Today was our last day in Cusco area, and we traveled through the Sacred Valley north of the city. Our tour started with a drive up the mountainside, where we were able to take in amazing, expansive views of the city. Many in the group were impressed by the view of the airport in Cusco. It boasts one of the longest runways in Peru, which delivers you straight into the center of the city. As we traveled down into the valley, we saw more incredible views of the Andes mountains and just a few of the over 84 (out of 114 in the world) terrains that Peru has between its mountains, deserts, coast and jungle areas. Throughout the day, we were also able to see many examples of farming in the Andes Mountains, often on very steep terrain. The Incas used terraces on the mountainsides, and those terraces are still incorporated into present-day farming.
At the alpaca farm
Our first destination was a roadside llama and alpaca farm, where we were able to get up close and personal with the animals. Their pens were enclosed, but there was a walkway that took visitor through the farm. We were even able to feed them. A great llama and alpaca experience for those of us who have been infatuated with them since being in Peru.
Our second stop was in the town of Pisac for their weekly market that happens on Sunday. It is well known and quite large. There was a market for souveniers as well as a market for food, which a few of us got to see. The market had a vast array of things to choose from, especially when it comes to anything made from an alpaca or llama. There were textiles for the table, scarves, slippers, blankets, rugs, ponchos, sweaters, etc. There were many other trinkets to choose from as well, and it gave us all some good bargaining practice.
After a buffet lunch at a hotel in the area, we again boarded the bus and headed for the Inca village of Ollantaytambo. On the way, we stopped at a small meeting place called Descanso — clearly a designated tourist stop, but also bearing the trappings of a family home. The purpose of the stop was to taste chicha, a homemade Quechan beer made from fermented corn that is popular in the Andes. Local establishments selling chicha will create a colorful decoration out of material at hand — anything from vibrant cloth to colored plastic bags, and display the decoration on a pole in front of the uilding to alert the locals, and tourists as well, that chicha is sold inside.
Chicha -- regular and strawberry flavored
At Descanso, we were introduced to a Quechan “bar game” in which a player attempts to toss a gold coin into the open mouth of a frog. While many attempted to do so, Bryce was the only member of our group to successfully toss the coin into the frog’s mouth. We also had the opportunity to sample two types of chicha. The first tasted strongly of corn, and also a bit like vinegar. The second, a strawberry-flavored variety, won the vote as the tastier of the two.
After experiencing chicha and playing the frog game, we continued on to Ollantaytambo. Julian took us around the cobblestone streets of the city, which retains vivid elements of its Inca past. We spent some time in the home of a family who lives in the town, and while we all strongly felt our role as tourists in this environment, and all felt at least a little uncomfortable being in their private space, we still marveled at the sight of approximately 15-20 guinea pigs scrambling around the family’s living space.
Possibly tonight's dinner for a family in Ollantaytambo
The fortress at Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo is dominated by an Inca fortress from which the Incas repelled the Spanish who were attempting to conquer the village by raining stones, arrows and other missiles on them. While the Incas eventually fled Ollantaytambo (the Spanish had retreated, but returned with reinforcements) they were never actually defeated by the Spanish there. As we climbed up the terraces,we once again saw the phenomenal examples of Inca engineering — the stones of the walls, particularly of those buildings meant for ceremonial purposes, fit together perfectly with no mortar.
At the top of the site there is a ceremonial center which was unfinished at the time the Incas left. The building is constructed with stone from a mountain 6 km away from the village. The villagers therefore would have had to transport the huge blocks of stone up to the site. While we saw evidence of a ramp which they may have used to do this, an American anthropologist who has attempted to recreate the scene has conjectured that it would take 2,000 people to move the stone up the ramp, which would have been impossible given the width of the space. Thus, like so many elements of the Inca civilization, how they managed this feat is still unknown.
From Ollantaytambo, we returned to Cusco for a final group dinner capping off the last leg of our journey. In our group discussion at dinner, we discussed the differences between this day — a day where, unlike most other days on this trip, we had a true tourist experience, complete with the pressures to purchase that many tourists enjoy — and the more analytical, comparative aspects of the majority of our time abroad. We talked about both the enjoyable elements of the day, including the ability to absorb certain facts about the region we were in without too much intellectual effort, and the frustrating ones such as the uncomfortable feeling of being an intrusive observer of a family’s lifestyle within their home. All in all, we generally agreed that even with these elements of discomfort, the Sacred Valley was a great way to end a wonderful study trip.
When dinner ended, we returned to the hotel to get ready for the trip back to Chicago the next day.
Emily and Kirsten
