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Goshen College

The second service visits in Ayacucho: Tim and John

November 9, 2016

Thursday and Friday, Oct. 27-28.

John shows us the workshop and two recent pieces.
John shows us the workshop and two recent pieces.

Ayacucho has traditionally been famous for having 33 large Catholic churches, its large Easter week celebrations, and for being the site of a famous battle for South American independence.  But in recent history it is best known, tragically, as the birthplace of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) terrorist movement that had its zenith from 1980-2000.  An estimated 70,000 people, disproportionately civilians, were killed either by Shining Path or government security forces during the conflict.

Tim works at The Museum of the Memory (El Museo de la Memoria), dedicated to teaching future generations about the conflict.  It began as an organization of mothers of those who had been “disappeared” by either Shining Path or the military, but a group from Germany that works to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust urged the mothers to begin a museum that would teach future generations about the Conflict, so that it is never repeated.  After Tim introduced us to the museum and his work, we went to his home for lunch with his father, Samuel (a pastor), and mother, Julia.

John lives a 45-minute drive outside Ayacucho in the small village of Quinua, famous for its artisan crafts, the livelihood for most of the town’s population.  This suits John, an art major, very well.  Even better, he lives and works in the home of the town’s most famous potter, Maximilio Limaco.  Rachel, Alex, and Tim joined Maria and Doug for the trip to Quinua to visit John, arriving in time for a traditional Andean lunch with the family.  During our visit several groups of tourists came shopping at the combination home/art gallery.

Quinua is most famous for having been the site of the 1824 Battle of Ayacucho, where South American forces fighting for independence defeated the Spanish royalist army.  John took us to the historical monument and battlefield, where the students also rode horses for an hour.

Tim in front of the museum where he works. The mural shows scenes from the conflict.
Tim giving a tour to an English-speaking visitor to the museum.
A museum display about the many clandestine graves discovered after the war.
Tim’s ‘office.’
One of Tim’s jobs is to translate the testimonies of victims from Spanish to English.
Tim poses with two of the mothers of the organization.
Maria and Willy (our staff person for service visits) arrive at Tim’s home for lunch.
Our lunch with Tim’s host family included a Peruvian favorite, aji de gallina.
Tim with his host parents and brother.
John stands in the entrance to his family’s courtyard/art gallery.
Lunch at the family-run restaurant .
A typical lunch from the region: corn, potatoes, fried pork, and a salad with a cheese sauce.
John’s father demonstrates the natural tools used for making their pottery.
A proud John stands behind his work.
John shows us the workshop and two recent pieces.
John’s mother, Ana Maria, shows Willy a medicinal plant used to treat stomach aches.
John’s accesses his 2nd-story bedroom via a ladder.
Two local school boys sing (for 33 cents each) about the major battle for independence outside of town in 1824.
Sadly, Tim lost to Maria in a game of pool.
Rachel and Alex get John’s advice about what to buy.
Rachel enjoys the open-air living room above the restaurant kitchen.
The monument at the site of the independence battle.