Peruvian Mennonite church and the terraces of Tipon
June 23, 2017
Sunday, June 11.
Last night all the students were left in pairs at the homes of Mennonite families in Cusco or the village of Lucre. In the morning students had breakfast with their respective families and then went together to the Mennonite church in either Cusco or Lucre. The 2-hour services featured (lots of) singing, preaching, and announcements, not unlike our churches at home. Many of the Mennonite families in Lucre have family trout farms and restaurants, and we enjoyed the fresh fish at one of those. After lunch we headed to the Incan ruins of Tipon, believed to have been the royal estate of an emperor.
Cassie, Anja, Christy and Alia after breakfast at the home of Erica and her family.Walking to the Mennonite church in Lucre.Maria and Doug stayed at the home of Cornelia.The Mennonite church in Lucre.Women leave their hats on the back windowsill for the service.Lunch was trout, a major product grown in Lucre.The trout are grown in these tanks and within 30 minutes of being netted are cleaned, cooked, and on our plate.Tipon, 13 irrigated terraces, was the estate of an Incan emperor.We caught our breath here while the guide explained the Tipon terraces.The stone walls not only formed the terraces, but in winter stored the sun’s heat to help keep crops from freezing on occasional nights when the temperature reaches 32 F.The centerpiece of the terraces was a spring leading to this fountain.The building at upper right was a residence for the Incan emperor and his family.Olivia and Jordan climb “flying stairs” while physics majors Anja and Austin inspect the hydraulic characteristics of a water canal.The flat area above the upper stone wall is believed to be the result of the Incas removing the top of the ridge to get the rocks and soil they needed to fill in the valley and create the broad terraces.Time for another break to catch our breath and take notes from the guide.This 500-year-old aquaduct still functions to bring water to the terraces from a stream more than a mile away.Below is the fertile Urubamba valley, which was the breadbasket of the Incan Empire.Although the sun always seemed to be in our faces for group pictures, we were glad to see sunshine after several weeks in Lima’s overcast winter skies.Not sure what this was, but they were having fun.
