We recovered from the Thanksgiving holiday and a very long Sunday, traveling to and from Curahuasi where we taught classes and generally got home wiped out!
There are aspects about Peru that most in the United States do not know. Many have the sense that Peru is made up of Spanish Conquistador descendants mixed with Andean indigenous people. While this is a major component, Peru has a much more diverse population than that. Italian, German, Dutch and Swiss colonies have been founded at different times. Curahuasi has a hospital run by a German evangelical Christian group, for example. These groups are relatively recent. Obviously, some Germans came here at the end of World War II but not as many as in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia.
In the more distant past, the Peruvian ports were key to the Spanish colonization of South America. As such, Peru became a major part of the slave trade on the continent along with Salvador, Brazil, for the Portuguese. This resulted in a very large African population after the slaves were freed and who exerted a very large effect on the demographics of Peru. Peru has influence from these slaves in its Afro-Peruvian and Creole music, with similar beats to music in the South of the United States.
Likewise, many dishes near the coast of Peru are rich in African traditions.
Similar to the Trans Continental Railroad in United States, Peru used Chinese laborers for the construction of railroads through the Andes. Many of these people also stayed and made lives for themselves. They too contributed to Peru’s immense diversity. The combination has produced phenomenal variety in foods, music and art in general.
Rich first came to Peru in January of 1996, a little after some of the births we have been photographing in the archives. Having studied Spanish in Earl A. Johnson Elementary School, he was pretty clear that he would be called Ricardo and was mentally prepared for that. However, upon arrival, he discovered that Richard was not only pronounceable; it was common, as was Wilber, Elmer, Elvis and other very non-Peruvian sounding names.
Later on, in Espinar we made friends with a man named Valderiano rather than the more expected Valeriano. We have run across many other names that we would not have expected in Latin America including a lot of acceptance of North American/European names. In fact there is a Julie and Richard Sotec Quispe, but that was pretty understandable because dear friends named their newborns after us. Other friends named a son after our boys, Glenn William Sullasi Huisa. Rich worked with a guy named Wualther and pronounced it, “Walter.”
About the mid-eighties, at least in Cusco, there was a trend that none of this truly prepared us for. Spanish names gave way to a flood of Northern European names and approximations of those names. We have seriously been mind boggled by this trend. Earlier we mentioned before a boy named Sherwin Williams, but even that was nomenclature child’s play. We have been accumulating a spectacular list: Jimmy Hendrix Paucar Huamani, Gino Ramagsnaly Herrera Torres, Asdrubal Rumi Llacta Sanchez Yupanqui, Gopal Das Wyñay Inti Montero Euglberger, Hakler Kevin, Hans Kevin, Dirse Zaghys, Danny Yhusmart, Lothar Giuseppe, Hyland Marina, Nadheryn Roxana, Lieelith Katherine, Dante Raymyla, Randeg Razcoon,Victor Hugo Rimachi Chancayauri, Onneryn Suggey Milanese Paz. Though nearly completely clueless as to the pronunciation rules on these names, our work in the archives has fascinated us. We have watched this progression and been totally surprised at many of the variants that we have found. We have mixed up the last names to protect the “innocent.”We are pretty proud of ourselves this week; in spite of our distraction with the names, we were able to take more than 9000 photos, we shall see if we have to do any retakes.
The Superior Court judges of Cusco are all on strike so naturally no cases are being heard. Here they follow the Napoleonic code of “justice.” Guilty until proven innocent. People are sitting in jail without any recourse, until who knows when. The judges are on strike indefinitely. It’s a pretty rotten deal for all involved.
Julie finished another week of Spanish classes and sang “Rodolfo el Reno,” (Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer) for all of the students and teachers. She was a big hit. Rich continues with his Quechua classes too.
We’re really into the rainy season now so it rains nearly every afternoon and night. It’s cold and wet so that helps us get in the Christmas spirit. The stores are full of “Paneton,” sweet bread with candied fruit in it. It’s delicious especially with hot-chocolate. Christmas decorations have begun to show up in stores and on a few trees around town. Nativities are the big thing here. They go in for huge nativity displays with real sod and enormous casts of plastic and/or ceramic characters.
Cusco does not have a theater of any kind but according to legend, a mall with a theater complex is under construction. We have not seen it but believe the rumors to be largely true since every other major city in Peru has a mall. Anyway, we do not have one for the moment and so, for the odd free evening’s entertainment, we go to the local open market where we purchase movies for approximately a dollar. We are often quite unsure what the movie was called in English or German or Russian etc. We have to keep an open mind about all of this. We purchased a movie with actors we recognized, and that had been in English but it had been dubbed into German, with Spanish subtitles. It was good for Julie’s Spanish. Still, we have a whole new perception about translators and proximity to what the movie/TV show etc. are really about.
Some years back Rich got one of these that had been dubbed into Ukrainian and, since it was about Vikings and American Indians, there were segments of fake-o-Old Norse, he thinks, the English subtitles, superimposed on the Spanish subtitles made these parts especially difficult to decode, impossible really. The Indians apparently spoke English but that was dubbed into Ukrainian. The historicity of the film became a completely surreal experience. In the end, the fact that it was about Vikings and American Indians were the only salient pieces of information that he ended up with. Indeed, he had no idea whatever what the movie was about…
There are movies available in this system that have not been released in DVD in the states. There are no illusions about legitimacy of the movies.
Today we attended church with the Izcuchaca family group. We were asked to help with the Primary, which consisted of four children. It seemed like a pretty easy request; however, three of the four kids were the wildest, out of control children we have come across in a long time! Julie had them singing songs and taught them “Do as I’m Doing” in English, they loved that! She also taught them “Once There Was a Snowman” which they liked after we explained what a snowman was and what it meant to melt. One of the little girls complained that she did not know what melt means…
Rich told them some stories about prayer and taught them about Samuel the Lamanite and the signs of Christ’s birth. Needless to say, by the time two hours was up we were EXHAUSTED! In the end we received lots of hugs and pictures to hang on our walls. Once they settled down the kids were so cute. We’re pretty sure when we’re not there they color and run wild. Too bad we can’t be there every week and get some continuity.
One of the girls told Rich a very convincing story about finding a treasure chest in the river. When he asked her what was in the chest, she screwed up her face and shook her head and responded, “Treasure!” She did not say, “Doh!” but she conveyed the meaning.
While we were down there, our first inkling that something was happening came when we got off the bus that took us. We came across a troop of dancers in full Saya Dance regalia. These are elaborate costumes more typical of the areas near the Bolivian border but common in all of Southern Peru. Once at church we asked what the festivity is and they told us it is the celebration of the Immaculate Conception. Not sure why, but all of these things involve all kinds of dancing, parades and firecrackers. Hardly a day in this part of the world passes without someone shooting off firecrackers and even more elaborate fireworks. The marches for this one calls for carrying an ornately adorned virgin around on a palanquin while various ballerinas dance about with brass bands playing and firecrackers going off, all pretty festive!
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| Banner Pronouncing the Judges' Strike |
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| Picture Ladies with a Suri Alpaca |
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| Dogs Catching Some Badly Needed Rest From Scrounging Etc. |
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| Yellow Roof Cat |
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| Up And At 'em |
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| More Resting Pooches |
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| Local German Shepherd |
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| Much Larger Than He Appears, Though Completely Convinced He Is A Very Tiny Lamb... |
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| Julie Teaching Primary Songs |
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| Julie Teaching Primary Songs #2 |
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| What Passes For our "Mall" in Cusco |
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| "Mall" Security With Warning That Thieves Will Be Arrested And Beaten |
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| Snouts For Sale In Our "Mall" |
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| Julie With Christmas Purchase In Our "Mall" |
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| Saya Dance Troop |
