La familia de Don Segundo

I drove the high altitude highway snaking through the green mountians of inner Canar province with the students this afternoon. This is our very last trip out to the field, but this time to our lower camp amongst the alpaca herds of Stu´s land in the community of La Libertad. Past men on horses, metal milk pails by the roadside, honking ducks, furry pigs, and huge bulls tethered to stakes by the path. It is nice to be back.

Seth and I have arranged student homestays with families in the nearby indigineous cooperative community of Colepato across the valley. Colelpato means ¨duck tail¨. This place is literally the end of all roads before the trackless paths that wind into the wilderness of Sangay. Life here moves very slow, traditional, and timeless. The lushness of the valley and agrarian scenes of cattle grazing the hillsides and bright dressed Canari men and woman on horseback is idealic, but another reality here lies behind this veneer. One we will all have new appreciation, understanding, and respect for soon.

We picked up Romero, Stu´s ranch foreman who is from Colepato before we arrived for introductions. As we pulled into the pastures we found him butchering a fresh killed alpaca. After dividing the skin from flesh and cutting off the meat in sections he neatly cracked the pelvic gurdle and pulled the entire organ mass and intestines out in one unbroken clean pull with narey a drop of blood. Everything broken down from animate life to food in a matter of minutes. Apparently we are the reason for this occasion and Stu has decided to cull this male from the herd for a community feast after the homestays.

We dropped each pair of anxious students off with families as we traveled up the hillside and at the top Seth and I got our ourselves. We too will be doing a homestay here at the house of Don Segundo (as in yes, Don ¨Second¨, second child) here at the top of the valley. Their are a gaggle of kids about, 14 in fact and all ages. My new brothers and sisters and soon I´m being led by the hand down the hillside to help gather cattle with bright eyed curious boys quizing me with questions. A small puppy follows in tow tumbling over itself through the grasses now in sharp relief with the slow slide of the sun over the distance peaks falling into shadows.

This should be an interesting next couple of days.