We start our first day in Peru with the alpaca in front of the hotel. We get excited. With its fluffy white coat and enormous eyes, it looks like a cartoon character. Berfin, Derin and I instantly upload the photos to Instagram; Obviously we will get a lot of appreciation.
Today we are in Urubamba Valley. This region, known as the Sacred Valley of the Incas, stretches along the Urubamba River. The valley between the Andes is both fertile and fascinating. The mountains are so majestic and so green that they seem to be watching us from above.
Our first stop was Pisac. A town bearing the traces of first the Incas and then the Spanish colonial period. Street vendors are everywhere. Sweaters made of baby alpaca hair, ponchos, colorful blankets, ceramics, gloves, scarves... We shopped as a family that does not know how to bargain and was a little afraid. It was too touristy; we save the real shopping for Lima.
But when we went up to the ancient Inca settlement consisting of terraces, the view completely changed. The weather is fresh, the mountains are fascinating, the view of the valley is astounding. The view gets more beautiful as you go up. This is a settlement that had both strategic and ceremonial importance during the Inca period. According to what our guide told us, the ruling class and priests lived in the area we left. The Incas have a communal system; no money They pay their taxes to the government in exchange for their labor, just like our collective labor method. Since living conditions are difficult in the mountains, everyone helps each other.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Incas is that they lived in harmony with nature, without fighting with it. Although only a limited part of the Andes is suitable for agriculture, they turned the mountain slopes into terraces. Those agricultural terraces we see today; Very cleverly designed systems to retain water, prevent erosion and grow different crops at different elevations. They were growing corn, suitable for a temperate climate, down below, and potatoes, which like a cold climate, on the upper sides of the terraces.
We learned that Peruvian history is much older than the Incas. When I thought of Peru, I was thinking of the Inca, but actually the cultural history of these lands goes back to 3000 BC. There are very ancient civilizations like Caral, then different cultures like Nazca, Moche, Wari and Chimú. Inca is actually the last major link in this long chain of civilization. Inca history is not a beginning, it is the last civilization before the Spanish.
The way the Incas governed the empire is also very impressive. Without a written alphabet, they ruled a vast geography among mountains, valleys, deserts and forests. One of the most important tools for this is Qhapaq Ñan, that is, the Inca road system. UNESCO defines this system as a communication, trade and defense network of approximately 30,000 kilometers. Some sources also quote figures of up to 40,000 kilometers for a wider network. It's almost as long as the equator. They cross this place walking or running. The guide says that the reason why people are short is the lack of oxygen; the narrower the cardiovascular system, the more easily oxygen can circulate. When you are tall, vein length is a problem.
There were accommodation and storage points called tambo on the Inca road system, approximately a day's walking distance away. Just like the caravanserais of our Seljuks. So they didn't just build roads; they solved the security of the road, the movement of the army, communication, food storage and the management of the empire with this system. Preserving food by drying it is also an important part of this order. This strong storage and distribution system must be one of the reasons why they do not experience famine.
Another striking issue is the language issue. Today, the official language of Peru is Spanish, but before Spanish, there were many indigenous languages in this land. Today, many indigenous languages, especially Quechua and Aymara, are still spoken in Peru. According to the data of the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, there are 47 indigenous languages in the country. The fact that our guide said, "When Pizarro came, there were more than 100 languages" explains this multilingual structure. Peru is layered not only geographically but also culturally.
We also talked about coca leaf on the way. Coca is a plant that has been used in Andean culture for centuries. People who live at high altitudes and carry heavy loads try to cope with fatigue and the effects of altitude by chewing coca leaves. Cocoa, on the other hand, grows in warmer and more humid regions; Not in the high valleys of the Andes, but in lower tropical areas.
Additionally, in the shamanic tradition, hallucinogenic drinks are used during rituals.
On the way back around noon, we ate guinea pig upon Derin's suggestion. A small animal from the mouse family that feeds on grass. A traditional dish in Peruvian cuisine. It came on a grill, on a skewer. Its appearance was a bit surprising to us; it tasted like salted chicken. “Would I eat it again?” I'm not sure, but it was nice to taste it as part of the Peruvian experience. Gökhan did not eat it.
We had lunch in an old hacienda. This place has belonged to the same family for five generations. A very beautiful house full of antiques, bearing the traces of the colonial period. There are old letters, family memories and traces of the period on the walls. Even a letter that Simón Bolívar sent to the family was hanging on the wall.
Peru's recent history also comes into play here. Our guide told us that the lands in this valley were in the hands of large families until 1969. The 1969 agrarian reform carried out in Peru during the reign of General Velasco was a very important step to break the large hacienda system. Large lands were nationalized and transferred to cooperatives in many places. Later, in some areas, these cooperative structures were dissolved and systems were adopted in which people owned their own land. So the valley we see today is not just a natural beauty; it also carries the story of land, class, peasantry and reform.
Peru is not just a country of mountains; There is history, inequality, resilience and culture in every valley. The poverty of the roadside houses contradicts the ancient culture that has existed for thousands of years. It's like this poverty doesn't suit this place.
When we returned to the hotel in the evening, we drank our Pisco Sours instead of resting. At the end of the day, what stayed in my mind the most was this: Nature is very powerful in Peru, but the relationship that humans establish with nature is even more impressive. Andean life, fresh produce, calm and friendly people, sheep, alpacas, terraces, valleys in the shadow of the mountains… All of them are unlike any place we have ever seen.
Peru surprised us from day one.
It is a unique country with its freshly grown ingredients, Andean lifestyle, Inca feeling, fertility of its valleys and magnificence of its mountains.