Ccoyllorpuquio

The week before I went to the Amazon Basin, we spent a weekend in Ccoyllorpuquoi for project. (Pronounced coo-you-poon-koo... more or less.) That had to have been one of my favorite projects so far. The community built the roof of the kindergarten right along with us, mud stain for mud stain and scratch for scratch. The women took one look at the task at hand, stripped off their shoes and long colorful stockings, hooked their skirts into their belts, and plunged barefoot into the giant mud pit. They didn't really come out for the entire weekend, and working with them was such a blast. They taught us Quechua, we taught them English, we all spoke Spanish, and we got a kick out of watching them flirt with with the other boys on top of the house. They worked the mud with their feet all day long, wearing their village hats and thickly layered skirts. Braids down to the backs of their knees, layers of sweaters, llama wool braided into their hair... they were pretty cool.

Being there for a whole weekend allowed us to witness a little more of their lives there in the pueblo, which they gladly welcomed us into. We took a walk at dusk in the mountains, and saw the entire village shutting down for the night. The women started fires for dinner, the men either took care of the livestock or drank chicha, and the kids brought in the flocks for the night. That part was really neat to me for some reason. As soon as darkness fell they seemed to materialize out of nowhere, coming out of the mountains around us with their flocks and herds.  The next day as I looked around I could see the little shepherds and shepherdesses up on the mountain slopes around us, but that night they just appeared out of the hills around us - goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, and a few llamas. It was pretty priceless.

Since the entire village was helping us with this project, we had a little bit more time to relax in between jobs. They made sure we drank their alcohol with them, which replaced their lunch. (Weird.) Chicha, the only one I enjoyed, was made out of corn that the women apparently chew up, spit out, and then allow to ferment. Not bad! The other one was China (like cheena), and it was vile. I thought it was water at first, because it was just clear. Then I thought it was straight up rubbing alcohol. It was neither - just some form of hard alcohol that the other girls compared to Vodka. lol I was not a fan. They also had us chew coca leaves, which to them is similar to chewing tobacco. Legend has it that this is how the Incas built their magnificent architecture - they didn't have to eat, hardly had to drink, just worked all day chewing coca leaves. It wasn't too bad  - to me it just tasted like super strong tea. Quite an experience all around!

With the extra time we had, I had a blast with a couple of the kids. They just followed us around all day, jabbering in Quechua and hanging on our limbs when they were free. This time they took to kissing my camera for some reason  - some how they equivocated that to actually giving a kiss to the person in the picture. By the time I got back my camera it was a little... wet... but hey, well worth their entertainment for half an hour. 

Sometimes I don't know how to describe these people. Sometimes it breaks my heart to see them, other times they make it so full I can hardly believe it. It's very interesting.