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| Erin spending time with the animals at the farm! |
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| Our group in The Sacred Valley! |
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| Christina attempting to pick up a boulder at Ollantaytambo! |
Hello, this is Sarah,
once again, this time with a look at what could be our our most touristy day: Thursday, May
24th, 2012. We woke up early for a delightful breakfast of banana pancakes,
fresh bread and sauco jam, and my
personal favorite: mate de quinua. This Peruvian specialty is a hot drink
composed of milk, sugar, and quinoa grain that really gets any morning off to
an energized start.
Soon
afterwards, we piled into our touring van and set out for a day of adventures
outside of Cuzco. Our first stop was a little souvenir market on the side of
the road on the way to the Pisac Ruins. The vendors had their bazaars lined up
in a huge semicircle through which shoppers could meander and be coaxed into
buying all sorts of Peruvian handcrafts. Flags, statues, hand woven table
cloths, clothing made from alpaca wool, idols, paintings, jewelry, candles, and
dolls were just a few of the items for sale.
Stop
number two turned out to be what I had been looking forward to all trip- the
alpaca farm! Or, more precisely, it was a special reserve and education center
containing a whole assortment of animals, including alpacas. An affable young
employee took us around the outdoor enclosures and gave us interesting
information about all of the Peruvian animals at the center. We saw a vicuna, a
cousin of the llama and alpaca whose wool is so luxurious that a single scarf
costs at minimum U.S. $200. We also got up close and personal with several
condors inside their expansive cage, and witnessed their incredible flying
speed and wingspan from mere feet away. The condor is a "near
threatened" species of bird, and a national symbol of Peru and several
other Andean countries. In Incan times, the condor represented the third stage
of existence, or the Upper World (i.e. the afterlife).
Our
group also saw several slumbering pumas, who consume more than ten kilos of
meat every day. Pumas are also part of the three Inca life stages; they
represent the second stage of existence in the Current World. Although we did
not see any serpents, I might as well mention them too, since we learned that
serpents represent the first stage of existence in the Underworld or
pre-conception. All three animals are often seen in a vertical line on many
statues around the Andes. I was particularly fascinated to learn that serpents
are also traditionally associated in this region with wisdom, since Western
norms cast the serpent as the incarnation of sinful temptation in the classic
Genesis tale of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Other intriguing
animals included frisky bobcats, hairless Peruvian dogs, parrots, deer, storks,
falcons, and aardvark like creatures called coatis. As our time at the animal
reserve came to a close, we also got to see hand weaving of baby alpaca fur in
progress, and learn about all of the natural plants used to dye cloth every
color imaginable in Incan times and modern day. The ingenuity of artists at work is always a joy to witness.
We continued with our
drive through mountains, stopping briefly to take pictures at an outlook about
the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Our guide Daniel explained that two years ago,
the mighty Urubamba River flooded most of the valley, causing dozens of
fatalities and leaving whole towns struggling to recover to this day. The
Peruvian government does not exactly have a FEMA to bring disaster relief to
affected areas. It seemed so surreal that amidst the staggering
beauty of these mountains there could be the same kind of hardship and strife
that the victims of Hurricane Katrina suffered, for example.
At last, we reached
the Pisac Ruins. This Inca site was once a lively city sitting high above the
Sacred Valley, consisting of many interconnected areas and elaborate stonework.
On the side of an adjacent cliff face rested over one hundred small tombs hewn
into the rock face. It was almost as if the Incas had created a sort of
vertical cemetery for their dead. Incas would be buried in their tombs in fetal
positions and the pathways to each tomb would be destroyed after burial to
prepare and propel the dead onward into the afterlife. Royalty would be buried
with hairless Peruvian dogs, whose skin was believed to heal and purify human
flesh. Unfortunately, these marvelously constructed tombs also provided the
allure for greedy Spanish conquistadors, who raided and destroyed much of the
city of Pisac in search of buried gold valuables.
Some
of the most remarkable parts of Pisac included the terraces made of dirt, sand,
and rock that have lasted nearly intact for over five hundred years and kept
the city's buildings from falling victim to landslides. These terraces were
designed to face east towards the sun, and therefore provided excellent
surfaces for meeting the city's agricultural needs. The Incas even created
ingenious stone channels to store collected crops in "air
conditioning" for preservation. Water flows directly to the area from high up glaciers, and
the Incas designed a complex system of fountains to deliver the water all over
the city. Approximately two hundred people lived full time in Pisac, although
travelers frequently made use of the site as a resting place along their
journeys. Evidence suggests that Pisac was a significant holy site as well, for
the worship of Inca gods from the mountaintops. As the population in Pisac
grew, many began to migrate into the valley and other parts of the mountain to
access more resources. The proliferation of Pisac spurred development all over
the valley area.
Today,
there are ongoing efforts to restore parts of Pisac damaged by the Spanish
conquistadors and natural wear and tear. To make the restorations look as
authentic and original as possible, construction crews use many of the same
techniques the Incas would have used hundreds of years ago. Our group witnessed
workers immersed in a mud pit, churning mud and straw into bricks by foot (not unlike how the
Hebrew slaves built a new city brick by brick under the watchful eyes of
Egyptian taskmasters). It is interesting to see how some techniques and practices
can evolve similarly in completely separate societies.
By
the time we started to drive down from Pisac, everyone was pretty hungry for lunch,
which was still quite some distance away. To tide us over, our guides had us
stop in the valley for empanadas. Empanadas look like miniature calzones-
perfect for snacking. The outer dough consists of wheat, quinoa, and corn. Most
of us got the traditional filling, which includes onion, tomato, cheese,
oregano, and rosemary. Other options included cheese and basil, ham and cheese,
and sweet Banana and raisin. They were absolutely delectable. I do so love
Peruvian cuisine!
After
an hour's ride, we finally reached our lunch destination in Ollantaytambo, a
bustling town built at a former Inca site. We ate at a buffet style restaurant
called Alhambra with seating under huge canopies. Although all of the food was
delicious, I have to say that my favorite part was the passion fruit custard
for dessert. Once we ate, we walked behind the seating area to the grass and
performed our recitation of The Heights
of Machu Picchu by Pablo Neruda. This series of poem was written by the Chilean
author on his journey up the Inca Trail, and captures the impact that trek had
on his life. Before the trip, our class read and discussed the entire series.
We chose the last poem and each of us memorized several lines to recite. Since we did not have time for the recitation at Machu Picchu
itself, we decided to fit it in on this day. After a few rehearsals, we
successfully recited the poem in Spanish on video for Dr. Shaw. You can see the
video right from this blog if you care to view our work.
On
our way back to our van, we all did a double take while passing the llama
enclosure. Some Discovery Channel type of prurient shenanigans involving
several llamas at once was causing quite a cacophonic ruckus. So naturally,
mature college students that we are, we simply had to stop, stare in half
disbelief and half fascination, and take pictures. I confess that this was
probably not our best moment, but a little levity at the expense of beastly
impropriety never hurts anyone. Besides, as Dr. Shaw pointed out through her
chuckles, when are we ever going to see llamas acting like this again?
Our
last stop for the day was a tour of the Inca Temple at Ollantaytambo. This
temple (and the entire town, for that matter) was built in honor of the gods Tunupa
and Pinkuylluna whose faces are visible in the adjacent mountains. Their
profiles reminded me of how the Old Man of the Mountains in New Hampshire used
to look before he eroded away. The Incas believed that the god Tunupa found the
place, which is now Ollantaytambo, and set down his 'backpack,' making the land
fertile and sacred. During the summer solstice, the sun projects a beam of light
directly angling across Tunupa's face. This, among other curious astrological
properties, heightened the religious importance of the site to the Incas.
Ollantaytambo was settled under Pachacutec's reign as part of his personal
estate. The temple was never finished before the Spanish conquest, although the
site did provide a temporary capital for Manco Inca, the leader of the last
great wave of Incan resistance to Spanish rule. The design of Ollantaytambo is
sophisticated, with granaries tucked high in the mountains to keep stored food
cooler and all terraces and buildings strengthened against earthquakes by the
specific stonework. Without wheels or ropes, Incas built Ollantaytambo through
backbreaking labor, literally pulling the rocks uphill by hand. The scale of
what they accomplished through decades of sweat and sinew is simply staggering.
At the peak of the temple is a huge altar with the head of a condor, puma, and
serpent, once again symbolizing those three stages of existence. Perhaps the
most fascinating piece of Ollantaytambo is that it is in essence a living
museum. People still live in the stone Inca houses at the base of the temple,
using the systems of fountains for water just as the Incas did.
At
this point, the sun was starting to set. We walked back through the touristy,
windy roads of Ollantaytambo to our van and drove an hour and a half back to
Cuzco, admiring the darkening sky, mountains, and small villages passing by.
When we arrived back at the house, we all showered, changed into nice clothing,
and met our guide Daniel in the Plaza de Armas to hit up a salsa club for the evening.
Some of the local youth in the club were "Dancing With the Stars" talented
with their salsa moves. We all had a wonderful time relaxing, dancing, and
watching the experts perform some smoky, sensual salsa. Perhaps no one had a
better time than Dr. Shaw, who has both a PhD in Spanish and a Master’s in
dance. She got right out there and salsa danced with the best of them, even
earning the respect of some pretty amazing Cuscan dance partners. I think we
all have enjoyed getting to see our professor in a more casual, personal light
during this trip.
After
11:00PM, the salsa club became more of a typical American club. All of the
locals left and pretty soon the music and the crowd were nearly
indistinguishable from anywhere in the States. Wow, what a long and crazy day.
It was truly jam packed and filled with a plethora of incredible experiences.
Thank you for coming along for the ride. "Chao y hasta el
próximo" to
all of you.
