Arequipa, Peru

The desert surrounding Arequipa:


Took the overnight bus to Arequipa (12 hour trip). Arrived at 6:30 in the morning and had to change clothes and brush my teeth in the bathroom at the bus station… (Good news was, we bought our tickets for the bus to Cusco and they let us leave our suitcases at the bus station for the day!) And then off to the city for a day of wandering.

First stop, breakfast! Second stop, Museo Santury, the current home of the Momia Juanita. This is the same mummy that the Center was invited to analyze textiles for (and I even got to see the textiles we just finished judging the recreations of)!! Then to the Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, for a tour and to see the reliquaries.

Plaza de Armas


From the roof of the Cathedral, we could see the local volcano Misti, which was revered as a god by the Incas.



Volcano Misti!


Then off to the Archeology Museum of San Antonio, for more Nasca, Wari, and Inca ceramics, textiles and mummies!



Lunch at a little local bakery and then wandering the back streets to look at the Colonial Period architecture, ornate churches, and, somehow, I stumbled upon an art gallery of amazing water color illustrations of traditional Andean life and festivities.





So much wrought iron in this city...


After lunch, we went to the Iglesia de la Compania (another very ornate church).
Here's it's facade:


And then off to the Archeology Museum of the Catholic University of Santa Maria, for yet more ceramics, textiles, and mummies! (I estimate, in total, we saw 10 mummies.)

Back at the bus station at 7:30pm for yet another overnight bus ride back to Cusco.
(btw, sleeping on buses, even if they're sleeping buses, for two nights sucks.)

Ica Day#2: Lagoon/Oasis & a “tour” of the Sand Dunes

Woke up, had a nice, relaxed breakfast on a terrace overlooking the lagoon, used my paddle boat ride voucher that came with the hostel to paddle around on the lagoon for a little bit (1 trip around = 5 min), and then headed back to the hostel a little before 10am to get ready for a buggy ride through the desert sand dunes!



It was like a roller coaster, except driving over real terrain. Suddenly the driver stopped and was like “Ok Sand boards!” and I was like “what?” I got to go down three gigantic hills laying on a sand board, head first, elbows tucked in, steering with my feet. Crazy. Then more rolling over dunes…. But! I survived. (If I get to come back, I want to do the paleontology tour, because there were no fossils on this trip.)

Celebratory Survival Dance, somehow caught as a photograph!


The desert is so amazingly beautiful and… desolate? No plants, no animals, just sand and wind and the footprints people leave behind. I kept thinking about Lawrence of Arabia’s travels and what it would be like to be in the desert without any sort of horizon lines. It’d be so disorienting and big, just you and the sand and the deep blue of the sky.









On a side note, there is a certain hilarity to weaving with wool in the middle of the desert. Just saying.

Ica, my first time in a desert

The view on the way to Ica


Come to find out Adrienne had a “meeting” Saturday morning. Therefore I left without her (not waiting around an unknown amount of time). Headed to the bus station only to find out there were no buses for Paracas (and therefore Isla Ballestas) before 1pm, which means I didn’t get to go to the crazy island of the Pelicans and Blue Footed Boobies and Penguines……… I headed straight for Ica instead, a Pisco growing area on the edge of the desert. Ended up staying in a small Oasis town called Huacachina, with an honest to god lagoon surrounded by sand dunes, about 5min outside Ica.



First thing I did after getting a room at a hostel was head right back to Ica for an afternoon of adventure. First stop: Museo Regional de Ica! It’s a small regional archeology museum housing artifacts from Ica and the minor civilizations there, as well as Wari textiles, Nazca ceramics and textiles, and even some Inca textiles. I was in Heaven! Wari textiles really are as fine as everyone tells me and they were gorgeous!! This was also the first time I’d seen actual Quipus (supposed by archeologists to be a kind of Incan “written” language of knotted ropes). They had two, very exciting. I rounded the corner of the museum, thinking I was finished once the Inca section was done, and found a room full of “mummies!” Now, the interesting thing about mummies in Peru is they’re not actually mummies in the Egyptian sense (which is the official definition). They are bodies, usually sacrifices, that have been dried and preserved due to the climate of the regions where they’re found (they still have all their guts).



Along with the handful of mummies (more than one is A LOT), they had a collection of crazy shaped skulls due to the Incan belief that the elongated skull was beautiful… There was a diagram of how they did this and an actual preserved apparatus (kinda horrific actually) and I overheard the guide of another group say that every so often, during the process the head of the person might burst. Gross. And of course this was practiced by the rich and nobility, which makes me wonder why they’d put their children through this if the mortality rate was so high… I mean, they had such issues with heirs in Europe, you’d think the boys at least would be too precious for the risk?

Second Stop: Bodega el Catador, the oldest Pisco vineyard and winery in the region (over 200 years old).

Got to the Bodega el Catador, and played the “No hablo Espanol” card (because in all honesty, wine-making terms are not yet part of my Spanish vocabulary) and somehow ended up with the owner of the vineyard as my tour guide. It was totally cool! He told me he learned English while spending 14 years in Napa Valley, working with wineries there, before inheriting the family business from his father.



To make wine/Pisco, you must:
1. Stomp on the grapes (like with your feet)
2. Press the grapes (they have this gigantic wooden press, so cool)



3. Fill the crazy ceramic Inca jugs with the juice (each ceramic vessel weights 300kilos and holds 70L of wine)



4. Ferment the juice 15 days
5. Distill the fermented juice with wood-fire ovens (heat and boil, and if you want to flavor it, add your oranges/lemons here = very similar process to flavored Vodkas)



6. Condense the hot steam in this spirally pipe called “the works” (when making wine, it is submerged in water to help with rapid cooling)
7. Contain and store/age the now-wine in “the cave” (a dark, cool space, housing barrels)
8. Bottle

After the tour, a wine tasting! I learned that Pisco made with purple/black grapes is the kind used for Pisco Sours, and Pisco made with white grapes is usually served with no additions on the rocks (tastes like whiskey, mmm).

Ended up just having dinner at one of the restaurants at the winery (sometimes you just have to go with the touristy option to make sure your tummy doesn’t decide it disagrees) and ended up having a Peruvina “chili” called Carapulcra. It’s a broth-based spicy sauce with dried chili pepper, pulled pork, and yucca, usually eaten with Sopa Seco (spaghetti with pesto) and more yucca. Then a quick drink before heading back to my hostel (S./5 for a Pisco Sour? Yes please!) They make some seriously good Pisco at that vineyard. The bar tender turned out to be the oldest son of the owner of the vineyard, and we practiced our English/Spanish on each other (he’s now my friend on facebook, so when I’m a famous cook like Julia Child, I’ll have my own Pisco grower).

Lima Day #3: Presentations at the Commission

After a traditionally slow Peruvian start, presentations on our projects (the reason I was in Lima in the first place) began. I was absolutely fascinated to hear about other people’s projects. The diversity of interests is wonderful and, while I don’t know about everybody else, I got a bunch of ideas just listening, and I made some really good contacts.

Di Hu is a PhD candidate, based out of Ayacucho. Her project is dealing with comparing allocations of space in weaving and textile production centers of the Inca period and the Colonial era. I was familiar with most of the theorists (such as Foucault) she referenced, as well as theories of spatial use and division (thank you installation art!), and personally felt that her conclusions were pretty common sense (weavers in during the Inca period were important people, and were afforded a lot of freedom to work in a communal setting, while weavers during the Colonial era were mostly prisioners, and therefore their spaces were highly controlled, limited, and monitored). Regardless of this, I pulled her aside afterword and told her the layout for the contemporary communal weaving spaces at Chinchero and Sallac were very similar to the diagrams and layouts of the Inca period weaving spaces. She seemed really excited by this and told me she wanted to visit one of these spaces next time she was in Cusco.

The other projects included:


Adrienne—archeologist—studying Inca shrine sites north of Cusco City.
Rob – Mechanical Engineer & water project specialist—working with a handful of NGO in the Cusco Region on water management and treatment for healthy consumption.
Martha—geography-- researching the introduction of Spanish water powered grain mills and how this technology changed the landscape in Lima.
Miguel—Poverty alleviation and prevention
Carmen—Chemistry—working on Ionic Liquid technology to potentially create a safe, water-based solvent alternative to things like Gamsol and Acetone. These liquids also have similar properties to Chlorine, and the hope is that they might be able to create a chemical that makes water safe to consume without the chlorine taste and is potentially safer to use than chlorine.

There were also two US Scholar Fulbright Grantees (for professionals as opposed to people who are just beginning their careers):

Maria—Video and Installation artist—doing a videography project on the theme “working hands.” She’s creating a series of videos where she watches Peruvian women work and they tell stories (the association of repetitive work and storytelling is not a new one, but is one that fascinates me beyond all measure). She will be doing an installation of the finished work here in Lima, as well as in Flordia, where she teaches at a university.

Bartholomew Dean—anthropologist and ethnologist—Has been working the last 25 years with communities in the Amazon region of Peru on establishing cultural studies of the peoples and traditions of the region. As he said, the jungle take up over half the country and yet there is no official program of study at a major institution in Peru to better understand and document the people and traditions from the region.

Of all of these people, Maria and I made an INSTANT connection, and Marcela had to usher us apart twice while they were trying to get our Thanksgiving lunch started. We’re going to talk more as we have so many interests similar in our work and the ideas behind our work, and I’m going to take her to Chinchero sometime in December so she can potentially film one of the weavers for her project. I also have a project in the works I think I’d like her to be a part of… (Ooo mystery project!)

Ceviche

After lunch, pretty much everyone went back to their respective habitations and took a nap. I went out and found dinner with Rob at a local place in Miraflores (had some REALLY fresh Ceviche ie. raw fish “cooked” in a mix of lime in vinegar with herbs and served with corn and sweet potatoes). Carmen and Adrienne joined us for drinks and we were all out far too late for our various traveling plans the next morning.

Lima Day #2: Adventures and Meetings

Woke up Thursday with the plan to go to the Museo de Historia Natural in Lima. It was an adventure getting there—the directions didn’t match the address and I ended up walking 12blocks more than necessary, but I got there! And immediately realized that it is the freakiest taxidermy museum I’ve ever been to and it was awesome. Very much like a Cabinet of Curiosities set-up. So many sadly preserved taxidermy animals….. And most of them from Peru! So that sloth that I’ll never get to see because they’re shy and nocturnal? Saw one there!



8 or so fierce jungle cats (Jaguars, Ocelots, ect), saw them too (the cats were in BAD shape). There was also a paleontology section full of Peruvian fossils (from the deserts outside ICA). The best of these was a jaw of the Livyatan Melville (the giant pre-historic whale eating whale) whose teeth are bigger than my head!!



I also learned about which dinosaurs (Los Terribles Lagartos) lived in South America: Carnotaurus (which looks very similar to the Ceratosaurus in the 3rd JP movie), Titanosaurus, Plesiosaurus, Amargasaurus, and a type of Pterodactyl, to name a few. What I found interesting about the fossils and dinosaur section was nothing was labeled if it were real or a cast. I like to think I’m good enough by now to tell which is which, but in the US, that would not fly… I got outside to find the yard around the Natural History Museum functioned like a botanical gardens for the plants of Peru, and there just happened to be casts of two whale skeletons in with the plants.

There was a second building housing the geology collection of rocks and rock-like things from Peru. There were something like 12 types of meteors, a wide array of volcanic rock, precious stones, gold, copper, silver and other metals, a few more types of fossils, cave rocks, and even one type of radioactive rock. Ran into two groups of 1st graders in the gardens (no wonder all the guards were looking at me funny when I got there). Lost myself again walking back to the hostel (I got excited about walking and passed my street…). Almost made it Parque Kennedy before I realized it and then had to wander north again.

My appointment I missed the Museo Amano for was a BUST. I will not be letting the Commission arrange meetings for me again. I went to the University of San Marcos (an almost S./20 taxi ride) to be told the Fiber Faculty I requested to meet with were not there at our scheduled meeting time…. One wouldn’t be in until 8pm that evening and the other would be in the next morning (during the Commission Project Presentation). They then tried to give me information on their school (as if I’d consider going there if they can’t even organize a simple meeting and facilities tour) and then drug me into a room full of stuffy old men (Including the Dean of the “Industry” program that the arts fall under?) who called Andean weaving “tejidos antiguos” as if it isn’t a living practice and debated without asking me the idea of bringing me back in the spring to do a presentation on Andean Weaving for the textile students……

Not meeting the faculty meant I got back in time to see Rob and Miguel (both Fulbright Scholars as well) before heading to Maria Scurrah’s apartment for dinner! How do I know Maria? She is Laurie Snyder’s cousin (Laurie = one of the book arts/photo faculty from MICA). Maria and her husband Martin work for NGO’s in Lima (and have for many many years). Maria had a few important weavers in her family and has a small collection of Andean textiles because of it, as well as stories and books and a general interest and enthusiasm on the topic of textiles. One of the weavers was her grandmother, who escaped Nazi Germany by going to Sweden and while she was there she learned Swedish Weaving. Later in her life she attended and then taught at Black Mountain with the Albers, who brought her to Peru for one of their visits. She eventually moved to Peru and began an organization in south-central Peru to re-teach weaving traditions, as well as Swedish traditions, to the women there. Her sister, who died young, was a tapestry weaver and lived in Peru with Maria as a child. She had a few amazing tapestry pieces her sister had made up on the walls. Maria, having grown up in Peru and Germany, forgot it was Thanksgiving, and her husband is Australian, so we had a delicious Peruvian meal instead of turkey. Not that I mind, I love Peruvian food.

After dinner and discussion, I met up with Rob, Miguel, and Carmen and we wandered around Miraflores a bit before realizing we had to be at the Commission at 8am the next morning...

Lima: Day #1

First day back in Lima was quite busy! Dropped off my passport at the Commission to get my Visa renewed, then headed straight for the Museo de Arte de Lima.



The museum itself is in this beautiful, neo-classical building, in the center of the Parque de la Exposicion and gardens. The second floor was closed but the exhibitions on the first were amazing and totally made up for it. The first was a Pre-Columbian exhibition of architecturally-based ceramic works, that acted as maps of sacred sites and important buildings. They all looked like strange little teapot houses, and all of them had perfectly round handles.

Central court yard of the Musem


The other exhibition was a collection of illustrations by Fernando Bryce. Two large rooms of sumi ink illustrations, drawn from photos, magazine pages, newspaper covers, letters & correspondence, documents, posters, ect. Each “group” of illustrations, every one containing about 200 images, had a theme, like “Peruvian Tourism” or “America & Globalization” or “The decades between 1900-1930.” The illustrations were beautiful and the display (I felt it very installation-like) was cohesive, painted a really amazing picture of the period of time or topic and almost overwhelming in its info, scope, and subsequent emotional impact. I loved it.

Outside the Museum was a park space




Caught a taxi to the hostel and called the Museo Amano, only to discover they were booked except for the one time Thursday I already had an appointment. Now I know I need to call a few days ahead next time I go to Lima.

Weaving in Chinchero: 2 new techniques

Yesterday I learn the Nawi-awaypa border and the Ley Pallay technique, which is a floating weft technique that employs the floating weft as part of the design.

This is Ley:

Construction in Cusco

The city's sidewalks and streets are all torn up... I woke up this morning to find that in the two block in front of our apt the street had been ripped up overnight? But I didn't hear anything, and on my way to work I puzzled over why. After spotting another construction spot I realized why. They're all using pick axes and shovels. It's like what I imagine watching the trans-continental railroad being constructed would've been like, except occasionally there's a bulldozer.




And this is what it's like watching buildings being constructed:

Concurso de Tejidos

Every year, the CTTC has a Concurso de Tejidos (Weaving Competition) for the 9 member weaving communities. I've been helping to get this stuff together for a few weeks now, and it actually went down yesterday, with me as the "official event photographer!"



Got to Chinchero around 10am and spent a frantic 2.5hours with 3 cameras on my person, photographing all ~180 textiles. There were small groups assembled on the lawn, most of them spinning, from the various communities, each very distinct in their traditional dress. At some point I was also drafted to help hang textiles and hand to photograph in the process.

Some of my favorite textiles:

Knitted hats and other traditional objects:


Poncho from Patabamba:


Poncho from Patabamba:


A wall of entries from Chahuaytire, where they do my favorite style of design work:


A wall of textiles:


Then lunch, in which they proceeded to stuff me way too full of food (not unexpected) and teased me about how little I eat... Which anyone who knows me is a LIE, however I'm just not a big lunch person and I don't really eat piles of meat and potatoes often, so it's difficult sometimes when that's what hand you. It was delicious, despite everything, especially the soup. (I <3 soup...) Right as the second course was coming out to everybody assembled, the group of "Cultural Explorers" arrived-- this year, it was a group through the Harvard Natural History Museum-- who help fund the event and get to participate in the awards ceremony as part of their cultural exploration.

After lunch came the speeches, mostly in Quechua, however, I'm getting pretty good at getting the gist of things without understand every word (or any words for that matter). I got a front row seat, as the photographer, and photographed all the leaders of the communities. Then, when the awards were being handed I got to photograph the groups of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from each community for each category. And, when the "Explorers" weren't fast enough, also help hand out awards, put on medals for the large textiles (manta blankets, ponchos, ect), and even be in the photos once or twice. By the end, everyone was hot and tired from the strength of the sun, but they were still happy to assemble as a group for a large group photo for the year.



Of course, you're not done once the ceremony is finished. Then all the textiles have to rapidly come down in some semblance of order, be sorted, folded, and stuffed in bags for transport back to the Center in Cusco. It was like being in Theatre again, with all the straight pins and safety pins I had stuck in my shirt. C:

There was also the matter of correcting any certificates that were incorrect, getting plastic protective sleeves on the certificates, and any last-minute organization that had to be done. These included getting the textiles out to the cars.... I always find it fascinating how much stronger I am then the women here. I picked up some of those bags (not light but not the heaviest thing I've ever carried either) and they just looked at me because they'd been trying without success for a while. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that there really isn't an understanding of "exercise" here? At least, organized exercise. (And I mean, I understand why-- I walk 1-2 hours a day up and down the hills of Cusco, and salsa a few nights a week and really don't feel like I need to go to yoga classes right now. And that's light compared to some of the mountain climbing the people here do on a daily basis depending on where they're from. I just sometimes want to make them do some push ups...or at least light band work for their biceps.) But I digress. Uneventful ride back to Cusco and they dropped me off really near my apt, so no excessively long walks after running around all day at a higher altitude for me, yay!

Of course, today I get the dubious pleasure of photographing the hundreds of photos I took yesterday-- mostly cropping and color touch ups, but still. And I've so far only managed to get through what was on my camera... Le sigh.

Chinchero again tomorrow for a weaving lesson. I'll let you know how that goes.

Kinsa Q'uchu Article for Turkey Red Journal

For those of you who love natural dyes, you need to know what Turkey Red Journal is. It's a collaborative natural dye journal featuring articles on natural dyes from around the world, and about the people who use, teach, or otherwise perpetuate these dyes.

And this is the link to the Article I wrote for the Fall 2011 issue!!
Kinsa Q'uchu, A Substantive Peruvian Dye

Official Fulbright Scholar "Badge?"

This was emailed to me. Look I'm officially certified?

Paleontology in Peru

Ica Deserts, a sprawl of Fossils

I get to go to this desert at the end of November, on my back from Lima after Thanksgiving, and everyone I know who's been there tells me there are just fossils poking up out of the sand all over the place! Yay fossils!