Building Huarochirí's future

Don Alberto Vilcayauri (broad-brim hat, hand in pocket) shows visiting scientists from the National Agrarian University of La Molina, Peru, around the pilot instalations Tupicocha built with the help of an NGO, the Institute for Development and Environment. Note the reconstructed terraces in the background. The anthropologist Hilda Araujo (in red hat) has furthered La Molina's work with Huarochiri communities and has researched extensively in Tupicocha.

Huarochirí highlanders irrigate their terraces, fields, gardens, and orchards by channeling water from meltoff streams or high lakes along the crest of the western cordillera. Since prehispanic times, villagers earn their entitlement to irrigation turns by contributing labor days to the building and cleaning of canals. Tupicocha is especially proud of its long Willcapampa Canal, which communal crews have been building with only sporadic government cooperation for over 30 years. Every canal must be cleaned yearly. The Champería or "water festival" caps off the grand canal-cleaning mobilization with an act of homage to the divine "owners" of the water.

Huarochirí, though close to Lima, is an area of harsh economic conditions. Several non-governmental organizations collaborate with Huarochirí vilagers to promote reforestation, improved crop storage, Mothers' Clubs, restoration of agricultural terraces, improved irrigation techniques, appropriate technology, improved diet, and biological pest control. Among these are the Instituto de Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente (IDMA), Diaconía, Peru-Francia, etc. Agronomists and other technical personnel travel the Province by truck and motorcycle attending village meetings and work bees. Two notable tendencies are the prioritization of "bio-development", meaning ecologically sustainable production with a minimum of chemical inputs, and micro-regional approaches bringing together the communties of each river catchment. Governmental agencies at national and Department level provide ad-hoc project aid to ventures such as reservoir improvement and school building. Most villages have public health posts and schools. All these efforts, however, depend above all on community volunteer labor, which is organized in the traditional fashion of day-long faenas.

To reach Tupicocha, San Damián, Tuna and adjoining villages, follow the Carretera Central (highway to Huancayo) up the Rímac Valley to the village of Cocachacra, then turn right (south) on the "San Damián turnoff". With the exception of the turnoff to Chauti (farther on) there is only one road so you won't get lost. It is a steep, rugged road skirting the mountain wall and is unsuitable for light urban vehicles. Only experienced highland drivers should use it at night or in the rainy season (January-April).

Bus service (also carrying freight) leaves Lima weekday and Saturday mornings:

ExpresoTransportes Pérez
Avenida La Rosa Toro 484 (near Mercado Mayorista de Frutas)
San Luis, Lima
473-7654

Another bus service, Transportes Santa María, leaves from Cruz de Yerbateros. These buses serve Chauti, Tuna, Tupicocha, San Damián, and (Sta. María only) Sunicancha.The destinations are reached mid- to late afternoon or after nightfall. Warning: thieves frequent bus depots. Do not lose sight or touch of your belongings for even a moment. Tupicocha's own minbuses depart from the Cocachacra turnoff, usually about 11:00 - noon.

Accomodations: Most villages have small "basic" hotels or municipal hostels. Nights are chilly and a sleeping bag will improve your comfort. Some villages have restaurants. Otherwise, ask about houses that "give pensión", that is, cook for travellers by request. Rural stores are open only 6:00 AM-7:30 AM and 5:00-7:00 PM. Only Spanish is spoken.

Traffic to the town of Huarochirí, the capital of the province and the largest of the upper Mala communities which also figure in the Quechua mythology, takes a separate route. It passes through Cieneguilla, south of Lima.. Pérez and other companies also serve this route.The Inka road connecting this zone to the slopes of Pariacaca Mountain still exists in part. One can make the ascent on foot or with pack horses. it is a demanding hike requiring at least two days for a round trip. One should carry food and warm clothes and take altitude sickness precautions. Coca leaves for the holy places are appropriate, as are small gifts for households you might visit. Among the astonishingly beautiful landscapes of the Pariacaca high slopes are Mullococha Lake, where Paria Caca defeated the ancient cannibal deity Huallallo Carhuincho, and the "Staircase of the Inka", a stretch of the ancient road from which one views the brilliant snows of Pariacaca's south peak.