Avie’s Trip to Peru
I visited Peru from March 22-29, 2007, with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association tour. My goal was to visit locations and cultural areas that I had learned about in my Spanish classes as well as improve my Spanish conversational skills. I was also interested in learning about native Peruvian healthcare and herbal practices and looked forward to meeting and getting to know the three current CCNH students who live in Lima.
We visited the famous Archeological and Anthropological Museum in Lima as well as the Laboratory of Archeology of Guillermo Koch (“Willy Cox”), who recently was featured on a National Geographic channel program discussing his findings related to pre-Colombian (preconquest) native civilizations’ excavations. We examined the artifacts and remains of human mummies and learned that despite living in an agricultural society, these people were of very short stature, had short life spans, and showed evidence of anemia and tooth decay.
We traveled by plane from Lima, which is on the west (Pacific) coast of Peru, to Cusco, a city of 400,000 at almost 12,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains. In order to prevent altitude sickness we were encouraged to drink a lot of water and tea made from coca leaves. We were also told to chew the coca leaves. Although this is the same leaf from which cocaine is derived, we were assured that our use of it in this manner would not produce an adverse effect or act like cocaine. I was fortunate and only had a slight headache at the high altitude, but noticed a decreased energy level.
In Cusco we toured local native markets and villages and became aware of the poverty and lack of formal education of the native people. They also were very short and small in stature. Most of the native people we saw were of the Quechwa and spoke a language called Quechwan.
We also visited excavated Incan ruins that were former villages destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. From there, we went to a preserve for camelids, the animals of the camel family who live at high altitudes: llamas, alpacas, and vicunas. Llamas are pack animals and can only carry up to 60 pounds each, so no one rides them. Alpacas are eaten, and their wool is made into wonderfully soft items like scarves and sweaters. Vicunas also produce wool, which is extremely expensive, and the cheapest item is never less than $200. I had the opportunity to eat alpaca meat, and it tastes like a combination of lamb and beef.
I also ate a lot of tropical fruit — mango, papaya, pineapple, and passion fruit as well as vegetables and grains. Salads as we know them were not eaten, since it is not advisable to drink tap water and difficult to wash lettuce. Our meals usually started with a vegetable soup. Since potatoes are one of their biggest crops, we had them at most dinners. I also twice ate quinoa, the “mother grain of the Andes,” which is a super-nutritious grain cooked and served like rice.
The highlight of the trip was the visit to Machu Picchu, a pre-Columbian city built by the Inca and forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals. It was brought back to international attention by archaeologist Hiram Bingham who rediscovered it in 1911. We traveled three hours by train over and around the mountains, heading east into the mountainous jungle region of the interior. Machu Picchu was allegedly the only Incan community not destroyed by the Spanish conquerors, although its inhabitants fled before the completion of the conquest. It is amazing to stand at the top of the mountain peak, looking out at other mountains almost on the clouds. It was also amazing to learn about how these people used their location to discover and implement information about astronomy and the progress of time, later developing a calendar system.
Upon returning to Lima, I had an enjoyable coffee meeting with two of the CCNH students: Stephen Campbell and Jennifer Clarys. Both were very interested in their courses, and we talked about how to maximize their progress through their programs.
The trip simultaneously was a wonderful journey back in time as well as a look at life in modern Peru. I enjoyed the historical and cultural exposure, food, natural wonders of the geography, and the people. I would love to go back again and hope to keep in touch with my fellow travelers as well as some of the native Peruvians I met there.
Avie Overbach , M.D.
