Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Bob Thomas, Ag-Venture Tours
Farms.com

The Inca ruins defy description. Of Peru’s 30 million inhabitants, there is only one remote community, Queros, where 300 inhabitants remain of pure Inca blood. The rest of the population is now mostly Mestizo, which describes those with part Inca and part Spanish blood. While the Spanish conquistadors claimed military victory, it was actually diseases like smallpox and yellow fever introduced from Europe which weakened and destroyed the 17 million original Incas who dominated a vast territory stretching from Central America to Chile for 500 years from 1100 to 1600 AD.

The capital city of this empire was Cusco, a name derived from the Quechua language for Qosqo meaning “navel”. Sacred temples were destroyed and Christian churches built upon their foundations. Most of the gold and silver artifacts were looted and shipped back to the Spanish throne. My ag tour group has been based in Pisaq, a Spanish colonial town established in 1575 in the Sacred Valley. From there, we toured various ruins and sites to learn more of this fascinating heritage from our indigenous guide, Rolly Currasco.

The Sacred Valley stretches narrowly for 100 km between lofty Andean peaks reaching 5000 meters in height. Nourished by the Vilcanota River and a microclimate, patchwork fields support an incredible array of crops. With planting and harvesting dictated by astronomy calendars, corn became a Peruvian staple of which the Parakay and Imperial White varieties are most used by Incas today. In colder climates at higher altitudes, potatoes were grown. On steep slopes near the town of Ollantaytambo, one can still see the remains of Inca granary storages designed and located to capture drying winds and cooler temperatures to enhance long term storage of foodstuffs. Today, Peru boasts 200 varieties of corn ranging from black and purple in colour to the familiar yellow and whites.

Of course, we are all aware of the adverse effects of the coca leaf when it is processed into cocaine. But starting as early as 2500 BC, coca has grown in Andean mountains up to 1800 meters above sea level. The shrub grows up to 3 meters in height and its dried leaves are chewed to alleviate fatigue, hunger and altitude sickness. The leaves also contain carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, iron and calcium and are believed to be the original secret ingredient of Coca Cola. It is a “magical plant” used by the Incas during religious ceremonies and today coca tea is available everywhere to alleviate dizziness caused by the high altitudes.

Although the Spanish conquistadors wiped out a very advanced civilization, they could not snuff out the proud spirit of the Incas and Peru remains a fascinating culture and country to visit.

We’re now headed to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador to see if Darwin really knew what he was talking about. Then we’re on to Brazil.