The final full day in Peru brought us a cosmopolitan perspective on the country. After the suffocating touristic beat of Ollantaytambo, we were once again in a place that had a rather different quotidian pulse, although much was still centered on tourism.
In contrast to most of the USA, the streets of downtown Cusco are windy and narrow. A small labyrinth of Incan and colonial architecture worms its way around the city. On every corner there seems to be a church. Around these totems of Spanish conquest, one finds a bustle of boutiques selling much Peruvian ware. Prices vary considerably - the finest items being found in roomy, large-windowed stores marked by clean lines and trendy logos. But the real fun is to be had in the small clothing and souvenir shops where you negotiate your way around the wares while being pursued by sellers intent on making a sale. Both students and faculty enjoyed the challenge of entering into bargaining with the shopkeepers to get the best price on purses, scarves and sweaters. Oh, and there was a ubiquity of llamas!
We were also treated to the spectacle of a prolonged (i.e. the whole morning) parade through the city center. Drums resounded; children marched; bigwigs made speeches. It was a window into a civic culture rather unlike our own in some ways.
The activities we engaged in in Cusco made one reflect on the diversity of experience we have had in Peru. Here we were once again in the throes of commercialism, billboards proclaiming the latest deals. Here we were in the familiar territory of fashion and cellphones, the tremor of traffic and its attendant impatience. Here there was noise. It made me think how the citizens of Cusco have, in some ways, more in common with their Baltimorean cousins than they do with those of Infierno. But in other ways they are, of course, very different.
All in all, it was a reminder of the sheer complexity of identity and belonging in the modern world. I am glad that I was able to witness students' engagement with such mutable qualities. It is clear that they have learned a lot about themselves and the wider world.
Will Sheard
