Easter on Taquile 2013

EASTER SINGING

Easter on Taquile starts with choir practice for a couple of weeks before Holy Week. Then, beginning this year on Thursday, April 28, each of the 7 choir groups gather to sing in the various churches. Taquile has an Adventist Church and two Catholic Churches, the big one in the main plaza and a smaller one out on the south end of the island in the sector called Huayllano. Silvano and Ruperta, Delfin and Natalia all sang with the Huayllano group.



Huayllano Church singing, back view toward the front of the church.



View from the front, showing the musicians.



Friday was the biggest night of singing, when all seven choirs met and sang in the big Catholic Church on the Plaza. It was a vigil, music starting at 7pm and rotating through all the groups until the wee hours.The women were cautioned not to wear too many skirts, because the church would be crowded. However, Silvano asked me why I only wore three! I wasn't dressed up quite as much as 4 or 5 would have been.

FEAST
Ruperta was in charge of the meal for the Huayllano choir on Friday before the big sing. We helped peel potatoes. Two big pots of soup were served.

EASTER DAY 

In celebration of Harvest, Christ Rising, this day is designated to pay the Pacha Mama for the whole year.

Early in the morning, most families make their own personal offering in the form of a despacho, a package of prayers designated to be dispached to the Pacha Mama via the village shamen or pacos. We included coca leaves picked out of a beautiful handwoven cloth called an estallia, leaves chosen for their perfect shape, imbued with our prayers in sets of three called a k'intu. We added flowers and sweets, small drawings of our dreams and money both real and symbolic. All was wrapped in a paper package and then again in an estallia and brought to the top of the mountain to the pacos to be burned at the end of the day.

The officers of the community, or authoridades, meet in two ceremonial locations to offer coca leaves in prayer for the year. We attended the ceremony at the highest point on Taquile, Mulcina, where the pacos sat behind a wall through an arch, the authoridades sat before a large stone table in an enclosed courtyard with the people gathered around. A band played intermittently. We had several rounds of choosing our k'intus. Sam and I attended the whole ceremony and joined the procession down the hill at sunset.

Here are some pictures:

See the snow-capped peak through the arch?

Vistiors on Taquile, part 2

Taquile's tourist season is just beginning. Our family had almost no tourists in January and February, but we have helped to host several groups since we've been here.

Two women who live in London but originally come from Poland and Slovakia had interesting perspectives on such topics as universal health care (better in Poland than England and SHOCKING to think that people in the United States, of all places, don't get the health care they need if they cannot afford it). Two other women, one from Germany and the other from Switzerland, only a short train ride apart; they met on a tour in China. They had their own private boat and guide, but didn't buy any textiles from the family; hardly even looked at them. I wonder what their tour cost and if it was budget, luggage space, or mere disinterest that kept them from buying.

We met a couple from Germany who camped on the beach for over a week, university students. The first time we saw their camp on the beach and their (as yet unused) fire ring of rocks with twigs ready for a fire, Sam got mad and told they they shouldn't be taking firewood from the local people. I checked with Delfin and he said that as long as they only picked up a twig here and there that it was okay. They said they didn't have much money and so were camping, and yet they (of course) own computers and are certainly richer than about anyone on Taquile. Sam apologized, and near the end of their stay we invited them for lunch. They dream of a dance and performance school to encourage children's creativity, located near the Baltic Sea in northern Germany--and of a particular magnetic nearly perpetual motion machine....

Our Paonia friend, Carolyne Metzer, came for about 10 days. She jumped right in to play whole-heartedly with the children. When she was on the boat, she met a couple from Gunnison, a town near our Paonia hometown in Western Colorado. Kelsey and Bryce had planned to only stay on Taquile for a few hours, but stayed overnight and later said that it was the best part of their Peruvian vacation. I'm sure they will visit Taquile again someday. And I'm sure we will connect in Colorado.

Kelsey, Bryce, Carolyn

Sunny Carolyn Metzler on Taquile

Warm and emotional group goodbye to Carolyn after a super 10 day visit

Puno scenes

Lachon and Family

March 16-17-18
On the Capachica Penninsula with more family

On the route from Juliaca to the Capachica Penninsula, which is on the north side of the Bay of Puno, we saw serious flooding from the heavy rains this year.

We visited Asunta, who is the elder sister of our oldest god daughter, Noemi. Asunta is married to a man who grew up in Lacho`n (accent on the last syllable, I can't seem to make it right, so will probably skip the accent from now on). They have three children, Kusi Quollur, age 13, named for the planet Venus and an Incan Princess, Sarita, about 10, and little Yhoel, just starting kindergarten. Sam took a sweet picture of the three children on his iPod that you can see on Facebook.

Lachon is within the Bay of Puno, so reeds are abundant.

We took the Monday market boat from Lachon to Taquile with all the colorful market vendors.

festive boat ride

Don't you love those hats? They are called monteros and I am having a terrible time trying to describe them in words.

The Ugly Cost of Gold

March 14-15
We took a little personal vaction together to some hot springs north of Puno. In the past we have brought our Taquile family here, so this time on our own. The water is wonderful, free flowing and hot; two different pools, one smaller and slightly more primitive, the water yellowish with minerals, the other clear blue water and a bit more polished.

On March 15, early morning at the smaller pool, we had just retired to the private bath pool when someone knocked on our door. I called out that we had just entered and our time could not be up yet but they persisted and said we should just get out for a minute. We did, to find several police people plus some suits. ¡¿WHAT?! We're at the pool; our documents are not with us; we're worried. But no, it's the local television station accompanied by the tourist police. Tourists are rare in Putina and they want to interview us. So they do. I'll post the link as soon as they send it to me.

One of our goals is to get to know the large Department of Puno (Departments are like U.S. States) and we were curious about the big mines high in the mountains above Putina. Posters show beautiful glaciated peaks above the mining town of Rinconada. This day was overcast, so our hopes for mountain views were weak, but this was our free day for the excursion. Turned out that the purpose of the tourist policewoman was to help us enjoy our visit. She helped us get on the right bus to Rinconada after a quick breakfast.

The bus ride was fine, full of helpful and friendly people. A pair of men generously gave up their forward seat so we wouldn't have to sit in the back.

Baby ¿talks? on cell phone on the bus

The early part of the bus ride went through rich green valley up the Rinconada River (need to check that river name). Saw a couple of fishermen, one with a pole and another with a net, higher altitudes had large herds of alpaca.

Then we came to the mining area.

Through the rain spattered window the beginnings of destruction.

Most of the mining appears to be hydrolic. Earth moving equipment shovels piles of earth on wooden structures. With huge pumps and long hoses, the earth is washed out, the gold collecting on the structure, placer mining style.

Overturned earth as far as the eye can see.

detail of what I am calling the sluice ladder

Acres and hecters and miles, as far as we could see, it was destroyed earth. Not even birds.
Then we came to the garbage dump.

20 minutes of rough road worth of garbage scenery

Then we came to the town of Rinconada.

Coal-black mud was everywhere.

It was snowing, a snow that mostly melted as it hit the black mud that covered everything onthe ground. At one point I it seemed that the road was paved with smashed plastic soda bottles. The worker housing was made up of row upon row of corrugated tin-walled and roofed structures about 10 x 15 feet (less that 5 meters square), windowless, uninsulated.

Snowing on the astroturf soccer field. The only green anywhere.

 We had our own drinking water, but were later warned that maybe even the soup broth was contaminated with mercury.

View from the restaurant

Not a tourist destination.

Taquile Island-March 2013

Assorted Family and Taquile Images. Stories may be coming.





potato flowers in bloom



Sam shows off the efficient LED light strip at the Taquile Market

Kusi gets a new backpack while her Grandma Celbia looks on

Celbia in her clean and organized, wood-fired kitchen

Students are happy we bought their school supplies



Dancing with Lisbeth-Jasmin while new padrino, Nathan, looks on.



Nathan with his new family



Edith carries the baby--Solar cookers in action in the background!



New Solar Water Pumping Project

Wednesday and Thursday, March 6-7
One year we were on Taquile during a dry April and into May and the nearby water wells dried up. We helped carry water in heavy jugs on our backs for a long distance for cooking and washing dishes. When I returned to my hot and cold running water in Colorado it took me many months of sweet gratitude every time I turned a faucet until again I could take this blessing for granted.

Using funds from the entry fees that tourists pay to come to Taquile Island (a UNESCO World Cultural Site), the community of Taquile is implementing a big clean water project. Our son, Silvano, was on the town council when they made the plans and he led the argument to use solar power instead of a fossil fuel pump. They've hired some engineers and will have three tank and pumping stations to get water to a very high point about a mile and a half from the well. It will provide neighborhood faucets of clean well water throughout the south end of the island.

Please click on these pictures to see them large.


Picture: a line of people, many in colorful red sweaters or hats, a mile and a half long, snaking up the hill and down the ridge.
Listen: Chip, Chip, Chip, Bang, Clink, Chip: Metal on metal against rock.




Community members received nominal pay to dig the trenches to bury pipe. I was told that 900 people showed up to dig and break rock. Every two people in our sector were assigned 5 meters to dig to a 40cm depth (15 feet and about 16 inches). Most of the section assigned to Sam and me was dirt with soft sandstone underneath, but one huge rock presented a challenge. Silvano helped out with an 16 pound mallet and 2 inch chisel and the men just plain busted the rock into pieces. The rock was a hard sandstone and on the border with the next group up from us so it was a joint effort. We finished early so Sam went up to help in a super rocky section uphill and I moved down hill to Silvano and Ruperta's sandy section. Some rocks were much harder, maybe a granite and they gave up short of the 18 inches, the depth not as important in non-agricultural areas. We worked in the very first section, Huayllano, and finished all our trenches on the first day.

Day 2, rainy and therefore a slow start. The men hiked down to the shore and carried huge rolls of the heavy plastic pipe up to the trenches.

Carrying the heavy pipe up all the terraces was creative hard work.

Nice loops: This group moved the tubo by separating the loops; easier to climb over rock walls and up terraces.

Since our group was the first next to the planned solar installation and the tank, we fed the pipes into the proper position and were able to start connecting them right away. It started to rain; we were all connected, so our whole sectore quickly buried the pipe and finished the job before lunch.

That is Silvano at the middle top, making connections.

Then we hiked up the line and dug a section to the second and then the third pumping station. Sam and I ended up walking to the top of the whole project. Many of the other groups were still digging and connecting and hauling pipe. Sam helped lift one big roll of pipe up over rock walls and terraces, and then unwind it and we both helped pull it into position. The workers there were really appreciative.

Postscript, Completion by mid April:

Two big arrays: One pumps clean water from a year-'round well near the lake up to the big tank and the second array pumps up to a series of three tank stations. Total power 45-185 W panels for a total of 8.3 kilowatts, pumping about 60 liters per minute. From the tanks the water is gravity-fed to neighborhood faucets serving about 2/3 of the island. The system is battery-free and only pumps when the sun is shining. Since people collect rainwater from their roofs they don't really need this water during the rainy season.

April was dry, and we had water to a faucet just above the house. Silvano would fill a tank and then siphon to fill all the tanks at the house.