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Goshen College

Modern Caral near ancient Caral – Day 1

October 4, 2016

Thursday, Sept. 22

The level fields in the valley are irrigated from a river flowing down from the Andes or from wells.
The level fields in the valley are irrigated from a river flowing down from the Andes or from wells.

We took a two-day field trip to see the ruins of Caral, a city built north of modern Lima about 4,600 years ago. But before visiting ancient Caral, we spent a day in modern Caral, a typical rural village that gave its name to the ruins but hasn’t greatly benefited from the tourist traffic flowing each day to its famous namesake.

Modern Caral, the same as ancient Caral, does benefit from sitting alongside the Supe river flowing down from the high Andes and creating a belt of green on its way to the ocean.  Around modern Caral, a quiet town of only a few hundred residents, are flat, irrigated fields boasting a variety of crops, including corn, passion fruit, and vegetables destined for export markets.  That was the only lifeblood of the town before the discovery of the ruins in the recent past.

After a quick exploration around the town we met with its elected representative to hear the history and the struggles the residents have had to keep get land titles and electricity.  After lunch Maria arranged for us to join in the fields some migrant workers from the Andes who come here to pick fruits and vegetables.  We suspect that mostly, rather than helping them finish earlier, we may have slowed them down.  To see if they would sing us a song in their native Quechua language, we offered to sing them a song.  As we debated which one, someone suggested, “That hymn we sing at soccer games” (aka “606).

Back in town the students played with kids in the park until dusk, when several local residents came to meet with us and share their concerns and hopes for the town.

In her journal Riley reflected on the experiences of working with and listening to the locals.
In her journal Riley reflected on the experiences of working with and listening to the locals.

In her journal Riley noted that while picking the peppers benefited us in beginning to understand their lives better, the actual contribution may have been just slowing them down.   [This] “is a small, loving community that  needs help.  It is a lack of available higher education and agricultural advancement, and it is an inability to capitalize off of the tourism brought in by the ruins.  Then, and this is where the heartache comes in, you are left with a community fallen victim to a vicious circular cycle, and it is waiting for some kind of saving grace … I could feel the hope in their eyes and I couldn’t bare it, knowing that the next day I would leave …”

Our bus arrives at our hostel (on right) in Caral.
One of 10 streets in Caral.
We had a Peruvian favorite, papas a la huancaina, for lunch.
Mighty Riley can lift 6 friends off the ground while standing on one tippy-toe.
The town’s mayor (in white hat) explains the history of the town and its challenges.
Moses leads her people to the land of peppers.
The level fields in the valley are irrigated from a river flowing down from the Andes or from wells.
We will pick the chili peppers used for making paprika.
We joined about a half dozen migrant workers from the Andes.
The workers wear shirts over the heads to protect themselves from the sun and dust.
Singing and clapping the “halelujah” segment of the “606.”
More peppers = more joy.
Walking from the fields back towards town.
Blowing bubbles is a universal language.
Another universal kid language are patty-cake games.
A game of frisbee in the park.
Maddie and Achieng wowed the girls with their jump-rope expertise.
Our meeting with town residents.
Maria lays out the rules for some night “futbolito.”
Brad presses the attack, but we still lost.