Visiting a Hidden Treasure

After spending a few days in Arequipa and the Colca Valley, we headed south towards the department of Puno, home to Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,500 ft. The drive took about five hours and was absolutely beautiful. We even got to travel on some PAVED road for some of it so that was really exciting for us. We noticed a big difference in terrain as we left Arequipa and got further into Puno. The landscape turned from terraced agriculture hills and valleys to vast plains. It was mostly brown, but not so much a desert as high-plateau so there was a lot of brush and many meadows. We passed a lot of lakes along the way, one of which had flamingoes (at 14,000 ft.)! My favorite lake we passed was called Lagunillas, not just because it was the most beautiful – dramatically nestled among the mountains – or because it had the cleanest latrine I have ever seen in Peru, but because I bought a lovely wall-hanging from a local artisan there attempting to win over the vulnerable tourists (like us, we are such suckers for their work) with her impressive handiwork. It turns out my purchase was her first sale and she almost started crying out of happiness! She genuflected about three times and kept thanking me – that made my new purchase even more special.

We finally arrived in Lampa around 3 pm. I had never heard of Lampa and was a little confused on why we were spending the night in this little town of 8,000 people. But boy was I in for a surprise – it ended up being one of the best nights of our whole trip! We found out that from here on out, we would be doing something called “rural tourism” which means we stay with families and eat all of our meals with them to get more of an authentic experience. I had never heard of such a thing in Peru so I was excited to what it was all about. Upon arrival we met our host, Oscar, who owns the 300 year old house we were to stay in for the night. He looked like he came straight out of Texas with a big cowboy hat, boots, and sunglasses. He is also about six feet tall, which is practically unheard of around here (remember, I am tall in my community). It turns out that he is in fact, 100% Peruvian, with a heart the size of Texas. We immediately fell in love with him and his warm spirit.

Shortly after we arrived, we met Oscar’s wife, Mily, who had just come in from Arequipa. Like many Peruvian women, she is gorgeous and has a very warm and caring spirit. She looked to be about half of his age and we thought they were newlyweds because they were very affectionate with one another. Later we found out that they have actually been married for about 25 years and have two sons who are 22 and 19 years old and study at a university in Arequipa! They were such a sweet couple and we knew we were in good hands for the night.

Oscar spent the first few years of his life living in this house with his family – including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmother, etc. – but they later moved to Lima for better opportunities and the house was essentially abandoned. After he and Mily got married, they started going back to the house twice a year to clean up and do repairs. About five years ago, they brought one of their friends with them who works in tourism and he suggested they fix up the house and turn it into a bed and breakfast of sorts. They took his advice and spent about a year fixing it up (you can imagine it was in pretty bad shape after having been abandoned for so many years). Three years ago they had their first guests and have loved every minute of it since. The house is very charming, dating back to the Spanish occupation. Walking through the doors, I felt like I was stepping back in time. You walked through an entry wall into an inner courtyard where all of the bedrooms are located. Each bedroom has its own bathroom (with hot water!), wood floors, and a few beds with TONS of alpaca blankets because it is freezing at night. They currently have six rooms they rent out, but they are fixing up another six for a total of twelve rooms at “La Casona” (the name they have given the house). They run the house with little help so they do not want it any bigger than twelve rooms. Mily was telling us that she only employs women because they have a lot less opportunities. All of the women who work for her have domestic problems so she is happy to be able to help them in the little way she can. Elena, who helps with meal preparation, has six kids (all who help at the house) and her husband is an alcoholic. He left the family so Elena is left to raise all of the children on her own. Mily said she hired her to help improve her life and makes sure to eat and talk with them so they feel like they are in a loving and supportive environment and not just looked at as the employees. What a kind spirit Mily is – this world could use more people like her.

After settling in at the house, we visited the town church with Oscar and Mily. Over the past year, I have seen many churches in small towns all over Peru, but none compare to the one we saw in Lampa. Lampa was the head of the Spanish empire for Cusco, Arequipa, and Puno because of the many natural riches in the area (mostly gold and silver) so many important Spaniards lived there. As the Spanish began to settle in Lampa, they wanted to build a big, ornate church where they could exercise their strong religious spirit. The church was built entirely of stone by the Jesuits because of their strong power and wealth. They began construction in 1601, but did not finish until 1648. The church is very elaborate and was really expensive to build because of the many custom built adornments, including an organ that came from Belguim.

Like many old churches in Peru, the Iglesia Santiago Apostle (the name of the church) has catacombs where they remains of many important Spaniards were found. Oscar told us a story of Tupac Amaru (head of the Incans?) going to Lampa to declare a revolution on the Spanish and explain his motivations for war. Apparently word of his arrival had spread among town so the most important Spaniards were placed in hiding in the catacombs. Unfortunately their strategy did not work. Upon arrival in Lampa, Amaru entered the church during mass, beheaded the priest, and immediately went down the catacombs where he found all of the Spaniards. He began negotiations by holding a knife up to them, but while he was negotiating, he heard word that things had escalated out of control in Cusco and he must return immediately. By the time he arrived in Cusco though, it was too late. The Spanish captured him and quartered his body with horses. His leg was sent to Lampa to be hung in the Plaza de Armas to scare off any other revolutionaries! [Sidenote: the details might be a little off as this was all told to us in Spanish – it’s likely I’m confusing something or getting it completely wrong, but it sounds good to me, even if it’s not quite accurate!]

Obviously Lampa has a very rich cultural history, but it is little known because in 1900, the railroad was built through Juliaca instead of Lampa, and the town lost its importance. However, people like Oscar are trying to promote the town as a “must see” when visiting Lake Titicaca because of its rich cultural and historical roots. Oscar is a lawyer by profession, but recently has been focusing his efforts on improving tourism to the area. He is an incredible host and a fountain of knowledge. He is extremely kind and warm-hearted, but more than anything, he LOVES his town and his passion is contagious.

It is people like he and Mily, Raúl, and Gerson that have really helped renew my faith in Peruvians. It is so nice to see people so passionate and proud of their country and it makes me proud to be living here and sharing in their enthusiasm. It is wonderful to meet such loving people who love where they live and are eager to help others discover its beauty. So often I hear people talk about how they would give anything to move to the United States and would leave everything here behind at the drop of a hat. It always makes me sad to hear this because this country is so rich in history, natural beauty, and cultural traditions. Sure the U.S. is advanced and we have many luxuries, but there are so many things that Peru has that we will never have. How many places in the U.S. do you see men and women still wearing traditional dress (other than colonial Williamsburg and tourists attractions)? How many places can you go where the entire town parties for a week to honor their cultural heritage? Where would you ever go in the U.S. and find people talking about a civilization that dates back to 1000 B.C. and earlier? There are so many wonderful things about this country, but unfortunately, when you are living in extreme poverty without water, electricity, or even food for your family, it is very easy to overlook. The worst part is that there is a lot of wealth in this country and a lot of potential for economic development and improvement, but like many countries – including our own – the wealth is concentrated among the top 1%, or something, of the population, leaving many without anything. Hopefully someday in the near future, this country can figure out how to distribute its resources more evenly and as a result, raise the standard of living for all Peruvians – not just the extremely wealthy – so they can begin to recognize and appreciate the incredible riches they possess as a culture.

Well now that I’ve drifted off on that tangent, I’ll get back on task and return to Lampa. In addition to the church, Lampa has another claim to fame with a very impressive story behind it. The President of the Senate in the 1960s, Enrique Torres Belen, was from Lampa and wanted to help his native community so from 1960-1968, he funded a restoration project for the church. As a culmination of the project, he wanted something really grand to place in the church so he traveled to Rome to ask Pope John XXIII (who was a personal friend of his) if they could make a replica of Michelangelo’s La Pieta (Mary holding an adult Jesus on her lap). The Pope agreed, but only under the condition that it was constructed by Italian architects in Rome and then transferred to Peru. When it arrived in Lima, they immediately realized it was too big and heavy to be supported by the dome it was to be placed upon in the church. Torres Belen asked the Pope if they could make yet another copy and the Pope agreed as long as the first replica was destroyed. Torres agreed, but when the second replica was finished, he could not bear to get rid of the first one so he traveled to Rome again to beg the Pope to let him keep both – and the Pope, surprisingly, agreed! So the first replica is on display in the Municipality and the second one is in the church where it was originally intended.

In 1972, a crazy guy entered the Vatican with a hammer proclaiming, “I am Jesus Christ” and set out to destroy La Pieta. He broke Jesus’ nose, knee and Mary’s hands. In order to repair the original, the architects traveled from Italy to Lampa to get dimensions off the replica! The sculpture itself was incredible. I had no idea what to expect, but it left me speechless!

Torres Belen also wanted something elaborate for the patron saint of Lampa, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception, to parade around town atop of during the town’s fiesta. Therefore, he had a HUGE carriage, made of sterling silver designed that is on display in a glass case all year round except for the week of the fiesta. There is only one other carriage like it in the entire world and it is located in Madrid!

Needless to say, we all LOVED Lampa. The town and church were charming and our hosts were even better. They are a very sweet and welcoming couple. We felt comfortable with them immediately and wished we could have stayed more than one night. It was so nice to be in a home with a family. Before dinner that night, we sat around the fire with Oscar talking about Peruvian history and politics and then moved into the dining room for a delicious dinner that Mily prepared with Elena – a woman who helps prepare the meals. We had cream of corn soup, veggie tortillas (little omelets), potatoes, and baked apples in cinnamon for dessert. We sat around the table in our long johns, pants, hats, scarves, and mittens because it was freezing, but it was so cozy to be with a family with wonderful food and conversation. It felt like we had been friends for years and I’m sure we could have stayed up for hours talking with them, but mom was falling asleep at the table so we decided to turn in for the night. Dad was so cold after dinner that he just took off his belt, shoes, and wallet and went to bed in ALL of his clothes – haha!

Although we had about four huge, heavy wool blankets on our beds, they gave each of us a big water bottle filled with hot water and placed in a cloth sleeve to warm our beds. ¡Que rico! It was lovely having it at my feet all night and kept the bed warm until morning – it’s a good thing because they told us at breakfast it was -6º F the night before! As I was lying in bed that night, I could not stop thinking about how GRATEFUL I was to mom and dad for taking me on this amazing trip. I never would have had this opportunity otherwise and it has been such a wonderful way to travel. We were essentially on a private tour the whole time and it has given us such a good feel for Peruvians and their culture. The trip has made me feel so proud of this culture and has given me the opportunity to meet some really incredible people that I hope to stay in touch with in the future. It has also helped me to realize that no matter how different we all are on the surface, deep down we are pretty much the same – we all want the best for ourselves, our loved ones, and our country. I hope tourism like this continues to flourish because it really helps contribute to a better global understanding and helps the local economy at the same time.

Before leaving in the morning, we visited the Municipality to see the first replica of La Pieta and visit Torres Belen’s library. We also saw this plant that is growing at the Municipality that grows for 100 years and can get to be about 14 meters tall. It only blossoms once – at the end of the 100 years – and then drops its seeds and burns itself. The trunk turns black and the tree never blossoms again, but the seeds still propagate. Oscar told us there is a forest of these plants near Lampa that is 600 hectares! These plants only grow in two places in the world, the forest near Lampa and in Bolivia!

Even though we only stayed with them a night, it was sad saying goodbye to Oscar and Mily. They are such a wonderful couple and a delight to be around. They really enjoyed us too and kept saying we are “de buena calidad” (good quality). Oscar wants Dad to return to Lampa to restore the stained glass windows in the church so hopefully this is just the beginning of our friendship!