Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Sacred Valley - Pisac

(I apologize for the lapse between posts. My intention is to post weekly, but holidays and a few other matters interfered with the best-laid plans.)
After leaving Cusco, the animal sanctuary was our first stop in the 'Sacred Valley of the Incas’, a seventy-mile stretch of land along the Urubamba River, from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The Inca believed that the valley was the earthly parallel of the milky band of light they saw in the night sky-- our galaxy, the Milky Way.  
  
Land in the Sacred Valley is very fertile. This is often true along rivers: during high-water season, the river waters flood the area leaving rich deposits behind. The farmland along the Urubamba River was a vital source of produce for the Inca Empire in the fifteenth century.
   
The Emperor Pachacutec was chiefly responsible for developing most of the Inca empire including this valley. This rich land belonged, not to the farmers, but to the Emperor. (For more information about Pachacutec’s reign and accomplishments in the mid-1400s, check  https://lnkd.in/eib4ZCh.)  
The fertile farmland of Pisac in the Sacred Valley
In Pisac, we visit the marketplace where Quechua Indians come to sell their handicrafts. Pisac’s market is especially busy on alternate days, beginning with Sunday.  This is not a busy day.
Pisac market at the foot of the terraced mountain 
What strikes me more than the market is, once again, the terraced mountainside leading to it. Inca engineering continues to amaze me.

Terraced mountainside leading to Pisac
We stop for lunch and then head for Ollantaytambo, about 40 miles from Cusco, roughly 9,000 feet above sea level.
  
Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of the Emperor Pachacutec in the 15th century. He was responsible for the terraced mountainsides and construction that marked so much of the empire under his rule.
    
This area was also the last Inca battleground to fall to the Spanish. After the Spanish defeated Manco Inca Yupanqui, and his forces at the fortress Sacsayhuaman, he retreated to Ollantaytambo in 1536. It took a second round of Spanish soldiers to drive him from Ollantaytambo and ultimately defeat him in 1537.

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Next: Ollantaytambo

Monday, December 2, 2019

Weavers

The majestic Andean condors are behind us (literally) and now we’re keeping company the Santuario Cochahausi alpacas, 



parrots, 
  
and ahead of us are the weavers.  
  
When we visited the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, (Santuario Animal de Cochahuasi) we saw condors, alpacas, and parrots.  Moments after I photographed the condors, I took pictures of women from the Purikuq cooperative weavers, comprising artisans from three local communities
  
Weaving has long been a central part of life in Peru. Weaving cooperatives provide employment, supplemental income, and offer the chance for the artisans to create works representing their history and culture. 
  
The weavers use traditional backstrap loomsthe oldest known loom in the worldmade of wood, rope, and a strap that the wraps around the waist. Because it's so easy to carry, the weaver can set up anywhere. 
You can see the strap around the weaver's waist.
The loom's portability helps a woman manage the demands of motherhood while she creates her work. This weaver had her child with her.

Watching the detail of the artisan's work was hypnotic: I'm not sure how long I observed her but I know I have several close up photos of this woman's hands at work.


A note on the Purikuq weavers and this post:  When I write about a trip I took a while ago (this trip was some years back), I verify my information and update or add appropriate notes. 
  
The current sanctuary web site, http://www.santuariocochahuasi.com/about-us.html, has no reference to weavers. Santuario Cochahausi continues to protect and breed the Andean condor as well as pumas, parrots, llamas, alpacas, and vicunas (another relative of the alpaca). There are no references to weavers. The sanctuary seems to have expanded the animals it protects and narrowed its focus to animals. 
  
There are still many cooperatives supporting the employment and cultural work of the weavers. You can find  more information at these sites: https://threadsofperu.com/pages/meet-the-weavers-peru and https://planeterra.org/what-we-do/our-projects/womens-weaving-workshop/ .

One last alpaca before we make our way to Pisac and Ollantaytumbo. The baby was just too cute not to share.

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