Huaraz.com Agencies Hotels Food/Bars Outdoor
huaraz.com huaraz.com huaraz.com huaraz.com huaraz.com

A bridge connects the Rahuapampa and Huaytuna communities to make one village in the dramatic Puchka river valley.
Destroyed graves at the local cementary are disturbing reminders that the now so peaceful area has had a turbulant recent past. Sendero activity in the region resulted in an exodus of the population.

A new road that is being constructed makes the valley a lot more accesible and the town is having some success in restoring it's former glory. This unexplored part of Peru can now be made into an interesting side trip if you are visiting the archeological remains of the ancient Chavin culture about 2 hours away.

castellano

If you have your own transportation you can make it to Rahuampampa from Huaraz in about 5 hours. But you have to plan your trip well ahead as the road is closed during parts of the day for construction work (august 2006).
This short travel time is a considerable change for the area that has always been rather isolated as it is located in the middle of a dead end road into the Andes.

There are a few basic hostals in Rahuapampa and Huaytuna that offer simple accommodation in a family surrounding.
But don't be surprised if you get invited to somebody's private house while being on your way in a bus, as I experienced myself. The villagers are hospitable and eager to show that their town has more to offer than the low number of visitors suggests.

The area has not always been so welcoming, explains local painter Ana Sanchez Vidal in the patio of her spacious family home. "During the years of terror, artists and poets left the town. Now we are trying to fill the cultural gap that resulted by inviting musicians from nearby towns".
Melancholic walz music lured me into her house where the famous Conjunto Ancashino Melodias Andinas directed by violonist Victor de Paz is practicing for a presentation at today's fiesta in the honor of Rahuapampa's patron San Bartolome (August 24-25).
Huaman Huaman, the headmaster of the Manuel Seoane Corrales school, is preparing his students for the festivities. Carlos Ramos Romero was invited from nearby Huari to play the caja and pincullo to lead school children in the Dance of the Gargas. The garga is a kind of parrot that used to fly in large numbers through the valley but that has now become rare as they have been caught and sold in Lima in large numbers. The bird is the symbol of Rahuapampa. "We are trying to teach our children to care for the environment and to respect animals", explains former teacher Lionel Fidel Trujillo.

It looks like the efforts of the community to attract people back to their town are paying off. Many former villagers that have returned from Lima to their town of birth are clearly enjoying the loud welcome they receive by a large brass band. At least a hundred guinea pigs are being prepared in their honour while the mayor opens the fiesta with a Huayno dance.
It's well worth to continue your journey to Chavin for a few hours to visit the beautiful valley of the Puchka river. A nice lake nearby can be reached by car.
The long time isolation of the region may be in part responsible for it's charm but the villagers are now ready to open their doors.

(Photo and story : K. Kristinsson)

www.huaraz.com