What a different country the United States would be if all citizens had the experience of traveling to other countries. There would be a much greater respect for our life in the United States as well as a much more compassion for people as a whole and other cultures. In this post my goal is to not only to introduce my travels in Peru and share some of the wonderful sights around Lima and Cusco but to also instill in the reader a better understanding of life in another country.
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” – Saint Augustine
When I decided that my first big post retirement out of the country trip was going to be to South America it seemed prudent to book the excursion with a travel company that specializes in group travel to other countries. I was a bit hesitant to travel with an organized group where my free time and choices would be limited by a set schedule but a good way to dip my toe in the water of international travel. Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) groups are small not usually more than 16 people and in our group there were 14 travelers from all over the US. In Peru our local guide Wilfredo was a wealth of knowledge about the country and the places we visited, having our own personal expert was definitely a highlight of the tour.
Part of the Overseas Adventure Travel’s standard itinerary includes a “day in the life” of the local people. It was an opportunity for us as travelers to experience and better understand the lives and the culture of the people in Peru.
25% of the population in Peru is poor – now poor may mean different things depending on where you live. In Peru, they define poverty as no access to clean water, a house or adequate food. Let me repeat that statistic – one in four people in the country is considered to be living in poverty without the basic necessities like clean water, food or a home. The basic wages paid for many jobs in the country isn’t enough to keep a family above that poverty line and many Peruvians take on additional ways to make income like selling products on the streets to both locals and tourists.
There are many squatters, folks that live on or in property that was not theirs to begin with but simply open land. These places seem to be most often on the outskirts of town and often on the sides of fairly steep slopes. Over time this results in the growth of the city in both geographic area and population numbers. Many of the homes are not finished, as the residents cannot get loans so the only way to build their home is to save the money and build as you have the cash. Often times it takes a year to save enough money to build a level which results in the “unfinished” look of much of the town.
Our visit to Peru started in Lima, the capital, located at sea level along the Pacific Ocean. A walk around the city included a visit to the Monastery of San Francisco. This yellow domed church—one of the best-preserved colonial churches in the city—sits atop a labyrinth of bone-lined catacombs. The catacombs were actually part of Lima’s original cemeteries, which were built under churches. They estimate that 75,000 bodies are buried under San Francisco alone, and many of the remains are exposed, stacked in strange patterns in circular stone pits.
A catacomb tour is not for the squeamish or the claustrophobic but definitely worth a visit. Photographs were not allowed in many of the churches and museums but the outside architecture was certainly photo worthy.
Next stop was the main square where the visitor is surrounded by beautiful historic and important government buildings. They seemed to be anticipating civil unrest, as the police forces were on hand to ensure any demonstrations remained peaceful.
No sooner had we settled into Lima than it was time to fly again. Next stop was Cusco; at an elevation of over 11,000’ high in the Andes, Cusco is the world’s ninth-highest city with a population over 100,000.
Cusco was only the gateway for our upcoming adventure. Beyond lies the Sacred Valley, Andean countryside dotted with villages, high altitude hamlets and ruins linked by trail and railway tracks to the continent’s biggest draw – Machu Picchu (more about Machu Picchu in another post!).
Leaving Cusco and heading even higher to the mountain weaving village of Chinchero, which—at an elevation of 12,500 feet—was a literal high point of our exploration of the Sacred Valley. Chinchero was the site of a 16th-century Inca emperor’s estate, as well as a resting place on the Inca Royal Road. In Chinchero Peruvian weavers have established the Center for Traditional Textiles, a weaving cooperative for the women of Chinchero and surrounding mountain villages. Some of the weavers demonstrated their craft of creating complex patterns in colorful cloth as their ancestors have for centuries. Chinchero is still a town filled with tradition. They still speak the Incan language (Quechua) and in the highlands they are plowing the land to plant potatoes.
Overnight at a hotel in Urubamba allowed us to start acclimatizing to the higher altitude and also set us up for our “day in the life” experience the next day.
As I mentioned previously, OAT travel includes this “day in the life” experience allowing travelers to get a feel for the communities and countries that we visit. These visits include spending some time in a local school interacting with the students. The school in the Sacred Valley was not typical of Peru’s school system. Peru spends 3% of its budget on education one of the lowest in South America. Generally public schools have a 60 to 1 student teacher ratio and beginning teachers start at $300 per month. Many Peruvians send their children to private school, which can cost over $1,000 per month per child. The Sacred Valley school was smaller and served children from the farms and ranches in the valley. The kids were eager to interact with us and ask questions as well as answer ours. They are taught two languages in school – Spanish and Quechua (Incan) as both are spoken throughout the country.
“Learning a foreign language, and the culture that goes with it, is one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy and imaginative sympathy and cultural outlook of children.” – Michael Gove
What would a day in the life of Peru be without visiting a market and trying some of the local cuisine – I had been pre-warned that a favorite Peruvian dish was “cuy” better known as Guinea Pig. Lunch was with a local family and included this local favorite. Although I did try it (both the meat and the skin) it wasn’t something that I would ever choose again!
On our return to Cusco (after Machu Picchu) we spent another day wandering the city visiting the Qoricancha Sun Temple, the city’s most important ceremonial structure during the Incan era. The Qoricancha was the centerpiece of a vast astronomical observatory and calendric device. The Inca took over an earlier sacred site at the center of the city, upon which they constructed their primary temple and astronomical observatory.
According to Inca conception, the Qoricancha was the religious center of Cusco, geographical and political center. The Temple of Qorichancha, was where homage to the Inca god “Inti” (Sun) was held. “Qori” means gold worked its Spanish form is cori. “Kancha” means an enclosed space, bounded by walls. Hence it is that the name corresponds approximately “place that has gold”.
Historical records of the time note that its walls were once covered with 700 sheets of gold studded with emeralds and turquoise; when the sunlight streamed through the windows, the reflection off the precious metals was blinding. All of this golden artwork was quickly stolen and melted down by the Spanish conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizzaro, who then built a church of Santo Domingo on foundations of the temple leaving the darker base stones and a tower. Major earthquakes have severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls that remain, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, remain standing as sentries of time, a testimony to their superb architectural skills and sophisticated stone masonry.
Politics in Peru
Peru finally broke free from Spain in the 1820’s as wars of independence swept across South America. Since then, Peru’s history has been a dramatic alternation between democratic and dictatorial governments, each of which has faced pressing social and economic issues.
“In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” – George Orwell
Currently there seems to be no trust in politicians as nearly all of them have been involved in corruption over the years. And they have a reason to be suspicious, four of its former presidents are in jail or fugitives from justice for human rights crimes or corruption.
President Fujimori (1990-2000) ruled the country as a dictator, closing the Parliament House by convincing citizens that the parliament was bad. As president he committed many human rights violations by ordering the army to kill people and was found to have given money to his advisor and accepting bribes from companies for various favors.
President Toledo (2001-2006) was a democrat elected by the people but it was found that he took kickbacks to allow Brazilian companies the best in Peru (20 million)
Garcia was reelected 2006-2011 – in the 80’s there was massive inflation under this president. He was the best of the two choices at the time. There was corruption but no proof.
President Humala (2011-2016) accepted bribes from Venezuela to form his party and became rich but is now in jail for money laundering.
“I’ve always tried to avoid politics because most politicians that I know are quite dirty in terms of human dignity, ethics and morals.” – Steven Seagal
Is it no wonder then that Peru is in a recession? They do not trust the government and there is no faith to invest in the country.
In response, in his annual address to the nation late last month, the current president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, promised a crusade to rebuild the country after devastating floods and a huge corruption scandal, which together have shattered prospects of economic growth and further undermined the trust of Peruvians in the presidency itself.
Even after two centuries, Peru remains a frail republic. Yet, to its credit, in the past 25 years it has ended an internal war, settled conflicts with its neighbors, overcome hyperinflation, become a stable democracy and, despite its current predicament, achieved economic growth and reduced poverty. Now, with corrupt political leaders no longer enjoying impunity, who knows, perhaps all past presidents will gather together to watch their bicentennial fireworks behind bars.
Every country, democratic, dictatorship, socialist has periods of history where groups of people who are unhappy with their situation rise up to show their disapproval with the governing party or person. Hopefully the result is positive and the lives of the people are improved – but politics can be fickle and unpredictable, as we all know to well. Fortunately positive change is worth fighting for…….
“In a time of domestic crisis, men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics.” John F. Kennedy
Great pics & info! Keep them coming!
Great description of your travels throughout Peru. What s great experience.
Love all of the vibrant colors in your pictures!
I was there in 2008, solo. If you get a chance I highly recommend going on your own via bus from Cisco to to Lake Titicaca and then to Arequipa. Along the way you can stop at Nazva and Balley of the Condors. Buses are extremely safe, especially with Policia everywhere. I know you are going to have fun.
Wow, such an adventure. Thanks for sharing the great insight, your philosophy and the fantastic images! Jeff