WOMEN ON THE ROAD
ARAWI ROUTES
Arawi Peru has as one of its main challenges to integrate the history, the culture and the daily life of Peruvian women in its routes. To get to know Peru through integrating their history and experience, often unknown or underestimated.
Peru is a particularly interesting place to explore the history and culture of women and their resistance: archaeological evidence and ethnohistory show us the existence of women rulers and priestesses in the high cultures of the north and central coast of ancient Peru, as well as the importance of the complementarity of gender roles on numerous levels.
Today, rural community-based tourism projects in indigenous communities are mainly driven by women, who in this way have recovered and updated ancestral cultural practices, such as the art of weaving and ceramics, or the preparation of "chicha (corn beer).
They fight and resist to preserve natural spaces from the greed of various economic interests. They are also the ones who have suffered invisible violence during the years of the internal war. Getting to know all these stories give us the possibility to explore Peru in a very unique way.
We propose to visit this wonderful country and its historical and natural legacy, knowing at the same time the women's perspective: from its past and (above all) from its present.
Virtual Route: THE APP
The concept of virtual route developed in the app "The five wings of Chawpiñamca" makes it possible to thematically connect different points in a vast territory. These are areas of difficult access or not very well connected, which can then be visited in person with the support of the virtual content. The app integrates multi-format informative elements such as sounds, illustrations, videos, texts, which enrich the sensory experience of the visit.
On-site routes
The vast territory of the myths of Huarochirí allows us to conceive different routes. They are proposed as routes with an added value, from which we will work on a variety of topics related to the empowerment of women and the gender perspective in Peruvian history and culture.
These routes work with fixed departures dates for private groups, cultural institutions, companies interested in working on gender, culture and sustainability topics or people interested in expanding their knowledge in these fields.
Elements of creativity, face-to-face play and participation, will also be part of the experience.
Each route will be led by a specialist in different fields (art, storytelling, archaeology, or others). We work with persons who have researched, created or narrated parts of the stories of the goddesses, and/or is linked to them. Our guides will therefore be companions of a collective learning and exploration experience. Local guides, entrepreneurs and craftswomen will also participate.
THE ROUTE AS A WORKSHOP : THE TERRITORY OF THE GODDESSES ( 5 days)
On the very first day, we will make an introduction to the concepts linked to gender in the Andes, and the footprint of women through the analysis of physical materials and the territory.
In the second day, we will travel to the heights of Yauyos, in the scenic reserve of Nor Yauyos cochas. We will find part of the vast territory dominated by the myths of Huarochirí.
A unique place to articulate narration, observation, experience and to relate the myths and their stories with the sacred landscape we travel across.
The workshop-route will have a participatory and creative approach through a "diary" or field notebook, where participants will keep track of the whole process, which will be shared at the end of the tour.
DAY 1 LIMA. DECODING THE GODDESSES. LARCO MUSEUM
Duration: 1 day.
Materials: Notebook for notes or drawings (or tablet).
Meeting point: Entrance of the Larco Museum
Includes: Virtual space, "chuspa", welcome snacks. Optional: Menu
Through the exploration of some objects and materials we will be able to understand the world of the goddesses and in general, the Andean concepts associated with them, as well as the activities and the resources of women in ancient Peru.
We begin the day at the Larco Museum. A curatorial visit guided by an expert will allow us to get to know some of the archetypes present in the ceramic or textile pieces and to identify their recurring designs.
Afterwards, we will share our impressions on how these objects have "spoken" to us, or in which way they have resonated with us. We will take some of these objects with us in our "chuspa" to incorporate them into the rest of our tour.
Those who wish may stay for lunch in the museum's restaurant, with prior reservation (subject to COVID restriction measures).
DAY 2: INTO THE GODDESSES' DOMAIN
To avoid the traffic, we will take the Panamericana Sur road very early in the morning. We will be able to stop on the way for a light breakfast (we recommend not to eat too much to have a better adaptation to the altitude). Our destination is the scenic reserve of Nor Yauyos Cochas.
This is a privileged place for its spectacular landscape: beautiful stone forests, mountains and lagoons, as well as waterfalls and waterfalls. This is the territory where the stories told in the manuscript of Huarochirí take place. Although it's very extensive (it includes large areas of the coast and the highlands of Huarochirí, Cañete and Yauyos), this high altitude area is the best place to begin to imagine the mythical territory, as well as to understand the fragile and profound relationship with nature.
The road to Nor Yauyos will take us six hours. We will stay in acomfortable hotel located on the banks of the high river Cañete, in Miraflores, Yauyos. (3.000 m.a.s.l.) a privileged place surrounded by beautiful mountains. The rest of the afternoon will be used to adapt to the altitude and immerse ourselves in the silence and grandeur of the place.
At nightfall, we will defy the cold to observe the stars and learn on the integrated relationship between the different worlds of the Andean cosmovision. It will be the right moment to narrate some of the stories of our goddesses. We will spend the night at Villarma hotel.
DAY 3: ORIGIN OF THE WATER, ORIGIN OF THE AYLLUS: HIGH ANDEAN LAGOONS
This will be a day of total immersion in nature. We will get to know the highland territories, dominated by the peaks of the Apu Pariacaca and we will be able to observe the snow-capped mountain and some of the beautiful surrounding lagoons. We must take it easy, as we will be at a high altitude (4,300 metres above sea level).
We will visit the Piquecocha lagoon in Vitis. Passing Huancaya, we will make a tour of several of the beautiful lagoons of the areas and its beautiful waterfalls (cascades), we pass through different ecological floors, and in the diversity of its fauna and flora, we will try to identify some of those present in the stories. Finally, we will arrive at the Paucarcocha lagoon, where the community of Tanta is located at 4293 metres above sea level. From here we can see the snow-capped mountain Pariacaca very close by.
Level of difficulty: Moderate
Duration of the excursion: 8 hours
Distance: 1 km on foot | 66 km by van
Maximum altitude: 4300 masl
Overnight at Villarma Hotel
DAY 4: LARAOS' PRE-HISPANIC TERRACES
Algunos especialistas consideran que la palabra Huarochirí hace referencia a la deidad principal de la zona central andina, y la construcción de gigantescos andenes y infraestructuras agrarias y hidráulicas. Sin duda, como nos enseñan los mitos, este trabajo es concebido como una acción complementaria entre géneros, donde las diosas o huacas en representación d sus ayllus negocian los accesos y recorridos del agua. Ningún lugar mejor para visualizar estas fantásticas obras y la cultura y simbolismo que las sustentaba que los andenes de Laraos. Los visitaremos luego del desayuno y que un sueño reparador nos haya permitido recuperarnos de la intensa jornada del día anterior.
Salimos en camioneta hacia las terrazas prehispánicas de Laraos, monumentales graderías que se extienden en un área de 250 hectáreas, los principales sembríos son el maíz, la papa y cebada. Nos robamos las palabras de Fernando Briceño, el dueño e impulsor del “Refugio de santiago”: “Es una gran muralla para alimentar, en lugar de para separar”. Precisamente al Refugio de Santiago nos dirigiremos luego de esta visita, donde podremos almorzar y descansar para integrar y compartir las experiencias vividas.
Difficulty level: Easy
Duration: 3h 30m
Distance: 500 m on foot | 14 km by van
Maximum altitude: 3563 meters above sea level
Overnight at Refugio de Santiago (Lunahuaná)
DAY 5: RETURN TO LIMA
Early morning we will meet in the beautiful surroundings of the Refugio, to make a closure of the experience. Through a small ritual, we will say goodbye to the territory of the goddesses, and we will give thanks for what they have taught us. Those who wish can share some of their notes, drawings, or other notations that they have wanted to take with them in a "chuspa" or write down in their notebook.
We leave back to Lima in mid-morning. Arrival at noon in Miraflores.