Juan Yupanqui
Patacancha Community
Meet Juan, he worked on the Inka trail carrying camping gear for more than two decades. During his time as a porter, Juan learnt French. His enthusiastic personality served him well as he would strike up a conversation with the French hikers every chance that he had.
Now Juan is the local coordinator of cultural experiences in his community of Patacancha. Juan has worked to prepare his community to provide lodgment, typical lunch or dinner service, and cultural activities for visitors to participate in.
Braulia Puma
Lake Piuray
Meet Braulia, a fierce character of Lake Piuray, near Chincheros. From an early age, Braulia would not accept that women couldn’t be out in the world, innovating and supporting the household.
Braulia has created a women’s weaving cooperative to generate work and income for her “sisters” in the community. A visit to Braulia’s cooperative is an opportunity to learn about the ancient weaving tradition of the Andes and so much more!
Julian Apaza Cruz
Andean Chef
Julian was born in the Quechua community of Queros, the last uncontacted outpost of the Quechua Nation – indigenous people of the Peruvian Andes. Julian’s story is unique in that he was taken to work in Lima at the age of 12. Suddenly he found himself in a foreign world, completely removed from his home and his family.
many years later Julian is a sought after chef in the Cusco region, specializing in gourmet, organic, healthy cooking as well as traditional Peruvian cuisine with local Andean produce. Aside from the great food, to meet Julian is to get to know a special representative of the Quechua nation.
Flora Ccorihuaman
Misminay Community
Flora is a young leader of the Misminay Community – near Maras & Moray. Flora has worked in developing authentic cultural experiences that are educational for visitors and that help to raise incomes for the families within her Community.
The weaver women of Misminay offer a unique cultural interpretation of their weaving traditions. The community members take turns providing services in order to share the income generated by tourism equally.
Esther Camino
Raqchi Community
Esther and others in her community have spent years implementing a business based on Sustainable Tourism. The association, named “Inka Roots”, seeks a balance between environmental care, income generation for locals and fostering respect for local traditions.
Inka Roots endeavours to preserve many aspects of their ancestral ways including their traditional costumes, pottery techniques, farming, consumption of traditional locally grown foods, as well as teaching their native language Quechua.
Alcione & Bernardino
Traditional Peruvian Pottery
Alcione and her husband live in the community of Chichubamba near the town of Urubamba. They have a workshop at home where they make ceramics. Alcione’s dream is to export her products and to attend international expositions.
A visit to this pottery workshop is a great activity for children especially. You get to learn hands-on how to do pottery and children just love it! We combine this experience with a visit to a local chocolate producer who lives nearby and a tour of the Sacred Valley.