CORDILLERA VILCANOTA PERU 1980.Docx

CORDILLERA VILCANOTA PERU 1980 Located about 100km (60 miles) south east of Cuzco, the Cordillera Vilcanota is the second largest glaciated mountain range in Peru, after the Cordillera Blanca. The Vilcanota mountain range is perhaps the most rugged and remote, isolated and rich in culture and wildlife in its surrounding pampas and scenic with a high-altitude Lake Sibinacocha, the source of the Urubamba River. The Vilcanota supports large icefields emanating from several peaks that are over 6000m high (19685 ft), including Ausangate the highest peak at 6384m (20945 ft) that is ranked as the 5th highest peak in Peru. The lower valleys have been glaciated in the past and many small lakes or cochas remain following glacial retreat. Most of the valleys in the Vilcanota are still used as pastures by the Quechua speaking Indians with their llamas and alpacas grazing. The Cordillera Vilcanota area is rich in geologic features adjacent to Nevado Ausangate, from uplifted granitic cliffs to glaciers which have eroded large valleys and the cretaceous limestone sediments. On the west side of the mountain are sandstone sections striped with colors ranging from turquoise and lavender to maroon and gold known as the Vinicunca Mountains or Rainbow Mountains. This "painted mountain" mountain area is revered and believed by the local Quechua to be the Apu (deity), and a site of worship and offerings. The different coloration is due to mineralogy when the sediment was originally deposited and subsequently diagenetically altered. Red coloration indicates iron oxide rust, bright yellow coloration iron sulphide, and green chlorite in different diagenetic states and concentrations. Many of the valleys are still inhabited by llama herders who graze and utilize the wool of domesticated llamas and alpacas. A wild relative of the llama, the vicuña, is fairly common in the remoter areas of the Vilcanota, the most beautiful member of the llama family, with its slender neck, huge eyes and soft golden wool. Other wildlife includes the vizcacha, a small rodent related to the chinchilla, and that looks like a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit. They live in large family groups amongst the stones and boulders at the foot of the scree slopes. Rarer animals include the Andean Huemel deer, fox, the pampas cat, and the puma. High altitude birds include torrent ducks, burrowing owl, flamingo, vultures and the Andean condor. Unusual plants includes species of wild lupine, cactus and the beautiful queñoa tree Polylepis australis in the Rose family with its red, papery red bark. On a clear day Nevado Ausangate can be seen far away as Cusco, and is considered a sacred mountain, or Apus. For local people, an Apus protects and provides sustenance. Ausangate is one of the most important Apus and considered the pakarina, or place of origin, for alpacas and llamas. Within the surrounding valleys of the Vilcanota live the spiritual animists Q’eros people. This Quechua speaking community claim to be direct descendants of the Inca and their isolation has continued to allow them to preserve many beliefs and traditions; so much so that the Q’eros have been officially declared a national treasure in Peru. The communities continue to revere Pachamama, mother earth believed to grant fertility and to which burnt offerings and libations are regularly made. The Queros shamans that perform these rituals are well respected throughout the Andes. Quechua religion combines both pre-Columbian and Catholic elements. The most significant pre-Columbian influence that endures is the belief that supernatural forces govern everyday events, such as weather and illness. This belief serves a utilitarian purpose to the agricultural Quechua. This is still evident at the annual Qoyur Riti Festival held in May or June, a pilgrimage to a glacier at 15, 580 feet (4,750 m) that draws huge crowds. I was a guest of Mountain Travel as a writer and nature photographer, and joined a small group that would spend 14 days exploring part of the Vilcanota mountain range and Ausangate Massif, trekking through one of the most remote and harsh regions of Peru. We were one of the initial groups to come here in 1980, which later years became recognized as one of the best treks in the world for its combination of traditional lifestyles and stunning scenery where there are spectacular vistas with glaciers, turquoise lakes and jagged peaks. We would cross three passes, one of them at 5200 meters (17,056 feet) and walk through rolling brown puna, and green marshy valleys populated with stone corrals and traditionally dressed children herding alpaca. This would be a high-altitude trek with campsites over 4400 meters (14, 300 feet). Nights are cold but days are generally bright and sunny especially between May and September, but we would be hit by several snow storms and howling wind. The van took five us from Cuzco through the towns of Ocongate, Qatca to Tinki, a small village at 3800 m. We loaded our gear, tents, cooking equipment and food for two weeks onto mules, and began our walk to Pacchanta at 4100 meters, (13,451 ft) where we would camp for the night. Pacchanta is a rural community that in later years became well-known for its hot springs. We enjoyed an amazing sunset to the west, and clouds that turned on fire in the low light. Our second day would involve a gentle climb up the Pacchanta Valley, following a trail marked with stones where llamas and alpacas to Lake Q’oma C’ocha 4580 m (15,744 ft). The homes along the way are built from stone and mud with straw roofs, from the same strong grass that dresses the hills. The Quechua build stone walls for corrals where they raise alpacas, llamas, sheep, and pigs. We passed through a small valley with cascading steams, and bog wetlands where there were small flocks of Andean geese. The wetlands are full of life, with large cushions of soft mossy ground with inset streams running through. Most of these streams are inset into a cut a few feet deep and they are generally crossed by hopping from cushion to cushion. Encountered a few species of Andean birds that included huallata (Andean geese), colorful gorriones that include snow finches and a species of hummingbird, and small finches that are well camouflaged in the tall grass and rocks. The We came to the first lake known as red lake, Pucacocha, then walked another kilometer to our second campsite at Lake Qomercocha. Here we were caught by a brief storm that blocked our views of the surrounding peaks Ausangate, Santa Catalina, Maria Huamantiqlla, Pucapunta, and Colquecruz snow-capped mountains. Early the next morning, one of our porters threw out his handline and caught two very large trout here. I was amazed at his tough adaptation to wearing a local serape, pantalones that exposed bare calves, and bare feet with sandals. There was frost on the ground. Our third day we broke camp and began a four-hour hike to one of the most beautiful passes in Peru known as Jumpa Pass or Abra de Q´ampa 5,080 m (16,666 ft). This amazing grass covered pass is surrounded by small lakes and views of vertical walls of rock and ice of Ausangate to the west, and the dramatic peaks to the east that include Nevado Qolquecruz,. We descended towards the Ticllaqocha Lagoons, a beautiful group of small turquoise lagoons for lunch, then in the afternoon continued to descend for three hours to Yanamayo, a beautiful valley shadowed by the Tres Picos, Colquecruz, and Pucapunta peaks. Here we made our camp, with tremendous views around us after our first snow storm. Our fourth and fifth days we would trek from the grass altiplano of Yanamayo and descend to the Quechua Indian Jampa village, then ascend to a glacial terminus base camp Ausangate south face. Walking through Jampa village we seemed to have stepped back in time, where we encountered Quechua women, men and their children at a gathering. The women wore multilayered skirts, with interesting hats woven from wool that resembled a black plate, and carried their children in wool weavings. In the shadow of Ausangate, a woman worked at her loom, leaning back on a strap around her waist, just as her ancestors have done for centuries. She uses a wichuna, or llama bone pick, to weave the images of lakes, rivers, plants, condors and other symbols of her life into the colorful alpaca fabric she was making. Our Peruvian guide spoke Quechua and shared that this highest peak in southern Peru is a mountain spirit, or apu, held sacred since Inca times. He shared “Because of Ausangate,” they believe “we all exist, and there are plenty of animals and food. They give offerings, and they believe are given everything in return.” Her weavings her recreating both the sacred and everyday symbols of life, and as other Quechua women place the stories of their lives integrated into textiles, communicating and preserving important cultural traditions, and how memories are most vividly remembered. For many centuries’ textiles have been an integral part of Quechua daily life, from birth to death. Babies are wrapped with thick belts, covered with cloth and carried on their mother’s backs in handwoven carrying cloths. Three and four-year olds learn to spin yarn. By eight, girls start weaving belts, then gain experience on complicated textiles, such as llicllas (women’s shoulder cloths), ponchos and kaypinas (carrying cloths). Jumpa village is a small community of families with stone corrals for alpacas and small straw covered mud dwellings, and blessed with nearby mineral-rich runoff from mountain glaciers that they use to irrigate their small fields.

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