The Sacred Valley

Now that we're in the Sacred Valley at 11,000 feet, we're learning how to take care of our bodies with the finesse of a Ferrari mechanic: breathing techniques, hydration protocols, coca tea, sleep, size of meals, etc.

After breakfast, we climbed to a small indegenous community called "pampa llaqta," where several students learned that "thugging it out" is not a strategy for dealing with extreme altitude. Humbled, a little scared, distinctly sweaty, a few us of starting dropping like flies. The locals took pity and swept into action, offering a healing tonic called "aqua florida." Most of the students took advantage of their generosity, splashed some tonic on their hands and held then over their mouths and noses. Relief was immediate, everyone was revived.

The leader of the indigenous community talked us through the details of their potato preservation project, where they breed and preserve over 1200 varieties of native potatoes to the Incan civilization. 

The most important part of the experience was hearing him talk about what he called the "sweet life," which means living in harmony and balance with the earth, their community, as well as the entire world. Part of their religious system is an explicit acknowledgement that reciprocity is not just about the present, but a call to make decisions that also support all future generations everywhere. Wow, what a contrast to what we're seeing in the world today. 

We ended the visit with some delicious teas and potatoes, and hopefully all the kids bought their parents and siblings some gifts from the local women. The woven products cannot be bought anywhere else in the world. Oh yeah, and we learned that we were the first American community of high schoolers to make it this far up the mountain. What a privilege.

We then boogied down the hill and ate a traditional Peruvian BBQ, cooking the food on hot rocks burning in the earth. Guinea pig anyone??? Yes, we had Guinea pig. Holy cuy!

Another quick boogie back up the valley, this time to one of the most tragic--and profound--Incan sites: Ollyantaytambo. This enormous engineering project, rivaling the pyramids, consists of an enormously terraced structure that spans up and across an impossibly steep gorge, where the Incan's built a fortress, holy site, and community project. The science and engineering behind moving these stones from a quarry across a massive ravine, and then fitting them together with precision and beauty, boggles the mind. The sheer beauty of the geography, with a meticulously designed structure, was breathtaking. But more importantly, it's the site of the most savage, morally depraved battle between western colonial powers (this time the Spaniards) and indigenous communities. Though the Spaniards were finally victorious, which led to the annihilation of virtually an entire community as well as one of the most advanced civilizations, it was not without heavy and humiliating losses at the hands of the Incans. Juan Pizarro, brother of the Francisco Pizarro, the original Spanish conquistador that wiped out the traditional cultures in Peru, died from a head wound during one of the bloody battles. He was hit with a rock, went into a coma, and died a few days later. For him and his band of conquistadors, to die at the hands of these "savages" with a rock to head must have been humiliating. Irony, however, is not really justice.

We finished the night with some of the students joining a jam session with two traditional Peruvian musicians during dinner, and finally our first round of Mafia. Early to bed so we are ready for Machu Picchu tomorrow.