I had the pleasure last month of taking some time to myself for a couple of days in Cusco and then on to Cachoro for a "trek" (backpacking without the backpack) to Choquequirao, an Inca site. It was my first chance to get into a Quechua speaking community to see what life is like in an agricultural area in the Andes.
At first glance Cachoro looks pretty bleak.
At first glance Cachoro looks pretty bleak.
But after spending some time there, it actually looks like a pretty good place to live. It's a beautiful setting with the Nevado Padreyoc in the background. The main occupation is subsistence agriculture, the plots are small and worked mostly by hand and animal (I saw only one tractor at work in the area, probably shared/rented out) and the land seems productive.
| The draw for tourists is not the town of Cachoro but the Inca ruin of Choquequirao, a mere 19 mile trek that may be the most grueling hike I've ever been on. The hike starts at just under 10,000 feet, descends almost 4500 feet in a 5 mile stretch and then ascends 4500 feet in the next 5 miles. It isn't just the elevation change but the steepness of the trail and the altitude that combine to make this a difficult hike. The total distance from Cachoro to Choquequirao is just 19 miles but the 4500 foot ascent is covered in one day and then the return trip descent in another day. I never thought going downhill could be as hard as up but my legs were shaking by the time I got down to the river and crossed the bridge. And then it was up 1500 feet before reaching the campsite and another 3000 the next morning. |  Source: NY Times, June 3, 2007. |
The people who did all of the work so we could walk with our daypacks and shoot photos consisted of a family of 4 brothers. They were born at mile 17 in a Quechua speaking hamlet (40 people in its heyday, all related) still owned by the family and run as a campground by the mother of the clan. Only one brother still lives full time on the land, everyone else has found it necessary to find employment in Cachoro, Cusco or elsewhere. The boys grew up making the trek to town and back once a week to attend school, boarding in town during the week. The guide, Juan Carlos, now speaks Quechua, Spanish, English and some Portuguese.
There is a very productive garden at 9700 feet with fruit trees that provides quite a diversity of foodstuff plus chickens, pigs, and guinea pigs to provide protein. We spent the second night there after the big ascent before heading to the ruins the following morning.
There is a very productive garden at 9700 feet with fruit trees that provides quite a diversity of foodstuff plus chickens, pigs, and guinea pigs to provide protein. We spent the second night there after the big ascent before heading to the ruins the following morning.
CHOQUEQUIRAO: Peru is blessed and cursed by a plethora of archaeological sites. Caral dates from 2600 BC and is the oldest civilization in the western hemisphere. From Caral through the Inca, one civilization after another built on and enlarged the advances made by the previous. As a result, Peru has sites from one end to the other without the funds to explore and develop them. Choquequirao is one of those sites. It is a few hard and beautiful days walk from Machu Picchu. (If any of you are interested in making the trek next summer, let me know.) Some of the area has been cleared and quite a bit of study done but things are now at a standstill.
In the first photo in the following slideshow, you will see some terraces down the side of the mountain. These terraces at one point ascended to the summit interspersed with housing and workshops which still exist under the brush. The terraces then descended down the other side of the mountain--the site is incredibly extensive but no longer being cleared. Like Machu Picchu, there is a lot left to know about Choquequirao. The stonework is not nearly as good as other Inca structures leading some to surmise that it was built in a hurry. It was also not found by the Spanish and no one knows why it was deserted. A unique feature among all of the Inca sites uncovered so far are llama images embedded in the terrace walls.
In the first photo in the following slideshow, you will see some terraces down the side of the mountain. These terraces at one point ascended to the summit interspersed with housing and workshops which still exist under the brush. The terraces then descended down the other side of the mountain--the site is incredibly extensive but no longer being cleared. Like Machu Picchu, there is a lot left to know about Choquequirao. The stonework is not nearly as good as other Inca structures leading some to surmise that it was built in a hurry. It was also not found by the Spanish and no one knows why it was deserted. A unique feature among all of the Inca sites uncovered so far are llama images embedded in the terrace walls.
The Andes are a huge chain of mountains which change quickly in many ways. Much of the chain is drab and dry, other parts lush and many parts are incredibly beautiful. The following slideshow and subsequent blogs will expand on this idea.
| Another fine woman of the Andes bids you hasta luego. |  |
RSS Feed