling" in Quechua, is a ritual of unclear providence that predates Spanish colonial rule and happens twice a year, in July and just after Christmas, to settle scores. AP Photo/Karel Navarro In this July 14, 2013 photo, masked fighters carry a statue of Santa Ana in a procession before taking part in a Takanakuy fighting ritual in Lima, Peru. The fighting ritual happens twice a year, in July and just after Christmas, to settle scores. In July it falls on the last day of the Feast of Santa Ana and is held in the Lima district of Canto Grande. In this July 14, 2013 photo, masked fighter Eber Sabina, right, gets help to wrap his hand before taking part in a Takanakuy ritual fight in Lima, Peru. In Peru, it has long been practiced in the highlands province of Chumbivilcas near Cuzco. More recently, it has spread to outlying neighborhoods of Lima. In this July 14, 2013 photo, Eloy Luna, left, and Rony Garate fight during a Takanakuy ritual fight in Lima, Peru. When the brightly hued ski masks come off, the punching and kicking begin. Only once a judge has ruled one of the combatants licked do they stop fighting. In this July 14, 2013 photo, Dionisio Colquemarca prepares to fight in a Takanakuy ritual fight in Lima, Peru. Often with faces swollen and bloodied, the fighters shake hands or hug and deem their personal dispute settled. Or else they agree to do battle again next year. LIMA, Peru (AP) - The brightly hued ski masks come off, and the punching and kicking begin. The Andean fight known as Takanakuy is a ritual of unclear provenance that predates Spanish colonial rule and happens twice a year, in July and just after Christmas. It is a relative of a custom that people in the highlands of neighboring Bolivia call Tinku. The bouts are all about settling scores. On the day of reckoning, and typically in preceding days amid traditional dancing and music, serious quantities of alcohol are imbibed. The liquor helps dull the post-pugilism pain. "When we first started doing this in Lima (in the early 1980s) they called us savages, but this tradition of ours dates back hundreds of years," said Jose Boza, president of Club Qorilazo, which organizes the Lima fist fest. In July, it falls on the last day of the Feast of Santa Ana and is held in the Lima district of Canto Grande. The fighters dress up in costumes of Andean folklore figures, with the ski masks an integral part of the costume. Among the characters: "El Negro," representative of black slaves; "El Majeno," reminiscent of liquor salesmen from a region called Majes; and "El Gallo," the rooster. Fighters' hands are generally wrapped in cloth. It's not just adult males who fight. Women and children with scores to settle also battle it out. During the fights, women sing "huaylia" music accompanied by accordions, harps, violins and mandolins. The lyrics, in Quechua, include such lines as "Child, fear not when rivers of blood flow." "That's how it is," says Boza. I hear the huaylias and my body boils. I want to fight.