Cajamarca – The Final Stand

Many Peruvians associate Cajamarca with the fall of the Incan Empire. This was the place where Atahualpa, the last emperor of the pre-Colombian civilization, was captured as he and his brave warriors defended the city against the assault of Francisco Pizarro and his band of ruthless conquistadors. The Spaniards were greatly outnumbered by the Quechua warriors in this battle – like most of the battles leading to major conquests in the New World - yet their unparalleled determination and hubris awarded them a strategic victory. Apparently, Atahualpa begged for his release by offering his captors a large room (still to be seen in downtown Cajamarca) filled with gold and silver. The foreign invaders obliged the leader’s offer, but upon receiving their bounty, they executed him. Moral of the story: never trust a Spanish conquistador.

Typical street of Cajamarca

Modern day Cajamarca built its reputation on its dairy products, beautiful colonial churches, mining, and the Inca Baths – a true fountain of youth. The Bickfords made the trip via Aero Condor – an old Fokker F50 – from Lima to spend a long weekend in this fabled city. I had never been on a plane that once it rises above significant cloud cover, one could see cloud condensation in the aisle separating the rows of passengers. Pretty neat! Our primary objective in this excursion was to spend our leave relaxing in the soothing hot springs. This water - similar to Rotorua, New Zealand and other places on the planet - is geothermally heated from the Earth’s crust. It is highly recommended to avoid taking a dip directly in the source, unless you want to understand what a lobster goes through before ending up on your plate. The waters of the Baños del Inca resort, slightly on the outskirts of the main city, are cooled from the source for the guests to enjoy relaxing either in the public pools or the private tubs in their respective suites.

This trip was highly recommended to my mother after her cancer treatments due to therapeutic qualities in the natural springs. Heated spring water generally holds more dissolved solids and possesses high mineral content. It is common to find compounds of calcium and lithium, both particularly useful in revitalizing the human body after radiation treatments. These medical procedures slow the natural processes of developing bone marrow, among many other observed side effects. Doctors drop a small nuclear bomb on a localized section of a patient’s affected area, annihilating infected cells and the success rate is high. Nevertheless, like most nuclear explosions, there is fallout. My mother’s road to recovery was cumbersome, making us ponder for several years after whether she would make a full recovery. My father was determined to try new things, such as these spring baths, hoping to ensure my mother had a decent comfort level even if the worse case scenario should apply. If she left us one day in the near future, at least we provided a positive environment for her.

From what I noticed, the majority of the city’s population originated from the native quechua people. Most outsiders fit in like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Kindergarten Cop. Even my mother was tall there. Like many places in Peru, Cajamarca shared a tainted ambience. Newer buildings appeared tired or worn out, as if the modern era hadn’t completely arrived or had arrived in a truncated shape. The streets were covered in litter due to inadequate and in some cases, non-existent garbage collection, giving a poor front stage to small and struggling neighbourhood businesses. The inhabitants carried themselves in a defeated or resigned manner, probably finding the day-to-day routine exhausting, as there was no hope for betterment. New generations came in only to relieve the old guard of their duties and resume the long established routine of their forefathers. The memories of their glorious aboriginal ancestors being defeated and humiliated by foreign conquerors were evidently deep in the subconscious of these people, continuing to mourn the end of the Incan golden age. The people of Cajamarca have much in common with other indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Maman taking a dip in the thermal pools

On my end, Cajamarca was a rather boring trip away from my close friends but I made the most of it. Many times, we are the masters of our own fate. We have the power to influence our surroundings, regardless of the hand we are dealt. I invested most of my time watching television in my room, catching up on schoolwork and reading in various places on the grounds. I was inclined to distract my mind from the events unfolding in my everyday social life back at base camp Lima. My parents ventured into the depths of the downtown core, walking around taking in the various iconic sites and observing the locals. With my insatiable love for history and culture, I regret I did not seize the opportunity to join them on their foot patrol. My teenage attitude got the best of me on this occasion, proving that sometimes, it is better to do things you don’t want to do. The only currency we have in this life is time and if we do waste it, there is no way to get it back.

Machu Picchu, The Lost City

Following the steps of the mighty Hiram Bingham and his brave band of archeological brothers, we made our way to Machu Picchu at the crack of dawn. Well, Hiram probably did not get out of Cusco on a train to a Machu Picchu, as he was the one who discovered the place back in 1911. This place used to be a Quechua citadel, buried deep in the jungle-like flora, on a mountain top overlooking the sacred Urubamba River. Before then, the site had not been undiscovered by non-Peruvians. A very well kept secret. Some have catalogued this magnificent find as one of the New SevenWonders of the World. There are three ways to get there from Cuzco: the first one was to venture through the famous Inca trail – this ancient civilization was known for its excellent road system – a walking trail of about 80 kms (more or less 50 miles) through challenging heights; the second was to hire a helicopter tour for those who are drowning in dollars; and the third, the train. Hiram probably walked… to the tune of El Condor Pasa.

Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu towering behind

Although the train was more of a midrange alternative, there were also many famous people that have travelled using these means, such as Ernesto Guevara, better known to the world as El Che. The engine and the overall system were designed in Switzerland, ingenious people that are very familiar with treacherous mountain terrain. The route climbs to around 3,800 m (11,800 ft) above sea-level. While the tourists watched the scenery, I kept feeling as if my skin was turning blue, purple and green as the train seemed to climb the side of the hill following a pinball pattern in slow motion. On certain sectors of the track, the train would move forward then come to a stop, and continue climbing up in reverse, and repeating the pattern until reaching a straight track down the sacred valley, to Ollantaytambo and beyond toward the final frontier. The train actually descends until coming to a full stop at the village of Aguas Calientes, now only at 2,040 m (6,693 ft). This colourful little town is on the Urubamba River bank and a short distance from the climb to Machu Picchu (6 kms or 3.7 miles). This village welcomes primarily tourists to the site and boasts some hot spring baths, restaurants, shops and a few quaint hotels.

Tourists generally tend to go on a day trip, but we decided to stay overnight. Upon arrival at Aguas Calientes, we boarded a small Japanese combi that would take us all the way up the hill. We sat in the back seat unfortunately, and when the bus navigated the hairpin turns near the top, the back swung out over the void, with a straight drop down to the valley floor where the train looked like a toy. The more adventurous gung-ho visitors can hike as there is a walking path intersecting parts of the windy road to the summit, although you would require an outstanding physique. Upon arrival to the site, it is easy to take in the overwhelming view of the Incan ruins and the surrounding hills and peaks. The iconic mountain on every postcard and famous picture of the area is called Hayna Picchu (meaning Young Peak), towering above and challenging the hardy foreigners that want to climb it in order to get that hallmark picture. What is so special about this site is that, as it had never been discovered by the Spanish, it was not subject to the kind of destruction and looting of other archeological sites. You can get a reasonable idea as to what the original construction must have looked at and admire the classical Incan architecture. It is speculated that it had been built as a royal estate in 1400 and the natives abandoned the fortification to fight the conquistadores. Of course, there are many variations of this story narrated by the various guides as nothing was written in stone to immortalize the accounts of a conquered civilization. What a shame.

Our trip here was also highlighted by sharing the moment with a Canadian celebrity. Our itinerary coincided with another embassy officer who brought along her visiting friend, Luba Goy from the Royal Canadian Air Farce, a beloved comedy show. The show itself contains satirical content regarding political issues affecting our beloved Canada, including imitations of public figures of all sorts. It is generally not well-known outside our borders as I suppose, the subject matter may be universal but the issues are domestic. I admired her behaviour as she was not constantly functioning with the on-switch, showing a very diverse persona. The short time she had spent in Peru allowed her to gain some perspective on the different reality people in the country faced. Even though she was unable to communicate in the local language, she was friendly with everyone, especially with the local kids – generally kids working for token wages and tips to help feed their families. She enjoyed entertaining the children, giving Donald Duck-like impersonations and often presenting them with small mementos she seemed to carry around in a bottom-less purse. Kids seemed to react very positively to these exchanges and it almost seemed as if they ran off generally happier than when they came.

Maman, Brian and I enjoying some shade

I must say, everyone who has a chance to make it there should make the effort. I really treasured this unique experience, knowing many people may only have a chance to see Machu Picchu in a history book or a documentary. It is even more magical than one can imagine. As you walk through the ruins, admire empty chambers, remainders of plazas, the agricultural terraces with a major drop several hundred meters to the valley floor, your dreaming kicks into high gear. There are no foreign obnoxious noises, such as trucks zooming by, car alarms serenading the landscape, or people arguing over everyday nonsensical topics. Quiet prevails, which is unique when compared to most places in the world. Through this peace, you can imagine what people’s lives were in a simpler time. Of course, back then the Incas seemed to have constructed a multi-layered pyramidal hierarchical structure to their civilization, much like we seem to have replicated throughout most of our human history. It would not have been fun being the farmer or the courier. As Simon and Garfunkel sang in their version of El Condor Pasa: “I would rather be a hammer than a nail.” However, much is left to the imagination as to the wealth we could have harnessed from their knowledge in medicine, construction, astronomy and other undiscovered advancements, perhaps forgotten due to a time where violence asserted supremacy.

Cusco, The Imperial City

After living for a while in Lima, foreigners often had the misconception that all Peru would be more or less the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Incan capital of Cusco (or Qosqo in the native Quechua) stands the test of the time, high atop the lofty Peruvian Andes. My family and I had the pleasure of visiting this national treasure and UNESCO World Heritage Site in July of 1996. It sits comfortably at a whopping 3,400m (11,200 ft) above sea level and yes, you can certainly feel the altitude and lack of oxygen up there. Everyone will advise before arriving to take it slow and drink mate de coca (coca tea). This hot beverage helps the transition to high altitudes and is part of the Andean culture, both in traditional medicine and religion. Some of the locals also chew the leaves and there is a colourful ritual involved making it a very social custom. Coca-Cola once contained this natural leaf as a key ingredient, explaining the first component of the hyphenated name. It is crucial to your survival to walk slowly, taking small penguin steps, as soon as that airplane door opens and everything gets depressurised. Don’t worry if the locals are faster than you, they are used to it. Don’t be a hero. Not many people are used to living at these altitudes, perhaps explaining why the city’s population holds a mere 350,000 inhabitants.

Brian, Maman and I posing before the city of Cusco

As the plane made its descent onto the Velasco Astete runway, a sea of white houses with ceramic tile roofing dressed the scenery, giving us a picturesque colonial architectural welcome. There were no hints of major modern construction from afar. The city looked frozen in time. We claimed our luggage from the carousel, found our shuttle booked by our travel agent in Lima, and headed for the heart of the city to our boutique hotel. I believe it was called La Posada del Inca. It was located in the radius of the Plaza de Armas, formerly known as the Square of the Warrior back in Incan days. This strategic centre was the location of several important events such as Francisco Pizarro’s proclamation of conquest and the execution of one of top 19^th Century’s indigenous rebels. The businesses in the area included many fine restaurants, ready to plate high quality Peruvian food and the traditional Andean cuy (guinea pig) - a real delicacy many of us opted out of except for my adventurous Dad. I ordered my dependable and delicious lomo saltado, a dish I would strongly recommend to my meat-loving brethren. Keeping in line with culinary references, this is also the potato capital of the world cultivating over 2,000 different varieties of spuds. Your chances are high there of getting serenaded by a local pan flute band playing El Condor Pasa. In the covered sidewalks surrounding the square, many of the local business people displayed their arts and crafts hoping a tourist would be interested in purchasing. Here I bought a wonderful grey alpaca sweater that accompanied me easily for 10 years. The main park in the centre of the Plaza de Armas displayed some of the local flora, including some beautiful pink flowers that provided a distinguished touch.

The oddest characteristic of this square was that there were two major catholic shrines built by the Spaniards: the Church of La Compañía (Jesuits) and the Convent of Santo Domingo (Dominicans). Usually on the main square of Spanish cities, whether established or colonized, there is one major sanctuary holding vigil over the square. Maybe the Europeans felt remorseful regarding their behaviour in “interacting” with the locals. Inside one of these churches, a tour guide had mentioned that the Spanish originally built their structures over existing Inca walls, perhaps in an attempt to demonstrate their supremacy. Furthermore, they had constructed their buildings with a type of European retrofitting able to withstand earthquakes in the old world. The problem with the old versus new worlds was that earthquakes in one place tend to shake the land up and down whereas in Latin America, side to side. As a consequence, the early buildings constructed by the Spanish caved in causing substantial havoc to the general population. I am not too sure how much of this interesting fact is true as I have only felt these phenomena in the new world. The conquistadors and their future generations had fought tirelessly to convert the locals to their religion and culture, but it appeared that the quechua was able to prevail in many aspects to this date. The locals dressed their traditional outfits, especially the women with their fabulous hats and colours. When roaming through the streets of the city, the predominant language was still the native and Spanish seemed to be reserved for the tourists. Peruvians from other regions would tell you that their Spanish is not inferior due to their lack of education but to the trained ear, this language was a form of early Spanish which had not evolved over time as it had in Lima. Obviously the Peruvian coast had been strategic for the colonizers to ship the extracted riches to the Madre Patria and the Church of Spain, therefore local peoples in the area were more susceptible to change. The mountain people, isolated in a tough terrain, were able to hold out longer and keep more of their identity. Modernization seems to have taken its sweet time to reach those areas. 

The following day after arrival – first day usually spent acclimatizing – we were picked up early in the morning to tour Cusco and the surrounding era. Our guide was a local who possessed many degrees in tourism and archaeology named Boris. Great name for a Quechua native, I know. The tiny narrow streets of the city uncovered secrets of the past, as remnants of Inca construction served as the base for newer Spanish-style buildings. Some of the locals referred to the lower portion as the wall of the Incas and the upper, the wall of the Inca-pables. After some uncomfortable bouncing around in the van, we made it to one of the most important pre-Colombian constructions in the northern outskirts of Cusco: the ruins of Sacsayhuamán – similar to perhaps other tourists, I initially though the ruins were called, Sexy Woman. This fortification provided an excellent example of Inca walls, and the many stones weighing several tons fitted together seamlessly. How anyone, even several thousand quechua people, could have placed these gargantuan stones on top of each other was beyond any tangible belief. Nevertheless, they were unbelievable architects. Their constructions were able to withstand years of decay and heavy earthquakes, and still, they stood proudly before any visitor and their cameras. The huge fortress and walled city provide also a great panoramic view into the valley where Cusco passively sits. Absolutely breathtaking, especially with El Condor Pasa playing in the background. This place left many unanswered questions, similarly to other native constructions, the Europeans had left a path destruction. The settlement could have housed people as their were systems of labyrinths resembling streets, a possible location of a destroyed temple, and even a large gathering area mimicking a city square, where nowadays locals dress in ceremonial outfits to entertain tourists dancing to the beat of El Condor Pasa. We visited afterwards other minor (in size but not importance) sites and retired to our hotel to rest for the next day.

Maman and I at the ruins of Sacsayhuamán

Our final day in Cusco was dedicated to the pre-Colombian mega structure of Ollantaytambo, a royal estate next to the sacred Urubamba River. On our way there on a Japanese van full of foreigners hailing from all corners of the world, we were able to see the various terraces on the sides of the mountains. The soothing sounds of the El Condor Pasa song delighted us on our way there. As flatlands were not readily available in these regions, the farmers had learned to create a system of steps for their crops where water could trickle from one to the next irrigating them as it descended. It is amazing to see the amount of work to convert mountains into an agricultural field. They had perhaps done this for thousands of years. As we arrived to the town bearing the same name as the royal estate, we walked around what used to be a ceremonial centre created under the orders of Emperor Pachacuti, who annexed this region on behalf of the Inca Empire. The carved rocks were massive and perfectly cut to fit into different ones, leaving the observers to wonder, did these people know something we didn’t? Beyond this, they were transported many kilometres to this site. How? It’s a mystery Charlie Brown. We had a lot of work done by contractors in our homes and embassies in Lima, yet none of these labourers seemed to have had a knack that the Incas did. Once we wrapped up this tour, we headed back to our hotel, as we would leave early the next day in the first train to Machu Picchu. I could not wait.