|
|
A Homestay with the Aymara on Lake Titicaca Lake Titicaca, shared by Peru and Bolivia, is the highest navigable lake in the world, lying at 12,500 feet (3,810 m) above sea level. On the lake there are floating islands that the Aymara indigenous group still occupy and uphold their traditional culture. There are several larger islands also inhabited by the Aymara in which tourists may spend a night with a local family. Pepe serves as a mediator between the realm of the indigenous life and the traveler’s eager curiosity. A Glimpse of Farm Life His tour business allows extranjeros (foreigners), from developed societies a glimpse of a day in the life of rural peasant farmers. He is a native of the Lake Titicaca district and guides tours leaving Puno, Peru, every other day to the floating Uros Islands, Amantani Island, and Taquile Island. Pepe’s oration about the history of this Inca preservation and the life of its inhabitants today lasts two days. His pre-rehearsed speech is given in Spanish, and then in English, even though his clients primarily speak Spanish, German, or French. The inhabitants of the Amantani Island, where I spent the night with a family, are Aymara, and are cut off from their distant relatives who live on the mainland. The Aymara are classified with Quechua as a separate group within the Andean subfamily of the Andean-Equatorial language family.
It amazes me how wealthy scientists, doctors, and professors choose to spend their few weeks of vacation in accommodations with outhouses, and no electricity. I met countless retired professionals from around the world who still had the desire to travel backpacker routes, along the bumpiest roads in search of the most remote places on earth. Our group of 20-odd travelers strapped on our bulky backpacks that had enough volume to hold a small child. The women surround us; those with babies have them wrapped up in a colorful blanket tied to their backs. Pepe assigns each of the visitors an Aymara hostess who will be in charge of us for the next 24 hours.
Dusty Foot Paths The Incas built their city, Macchu Pichu on the top of the Andes Mountains at an altitude of 8000 feet, so it is no wonder they achieved god-like feats.
The tea is made from the ancient plant native to Peru and Bolivia and used by mine workers and field labor to combat hunger, thirst, and fatigue. For travelers, unaccustomed to the drastic altitude changes, it eases nausea, fever, and headaches. Nancy’s blood is part of a dynasty of warriors whose conquests in South America compare to Alexander the Great in Europe. She is timid and declines to look into the eyes of a foreigner when she speaks. Tightly Woven Bonds
There is no electricity, cars, roads, police or dogs on the island. It is a paradise in comparison with the modern cities of South America which are congested with traffic, overpopulation and pollution. Nancy hurries past her friends who are in identical dress and tending to their daily chores; they call to her in Quechua and start to giggle. Of course my friend and I feel uncomfortable; we look like we just stepped out of a time machine. Everything I’m wearing was made in a factory with a sewn-in tag that bears the name of the country of export, and materials used like Gore-Tex, polyester, and rayon. The Amantani women are all outfitted with no immediate apparent distinction between them. Later we were told that a young woman wears a bright-colored skirt and sash to show that she is single and a dark-colored skirt symbolizes she is married.
We walked about 20 minutes before we arrived at Nancy’s home. It is located at the top of a bluff overlooking the great blue Lake Titicaca, whose body spreads like the open ocean. Her mother is standing at the gate of the house holding a baby lamb, the newest addition to the family. Nancy shows us our rooms and tells us we will be served lunch immediately. \Her father, like most of the men who inhabit the islands of Lake Titicaca, has adapted to the modern world, working long hours in factories in exchange for soles (Peruvian currency). In the community, there is a belief that to be lazy is a sin. The extra income will be put towards buying a modern education for their children. When the men return home dressed in blue jeans, t-shirts, and baseball caps, their families must assume that is their uniform.
Once back in their house the men will change into the traditional black pants, white shirt and colorful woven sash. Pepe, our tour guide, had decided to visit our family for lunch that afternoon. My friend, Pepe and I sat on a wooden bench in the cramped dark smoky kitchen.
Nancy’s mother silently knelt on the dusty floor over the open flame. She boiled together her traditional soup of broth, egg, noodles, chicken, and corn. I asked Nancy to ask her mother how many generations her family had lived on the island. After lunch we walked to the top of a hill to the temple of Mamapacha (the mother earth) to watch the sun set below the lake. Native women sat hunched around their sales display of alpaca woven hats, scarves, and sweaters, while their children ran between the legs of the foreigners showing off their braided string bracelets.
Peaceful Dream World After we ate our deep-fried bread for breakfast, Nancy knocked on our door and said it was time to go meet our group at the port. She walked us back to where we had met the day before and said goodbye, looking away from our faces. As we boarded the motorboat we watched as Nancy found one of her Aymara friends and began chatting energetically. Living in Unison Eva Piccozzi is a journalism and Spanish language major at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Read more about Peru:
|
Tweets by @GoNOMAD
|
