As we left Cusco, the homes became more and more primitive. Most were mud block construction, many without windows and with thatched roofs. The nicer homes had whitewash over the mud. They also had interesting fence walls made of mud brick with cacti growing on the top – better than concertina wire!
The paragliding teacher told us that out in the countryside the farms operate collectively. The whole town cooperates to grow one area and the next year it will lay fallow and they will farm a different area. They were harvesting potatoes by hand as we drove by, using picks, putting them in bags and strapping the bags on their backs using the colorful woven Andean cloths. They were also cutting down grass swatches to lay the potatoes out on.
The farm ladies wear the traditional clothing of leg warmers, skirts, colorful sweaters, hats with big brims, a big braid of hair down their backs, and loads on their backs. The babies also get carried around on their mothers’ backs in the woven cloths.
La Senora tells us that may people out in the countryside speak Quechua, the official language of the Incan empire. Most people in town can understand a bit but don’t speak, read, or write it. The government wants to preserve the language so the public schools now spend some time teaching it.
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