Andes Expedition

The herdsman only stops for a moment to eat and then it's back to work. All of the village people are busy-constantly trekking up the mountain to check on their herds or doing chores around the settlement. No wonder these mountain people live so long!

After thanking the kind herdsman you ascend past 6,000 feet (1,800 meters). Over the next 4,000 feet of climbing, you pass by small agricultural fields where potato and barley are trying to grow. It's hard enough to climb Huascarán. You can't even imagine how difficult it must be to farm on this steep, rocky slope. You recall the herdsman telling you that after growing a crop on a piece of land one year, he must not grow anything in that location for several years, to allow it to recover. Besides that, almost everywhere you look there is evidence of the topsoil being washed away by rain. You can see where mountain farmers have had to clear more suitable land. You realize this must be one of the activities destroying the Quenual forests that you walked through yesterday.

Potato varieties grown in the Andes. Photo: Florencia Zapata

You stop briefly to take a look at the potatoes. They don't look anything like the white potatoes you buy in the grocery store back home! You had no idea they came in so many different colors and shapes! Come to think of it, the potatoes you had for lunch even tasted different than what you are used to. It turns out that the Andean people are potato experts. In fact, the potato originated in Peru more than 8,000 years ago. From April to October, more than 5,000 different kinds of potatoes can be found growing on the slopes of the Andes alone. 5,000! Have you seen any of these potato varieties in the United States? Next time you go to the grocery store, check the natural-food aisle to see if there are any "exotic" potato chips being sold. Give them a try!

Dancers performing during a Campesino Day celebration. Photo: Florencia Zapata

Up ahead it looks like a celebration is taking place. People are gathered together, drinking maize beer and dancing to flute, violin, and drum music. You decide to keep your distance, respecting the cultural and spiritual significance of this annual planting festival. After a little while the music and dancing stop and gifts of maize beer, grain, coca leaves, and tiny figurines are given to the gods. These offerings are being made as a request for plentiful water and bountiful crops during the current planting season. Although this is just one in an annual cycle of mountain festivals and rituals, you feel very fortunate to witness it in person.