Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(LIP-wb) -- Some 30 km from Cajamarca, in the middle of a landscape flanked by pine groves that provide shade for plump dairy cattle and skittish vicuñas, the Granja Porcón farm gives visitors the chance to hike through lovely countryside and take a hand in the day’s chores down at the farm.

It is 5 a.m. when Héctor wakes us mercilessly from our dreams. At that hour, the cold gets into our bones, but a warm parka and the determination to help milk the cows convince us to set off into the darkness on the edge of dawn in Porcón.

Like us, the cows in the corral shake themselves awake at the farmer’s call. Vitalicia, Pichona and Diplomática amble out obediently, used to hearing their names since they were calves. Segunda and Manuel, who are experts at milking, squeeze the pink teats which squirt streams of warm milk into the pails.

All the cows in Porcón have a name, an effective and yet affectionate way of organizing the milking process. It is the turn of Turista, Senadora and Mariela, as large as the others, which fill a 12-liter canister each. “Do you want to try some?” asks Segunda. I have a go at squeezing one of Turista’s teats, down and up. The cow gives me an odd look, no doubt wondering when I’m going to let go of her udder.

We arrived the night before in the northern Andean city of Cajamarca. The following morning, an hour’s drive later, we caught our first glimpse of this tiny village nestling amongst pine-carpeted mountains and capped by a deep blue sky, rather like Switzerland in the Andes. Héctor Quispe, the descendant of the founders of the community, takes us into his home.

There we find a table set with a cup of milk, yogurt, buttered bread, the manjarblanco cream and melted cheese, the main source of income for the Atahualpa Jerusalén agricultural cooperative, the production center of Granja Porcón.


Velasco and the Evangelus

The cooperative is an exceptional case, as it is the only place in northern Peru where the Agrarian Reform actually worked, thanks to the leadership of its members and the discipline of their collective work. This is possibly the only place in the country where one can still hear on the community’s loudspeakers, as if in tribute, the speeches of General Juan Velasco Alvarado, the controversial military ruler who expropriated plantations to hand out the lands to the peasantry. Today, on the cooperative’s 25th anniversary, the general’s “voice” is booming through the speakers.

We leave Héctor’s house with full stomachs, ready to take part in the daily chores for a few hours. Along the way, doorways, walls, bridges and any other construction in sight have been festooned with odd signs emblazoned with sermons from the Bible. “My father had them put up a few years back,” Héctor said. “It’s a way of reminding us that we should behave.”

It is said the mainstay of the success of the Porcón communal experience is that the locals share the common work ethic, bolstered by their religious faith. The community is Evangelist, a creed the locals say has kept them united.

Lending a hand

Like the biblical scriptures, non-traditional tourism is practically a dogma for the people of Porcón. The guides have been trained not to “tell their history”, but “make it come alive”.

So, after milking the cows, and boosted by the dairy products we have taken onboard, we head off to take part in the “minga”, or work bee. The minga is an ancient system of communal agricultural work which, like many communities in the Peruvian highlands, the cooperative has kept alive. It is based on work done collectively by all the villagers in communal areas, taking turns.

After an hour of planting potatoes and harvesting oca tubers, we wipe our brows and swap the fields for the storerooms. The womenfolk in charge shade their sunburned faces with wide-brimmed straw hats. They teach us how to select the products and distinguish between potatoes that have been harvested and seed potato, which to our eyes look alike.

The carpentry where the villagers build furniture from eucalyptus and alder, the greenhouse which grows fruit and flowers, the dairy processing plant, and farming life in general, live harmoniously side by side with nature. The most important aspect, Héctor says, is that visitors understand how the inhabitants of Porcón are prepared to tackle the challenges that nature on the one hand, and economic development on the other have posed, regarding the rational use of resources.

This means not a single activity is done indiscriminately. Once a year, the locals perform the “chakku”, the ceremony where the villagers round up their camelids to shear their wool. Today, as a demonstration, our hosts have sheared a sheep, and some of the tourists have had a go with the shearing scissors.

The path through the pine grove

Visitors can also look at the area’s miniature zoo, which features species that are native to the area. The mountain lion’s cage is hung with one of the picturesque signs, which reads “Have no fear, as I am with you.”

The 12,000 hectares of land within the Porcón cooperative, located al altitudes ranging from 3,000-4,000 meters, were originally grassy plains, of which 8,000 hectares have now been reforested with several varieties of pine.

The trees are first grown as saplings in the greenhouse, and are sown outside during the rain season. Tourists wishing to witness the reforesting effort should visit Porcón between January and April. Adventure lovers, meanwhile, can set off on hikes, hunt for Inca ruins and waterfalls, and wander amongst the enchanted forest which is filled with surprises.

Pepito and the herd

The smallest vicuña in the herd wears a rosette on his chest. The animal has been baptized Pepito, and moves at ease around the village together with the rest of the herd. The village has reared 160 vicuñas, which roam around large areas of forest and meadows. The Vicuña Trail, which is properly signposted, takes an hour-and-a-half to walk, starting from the village main square.

The climb to the vicuña grazing grounds is fast. Once the visitor arrives, the best thing to do is to sit down on the grass near the pigeon coop, and breathe in the pure mountain air. While watching the vicuñas, which are generally shy, look them straight in the eye. If one of them holds your gaze, it is probably the dominant male in the herd, forcing you to urn your head away. Of course, there is always the deep blue sky studded with fleecy white clouds to look at.

Back at the guesthouse - one of two built to house visitors - another sign receives us, this time with the quote: “I will lay me down to sleep in peace”. Although this sounds rather eternal, we know we shall wake up pretty soon, because the day starts early in Porcón.