Eco tourism between legends and magic and mysticism in the Andean one of the richest gold of Peru

Hello.

Today I want to talk about a valley in the heart of the Peruvian mountains where we went twice to make tourism vivencial. It is located 5 hour drive from Ica and to get there you have to take the Panamerican highway in the direction of Nazca. It should then head inland to reach the “sierra” or the mountain ranges that form the backbone to all the Peru.

This area is important for the rich deposits of gold, silver and copper used since ancient times by pre-Hispanic peoples and subsequently extensively by Spanish colonists.

To get to the bottom of Palco, Our final destination, we passed two cities were born precisely thanks to the minera.

The first Otoca is currently one of the largest copper and gold mining assets in Peru.

The second is where the Spaniards Chavincha for years after the conquest continued to extract gold from a huge hole inside the mountain using workers as slaves and Indians making unfortunately die in their thousands.

Since we arrived here following the course of the river to the city of Palco and we had to deflate the tires of our Jeep to get a grip on the steep switchbacks that brought in top to bottom.

Once we arrived we could see the whole valley and its breathtaking. Given that the fund is in 3000 meters above sea level right away we were preparing an infusion of a local herb similar to mint call Toronquil to combat altitude sickness.

The evening in the rustic wood stove we had with the family that hosted us to eat a cereal porridge and eggs and we accompanied the food with an infusion of Muña, an herb known to cure the infirmities of the stomach and slow digestion. In these places the power supply is completely natural and medicinal soups and cereals and various teas have the property re-energize the body and clean it from the dross of modern food.

After dinner we drank pisco, famous Peruvian grape brandy that has begun to loosen his tongue at all.

The head of the family then started to tell various local legends.

Make sure that you have seen more than once wandering souls at night and once it has seen in the sky an object elongated oval steel color.

The first of October of this year has also seen together with other people before a flash of blinding light and then a small being only a few meters from them about one meter high with a species as a visor covering his eyes.

This little man wore a bronze-brown backpack behind his back which poked some antennas. The impetus of these was to try to communicate with gestures and then try to take it to lasso with a rope!

At this point, the dwarf steering wheel began to float in the air and it is disappeared on the horizon.

The next day it was strange to be seen by other people just a few miles away.

Another story told us about the owner of the property involved in a quarry minera 4000 meters in height that we went to visit the next day.

The story was about a man who has lived and dug for 30 years in this quarry until, a night, a huge stone, blocking the end of the tunnel at about 300 meters of depth, is magically disappeared allowing him to go and meet him some gold nuggets as large as oranges.

The only certainty of this story is that the man is actually a poor man became rich and bought a fund a mile from the quarry. This gentleman is still alive and leads his flock to graze at the ripe old age of 80 age. It would definitely be a very interesting chat with him.

Another of the many special features of the place is a source of sulfur thermal water where we went for a wonderful refreshing bath. Do you think that this jet of hot water is a few feet from a vein of gold that nobody can dig by order of the local community and the mayor to avoid defacing the site!

That same evening we were told that a little more downstream water from the spring collects in a natural pool of crystal clear water where many of the locals claim to have seen a strange woman mermaid.

They explained that all these legends relating to the Andean mysticism are handed down from father to son for several generations, since before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

When they showed me the area of ​​the siren, which remains fairly inaccessible, I saw a beautiful hummingbird stop in midair and and then disappear in a flash behind the rocks of the basin.

I can definitely say that the magic of this place is enhanced by its nature almost untouched.

The strenuous climb along ancestral pathways are accompanied by an almost unreal silence that a little scared but that also allows you to let go and feel the world as the man once, in a less rational and more instinctively honing a different kind of perception and contact with nature.

Besides, in the valley have lived thousands of years before the pre-Hispanic peoples and it is still possible to distinguish circular rudimentary shelters made with large stones along the ridge of the mountain.

Along the slope there are also some rocks in the shape of a phallus that overlook the valley and immense stones scattered in the fields cotivati ​​with some holes definitely used by native peoples to worship and to ingratiate himself with the Earth Mother, the “Pachamama”.

We also visited a quarry used as a natural ancient Inca cemetery and the locals have promised that the next time we're going to explore another sepulcher, where it is still possible to see some mummies wrapped in their burial Fardi.

Before returning home the hosts have kindly offered us a delicious juice Sunky, a round fruit green and full of thorns that is gathered with a stick by pulling some cactus in the area. It’ a fruit acid and rich in potassium recognized with beneficial properties.

We then made the basis of this result and of the local herbs to take home to make benefits and tasty brews.

Living these few days in a completely natural environment has renewed and reclaimed because the body has found the regular rhythms of a slow life, healthy, peaceful and tension free.

I would like to add that the way to get to the bottom was very picturesque and we even had to cross the river bed.

I recommend everyone to try this vivisenziale experience that enriches both the body and the soul and has allowed us to understand a little’ more myths of ancient peoples still alive and present in some areas of Peru.

A heartfelt greeting to all and the next adventure.

Henry