12 Degrees South

Billy, Kate & Will in Perú

  • Home
  • About Us
  • How Can I Help?
  • Instagram
  • Contact

protest

Protest in Cusco

Posted on Monday, June 22, 2009 Leave a Comment

Protest in Cusco, originally uploaded by katherinebruder.

As mentioned in my previous post, there was a peaceful protest in the Plaza de Armas of Cusco on Sunday.

Campesinos (people from the countryside) ventured into Cusco for the day to protest the building of a new dam in their region. They were protesting the Peruvian government and, more specifically, President Alan Garcia for their decision to build this dam which would take land from the people in Canchis.

Despite being only in Cusco for one day, the strike and protesting has been going on for the past two weeks.

Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Billy, Canchis, Cusco, Peru, protest

10 Parades and 1 Peaceful Protest in Cusco

Posted on Sunday, June 21, 2009 Leave a Comment

(An old post that never got published while I was in Cusco)

As the work team from Dearborn and North Carolina headed off to Machu Picchu today, Billy and I ventured out of Urubamba (where we are working at the Casa Girasoles home) and into Cusco for a slow and relaxing day.

Before I continue, it is important to know that the month of June is a big party month in the city and surrounding area of Cusco. Cusco, which means navel, in Quechua, is rich in Inca history since it was at the center of the Incan Empire, which stretched from southern Peru through northern Ecuador.

In Incan politics, the empire was ruled by the emperor, who according to Incan religion, was a direct descendant of their god, Inti, the Sun, and was also worshiped as a divine being. At the height of the Incan empire,  the emperor’s name was Pachacútec. Pachacútec and and Incans worshiped their gods of the Sun, Moon, Rainbow, Mountains, Mother Earth, etc.

To celebrate Incan tradition and their rich heritage, every year on June 24th, the Cusqueñas (people from Cusco) hold huge festivals in and around the city. The biggest of these festivals is called Inti Raymi, which is supposed to take place Thursday.

The festival is supposed to take place this Thursday, but possible protests and a region-dehabilitating strike might take place on the same day. For the past two weeks people in the surrounding areas of Cusco have been on strike and protesting the Peruvian government and President Alan Garcia’s decision to build a dam in the area of Canchis. By building this dam, the Peruvian government would be reclaiming land from it’s people and taking a loan from the Japanese government to pay for construction. The Peruvian campesinos (people from the country) that live in the area of Canchis are not particularly thrilled to be losing their land and water supply, and therefore have been protesting the decision – including protesting in the Plaza de Armas of Cusco today.

In addition to the very large peaceful protest that occured in the Plaza de Armas, Billy and I also saw 10 different parades taking place in Cusco today. Not only were there at least 10 different parades, they were all over the city. Each parade stopped traffic and pedestrians that were in its way and followed their own path. One of the particularly memorable parades had men and little boys dressed up as bears/gorillas (it was hard to tell which animal it was) dancing around women who had on very colorful dresses. We’re not quite sure what they represented, but it was quite entertaining!

Posted in: Peru | Tagged: Billy, Cusco, parades, Peru, protest

Subscribe to our updates

katebruder

Wishing many years of laughter and adventure to th Wishing many years of laughter and adventure to the newlyweds! Today Will had the honor of being in his preschool teacher’s wedding. Miss Dani was his first teacher and has always held a special place in his (and our) hearts. ♥️ Felicitaciones querida @dani_pc y @jorgecubamusic, que Dios bendiga su matrimonio y les guíe en esta nueva aventura de ser esposos. Fue un honor y placer para Will poder participar en la ceremonia 😘 #littlewilliamnoah
Happy Father’s Day @greenmanbilly! The legacy yo Happy Father’s Day @greenmanbilly! The legacy you are creating for Will and the example you show him daily of how to be a father and husband is our greatest blessing. We love you. #littlewilliamnoah
A lovely evening watching the national ballet perf A lovely evening watching the national ballet perform Cinderella and Will’s first show at the @granteatronacional. #littlewilliamnoah
Ended our trip with a hike and horseback ride to s Ended our trip with a hike and horseback ride to see the Gocta waterfall up close. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Headed west to Amazonas to see deep canyons, the t Headed west to Amazonas to see deep canyons, the town of Chachapoyas and the sarcophagi of Karajía #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
A castle in the jungle built by an Italian and a c A castle in the jungle built by an Italian and a car raft to cross the Rio Huallaga to Laguna Azul were two firsts for us in Tarapoto. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Spent a few days in the jungle outside the city of Spent a few days in the jungle outside the city of Tarapoto for @wngreenman’s first Peruvian jungle experience. #littlewilliamnoah #ytúquéplanes
Bubbles in the park today vs. 2019☺️ #littlewi Bubbles in the park today vs. 2019☺️ #littlewilliamnoah
Today was the first day of school and can’t beli Today was the first day of school and can’t believe we have a Kindergartener! After 2 years of virtual school, Will didn’t have to log into Zoom and was able to walk through the doors of the school and met his new teacher, Miss Magy, in person! We’re excited to see what he learns this year and he’s thrilled to be back in a classroom for the first time since March 2020! #littlewilliamnoah @coloringdreamsperu
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 12 Degrees South.

Theme by Randall Bruder.