As we left Trujillo ,
we traversed field upon field of sugar cane, and saw another of the smoke-belching
factories. This one only processed cane into sugar whereas the others we had
seen process the syrup into rum and the cane fibres into a rough quality paper,
for making bags and cardboard. We also saw a rather animal-like cane cutting
machine, rather aptly named an air scorpion. Such machines are not very common
as most cane is still cut by hand.
As we climbed from sea level into the mountains, eventually to
an altitude of around 2000 metres, the crops changed. The main highland crop is
pineapple and we passed many plantations, stopping at one point to photograph
this succulent fruit. There were also fields of orange and guava trees, as well
as the ubiquitous maize, lettuce and cauliflower, beans and artichokes, and
asparagus, a big export earner for this area.
At first, the skies were grey and overcast, with very low
cloud blanketing the hills, but this cleared as we went climbed and, although
we had been warned that it would be colder in Otuzco, the weather was actually bright,
sunny and warm.
Though quite a small town, Otuzco is the hub for surrounding
area. However, its main claim to fame is its local saint, the Virgen as la Puerta (Virgin of the Door),
and people come from all parts of Peru to present her with offerings
in the hope of getting favours in return.
The church that originally housed the statue of the Virgin
proved too small to seat the crowds that flock to Otuzco for her special
commemorations in December, so, when its roof collapsed during an earthquake,
the locals took the opportunity to build a new, larger church next door and
re-roofed the old church with corrugated iron. It is now a fascinating museum,
housing the thousands of dollars worth of offerings donated by the faithful. Row
upon row of glass cabinets contain the sumptuously embroidered robes that cloak
the Virgin’s statue when she’s paraded through the streets, but there were also
three cabinets of small shoes, offered by the shoemakers of Trujillo, tall
cabinets of assorted whatnots donated by individual families, several cabinets
of gold and silver jewellery of all types and sizes, even a cabinet of human
hair, grown then cut off and offered as a personal treasure to the Virgin.
To me, there was a strong element of bargaining in these
offerings, which seemed rather more profane than sacred and, in a country as
poor as Peru ,
to leave such largesse in a museum seemed an unbelievable waste. Apparently,
you can donate small items and money simply by depositing them in the capacious
blue barrels in the new church but, if you want to offer something more
significant like a robe for the Virgin to wear, you must first write to the
church authorities for permission. They write back, approving and scheduling the
date you may make your gift. For example, the wearing of the robes is reserved
so far in advance that the Virgin may not wear a current donation until perhaps
2025.
The new church, adjacent to the old, is a solid grey
concrete monstrosity – ugly in its utilitarianism. Visitors were having their
photos taken in front of the altar and the statues of the various saints who
occupy the walls. We went upstairs to see the ‘lesser’ Virgin – this statue is
still considered sacred, just not as sacred as the larger, main statue inside.
You had to pay for an appointment to see that one.
Leaving the Virgin to her followers, we walked up one of the steep streets that lead off the plaza and up the hill beyond, though, in fact, this was also part of the Otuzco religious experience. Climbing up the narrow pedestrian street, with beds of flowers running up it, small religious statues at various points as you ascended and a large cross at the top, also earns the faithful brownie points – so I made a couple of small non-verbal wishes – no harm in putting them out there! The view from the top was certainly worth the effort, as were the views from the surrounding streets which we also explored.
One interesting local tradition we noticed as we strolled
around was the adorning of the roofs of new houses with bunches of flowers. And,
when someone in the house is getting married, small figurines representing the
bride and groom are also placed on the roof. I also noticed several roofs with
small bull and matador statuettes – our guide was not sure of the significance
of these.
We wandered around the local market and popped in to a
small, but charming local chapel, where the Italian-born priest was delighted
to have interested visitors and happily explained a little of the history of
his building. We ate in a local restaurant, though declined the offer of guinea
pig, settling instead for a big bowl of chunky chicken and vegetable soup. It
was a refreshing change to be in a relaxed small town, away from the hustle and
bustle of big cities, breathing the fresh mountain air, and exploring at a
leisurely pace.
We were back in Trujillo by
about 4pm, in plenty of time for a last piece of the local mouth-watering
cakes, a last stroll around the streets for a few more photos, and a bite to
eat before heading back to the Cruz del Sur bus station for the overnight bus
back to Lima .
It had been a laid-back kind of day, the ideal way to finish off a wonderful
week’s holiday exploring northern Peru .
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