More Nasca/Cusco

Found out recently that these place names should be spelt with an s, because z is the Spanish (as in Spain) spelling, and they don´t really rock the z´s here. Now for ya. Though the official name of Cusco, in the native language Quechuan, is something like Qosqu. It´s interesting how strong Quechuan culture has remained despite the Spanish attempts to crush it in colonial times. Around here, 80% of people understand the language, and 50% people speak it fluently (though the numbers are less in large urban areas like Lima, which is only to be expected). Quechuan religion has also survived, and is commonly practised alongside Catholicism. The basic tenets of the Quechuan faith are very simple, but also very well thought out. It´s very animistic, with mountains, the sun, and the earth all worshipped as gods in different ways. They´re heavy on the trilogy concept too, with the heavens, earth and underworls represented by the condor, puma, and snake. They also throw in a bit of duality to spice up the mix, but we´ll leave it there for now. (Most of this info is courtesy of our trekking guide, Edwin Cusi, whose brother John will be representing Peru in the 5000m in the London Olympics, barring injury).

Here´s some people knocking around in Plaza de Armas in Nasca around sunset, plus a photo of one of the many symbols the Nasca people etched in the desert around 1200 years ago, taken from a very small plane just before the photographer defied medical science by coming out in hot and cold sweats simultaneously.

Here´s the scene that greeted me on arrival in downtown Cusco. From what I could figure out it was a parade of children from local special schools designed to raise awareness of special needs. The writing on the float at the end says something like "I am a person who wants the same things as you do". It was a pretty joyous affair, the kids were great, dancing up the street dressed up to the nines. And the music was off the hook! Something similar happened when i got to the spectacular Plaza de Armas in Lima, a big colonial square that´s a UNESCO World Heritage site. The changing of the guard at the Palacio de Gobierno (Pizarro´s old gaff, all republicified after independence) was in progress, and a brass section was belting out the kind of number that says " you´re in Latin America now, Paddy". "Don´t I know it", says I.