The past ten days in Lima have been a whirlwind of learning, eating, sleeping, laughing, praying, singing and a strong dose of information overload.To decompress from our busy orientation schedule, our group of six YAVs took on the role of silly tourists and visited Fuente de Agua, a beautiful park in central Lima whose fountains come to life in the evening with colored lights and music blaring from behind the trees and bushes. We jumped through puddles and dodged beams of water jumping out of the ground. My favorite was a tunnel made of jets of water overhead. It felt wonderful to relax among my new friends, after having felt exhausted and overwhelmed during much of the week.
Yuyanapaq: To Remember
A particularly intense afternoon included our visit the Museo de la Nacion to view the photo exhibit “Yuyanapaq: To Remember.” The exhibit memorialized the violent events that occurred throughout Peru between 1980 and 2000 as a result of the Maoist group Sundero Luminoso (Shining Path) and the government’s military response. It is a frightening history, especially considering how recent it all occurred. The organization I will be working with in Huanuco, Paz y Esperanza, is very active in the recovery of Peruvian communities that were most affected by the violence. To learn more visit http://www.cverdad.org.pe/
Chorrillos
We covered quite a bit of ground during our orientation in Lima, visiting La Plaza de Armas and taking a dangerous bus ride to the top of Cerro de Saint Cristobol, which overlooks the city. We also visited the developing community of Chorillos, where giant letters painted on the facades of buildings read “Cada Dia Mejor” (Each Day Better).
On our first visit to Chorrillos, our van sped around a corner suddenly bringing me face to wave with my first view of the Peruvian coastline. We continued through a congested business district and soon came to the Lima of dirt roads, roaming dogs and one-room homes embedded into the steep and dusty hills.
Rather than observe the change in economy from afar, we drove into a neighborhood that has become a well respected center for traditional Andean crafts. The community is called Ichimay Wari and draws its roots from the pre-Incan Wari culture, which was based in Ayacucho, a town southeast of Lima. Ayacucho was severely affected by the violence of the Shining Path and many of its residents escaped to Lima for safety. Many of the artisans who migrated to Lima settled in Chorrillos and have established successful artisan cooperatives where they can live with integrity while continuing the tradition of ceramics, weaving and decorative boxes called retablos. The detail of their work was especially evident in the ceramic angelitos (little angles), which were no bigger than my pinky finger but were filled with pin-prick colors and designs.
After meeting several of the artisans in their homes and work spaces, we visited Pachacamac, the site of a giant ceremonial center of the Wari Culture, dating back to 200 AD. According to my Lonely Planet guide, the name Pachacamac means “He who Animated the World.” What remains is a vast archeological complex that is mostly dust and rocks, except for the Templo del Sol (Sun Temple), whose solid steps led us to my second view of the Pacific Ocean, which once again took my breath away.
