6 weeks in Peru have passed, and while my intention was to keep a blog detailing the happenings here, computers, electricity, and internet aren´t the most readily available goods in the jungle. Mosquitoes, potatoes, and machetes, however, are plentiful.
That being said, I could fill pages with stories about mountain adventures and digging coffee fields, but I will spare you, dear reader, the details that will probably only serve to confuse and bore you. Instead, I will cover the main points and post photographs and leave your imagination to fill in the blanks.
For the past month and a half, I have been staying in Huyro (pronounced oí-roh), a town of about 3,000 people, on the edge of the jungle, at the base of the mountains, roughly 12-15 km away from Machu Picchu. I´ve been living on an agricultural compound, in what used to be a stable (affectionately called the Establo), along with 5-6 other volunteers and a smattering of staff members. The purpose of our work here is to study the Incas. Manco Inca, the last Incan ruler at Machu Picchu fled from the Spanish conquistadors to find refuge in Vilcabamba - passing through Huyro and the valley surrounding it. Our work takes place on two mountains - Quochapata and Incatambo, in addition to the known sections of the Inca trail running through the valley. The ruins consist mainly of houses - those on Quochapata are thought to be part of an agricultural community, most of which were only occupied for a couple of months out of the year by farmers carrying coca leaves across the mountain to Machu Picchu. The ruins on Incatambo are much closer together, and could have possibly been a village or small city, based on their locations along the mountain. The Inca Trail running through the valley is the path that Manco Inca took during his flight, however, as he fled, he destroyed parts of the trail to throw off the Spaniards and make it more difficult for their horses and carriages to pass. Furthermore, centuries of farmers removing the stones marking the trail, in addition to landslides and clumsy cattle, have resulted in its disintegration. But there are points that we know of, and our work has been to assist local archaeologists in mapping, clearing, assisting in excavations, and finding ruins and parts of the trail. In addition to archaeology work, community building has been a focus of the project, and finding a hiking trail from Huyro to Machu Picchu is a potentially huge opportunity for the community. A trail would mean another way into Machu Picchu, which would mean tourist dollars. But if there´s one thing I´ve learned, it´s that there´s a fine line between the help that tourist dollars can bring to a community, and the cultural exploitation that comes along with it. But who am I to judge? And a conversation with an old lady on a long bus ride to Cusco gave me a little faith in the power of tourism. Besides, who am I other than a tourist who likes to stay a little too long?
Personally, the work has been incredibly rewarding. 2 days a week, weather permitting, we´ve been going into the mountains, hiking to different ruins to carry out work, and slashing our way through the jungle with machetes. Another day out of the week is dedicated to the Inca trail, and the other two days are dedicated to work around the establo and in the community. We cleared a field and dug almost 600 holes in preparation to grow coffee plants, in addition to moving banana trees, painting a mural on the wall of the first library in Huyro (a bachelor´s degree in art doesn´t mean I can/should paint), and making educational boards to be used in local schools.
So here are some photos!
Just to preface, I don´t have any photoediting software here, these are all original files. Nor do I have software to go through and check each photo - these are the ones that looked the best through the little window on the back of my camera. Needless to say, I miss my laptop terribly...
A look into the Sacred Valley.
Stopped by a landslide at the police control point in San Luis, I was looking for some food. I found this guy.
Two of the former mayors of Huyro - I love these portraits.
Llamas at Sacsayhuaman
Lady at Sacsayhuaman - 2 soles.
