Racqui Ruins

From our chilly camping site we continued our journey high up in the Peruvian Andes. I really enjoyed the journey, spending the whole time observing the local Andean farmers go about their daily lives.
I must admit I saw mostly women and although some of them were wearing the bright clothing and colourful satchels we had become accusomed to in Peru, others now wore dark,dull colours of browns,blacks and greys with different shaped hats. The colours and costumes are significant to which region / community a person is from. I only saw women shepherding, often running along behind a flock of sheep for example or sitting quietly with the grazing flock, colourful satchels on their backs, chewing coca leaves to help wth the altitude. Maybe this explains how the women of 70 -80 years old look so fit.

With the decrease in altitude we began to see more green and fertile valleys with the occasional small farm, giving the impression that life is basic and simple with no sign of any machinery. For example, I noticed a small but tidy little farm wih a few small mud brick buildings. Outside of the surrounding mud brick wall cattle grazed whilst inside a colourful poncho drew my attention to a women leading a horse whilst another women had just left the farm on foot. With nothing other than the wilds of the andean mountains in view, I wondered where she could be going and how long it would take her!

At 3000m the land suddenly changed to rolling hills with much more grazing and therefore more frequent farms following the line of electricity pylons which previous farms at higher altitude had not had the luxury of!
As we passed through a larger rural town of farming communities with mud brick houses and small farming plots centred around the river I saw women and children washing their clothes in the river.

We arrived at a farming village and archaeological site called Raqchi. We had such a wonderful time here partly due to the nature of the site but mostly due to the people. Dragoman had organised for us to stay overnight with local families in their homes, an Eco tourism initiative which was set up for the community in 2001. The government paid 20 per cent of the costs for 16 families to learn about tourism, hospitality, hygiene and English language. The families each paid for their own renovations to their homes.
The village was beautiful consisting of narrow, steep muddy streets lined with either mud brick / dry stone walls with the aroma and sounds of farm animals amongst the beautifully earthy mud brick houses which overlooked the fertile valley of crops with a distant backdrop of the Andes. The mud bricks are made of clay, straw and guinea pig hair....that´s a lot of guinea pigs but atleast nothing goes to waste!

The People:
We were looked after wonderfully and fed very well! The food was traditionally peruvian (high in carbohydrates) as the families eat every day and it was truly delicious. Quinoa, potatoes and maze seem to be the main ingredients as they are some of the few crops which can be grown at higher altitudes. Quechua is the first language for most of the andean communities and here is no different although spanish is also spoken. The women are mostly very shy and whilst we watched a group of women showing us their traditional ceramic and pottery work, I watched a group of local women chew coca leaves and laugh like children as they watched from the sidelines.
After a wonderful dinner each of us were given a set of traditional andean clothes to wear for our ´night out´. From within a courtyard whilst we all sat in a circle, the locals performed a shortened but meaningful ceremony which they continue to practice. The annual version is usually much longer but shorter versions are periodically practiced when needed. The locals participated aswell, giving thanks to the surrounding mountains and Pachamama and asking for health for their families and for us on our travels. Once the serious part had been completed a fire was lit in the centre of the courtyard, providing us with warmth, aroma and atmospheric smoke. A few women sung melodius high pitched andean songs to the guitars and drum. The local men and women, old and young danced with us all showing us the Andean dance and through the smoke we could see the swinging and swaying of the colourful fabrics in the cool thin andean air.
When the time came to leave the community, the families surrounded us to say goodbye and wish us well. Their colourful hats and poncho´s brightening up the otherwise dull, cloudy and rainy day.

The Ruins:
Raqchi Ruins was one the most important site for the Inka people as it was used for administration purposes aswell as a religious site. All that remains of the temple of Wiracocha is the central wall standing 12m high and 3m thick in places. The Temple would have been an impressive 92m x 25m and visible from any point in the surrounding area and receiving many pilgrims.
The ruins of the residential area show where the noble women and priests resided. A On the 21st December Solstice the sun rises in line with the central walkway between the houses, following the whole length throughout the day until it sets.
Within the site there are also Qolca ruins. Qolcas were used to store large amounts of food (dehydrated) over long periods of time for times of hardship.

Now as trivial as this may sound, I saw a woman pushing a child in a buggy, the first I had seen during my time in south America! Much to the amusement of my fellow travellers I pointed this out as a significant observation. From childhood you see girls and women carrying sometimes large and heavy loads on their backs wrapped in the woven colourful blankets. Furthermore the buggy was seen in a rural town!