The 300-year-old church at Tisco
searched for good grazing. Before nightfall, they are driven back for the night to the stone corrals and stone barns with thatched or corrugated steel roofs. Human and animal shelter is one in the same – just a wall dividing the living quarters. According to the Centro Peruano de Estudios Sociales (CEPES), the Peruvian Center for Social Studies, the alpaca is the key component to the economy of over 65,000 rural families in the Andean region of Peru. These families are mainly “Pastores Alpaqueros” (Indian herders/breeders) who live in remote areas under extreme poverty conditions. These herders/breeders practice a traditional breeding system that has been passed on from father to son and share the same native environment as the animals they herd. The women, who still maintain the spinning and weaving traditions of their ancestors, make a variety of items (rugs, mats, sweaters, gloves, socks, hats, belts, and jackets) that are either worn by their families or sold at the local market. The Quechua also consume the alpaca’s meat as the main source of protein in their daily diets. Once the Indian herders/breeders obtain what they
need from the alpacas they own (fleece for clothing and meat for food), they travel to local trade fairs and city markets to meet with “Alcanzadores” (pursuers) who buy the alpaca fleece sometimes for money, other times for essential items such as salt, sugar, medicine, candles, and matches. The pursuers, in turn, take the alpaca fleece they have collected to the “Rescatistas” (agents) who themselves purchase the fleece on behalf of the large fiber producers located in cities such as Arequipa. Besides seeing the estancias, our journey also took us past a mountain lake called Lago Condoroma. At over 15,000 feet, it is one of the highest lakes in South America. The lake was surrounded by alpacas grazing in the green vegetation and the waters were inhabited with pink flamingos (not something I expected to see in this part of the world). We finally arrived at the little town of Tisco at 13,750 feet. At this altitude, just a little exertion made me struggle to catch my breath. It was a beautiful, sunny day; commonplace for that area. I later discovered that the climate stays fairly consistent year-round. continued on next page
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