POVERTY & RICHES IN PIURA

Farmers returning home- Ayabaca

PIURA  is a land of unique algarrobo trees, a variety of mesquite similar to the carob, and it is the region with the most equatorial tropical dry forests in the whole Pacific.

My enclosed garden - Piura

These eco-regions carry a unique variety of orchids, birds, reptiles, plants and mammals. Piura is known for the best and oldest lime-lemons in South America (they use them in everything and taste nothing like our limes or lemons) as well as South America's finest mango (tropical dry), which I do not like.
With Lambayeque, it is the original home of Pima cotton. Piura also produces bananas, coconuts, rice and other fruits as local income.

Its development has been favored also by the petroleum found in the ocean of Talara Province, fishing is blessed by two ocean currents, silver mines are common and phosphate plants popping up along the coast.

Farmers

It is not mine to get into the the politics of a nation I do not live in. In my visits to Piura I hear what the locals say, and as anywhere, they complain about government not doing enough. My friend Cliff who brings me to Piura with his wife Judy, says he has seen great economic improvement in the past six years, compared to ten years ago. In 2011, amidst an ongoing global recession and against a historical backdrop of political violence, social instability and economic vulnerability, Peru grew its GDP by 6.9 per cent.

Rural women buying bread
(Jeremy grabs some for us)

According to government statistics, less than a third of the Peruvian population now lives below the national poverty line, compared with around half in the early 2000s. But for many hundreds of thousands it is not fast enough. The poorest of the poor in Peru are in the arid Andean highlands, where a large majority of the indigenous Quechua and Aymara communities live below the poverty line .

I remember when Jeremy and I were trying to track down weavers on the coast, we came across some pretty rough areas with dirt roads, no plumbing or electricity, grandparents raising the children while both parents worked menial jobs, and yet there was always amazing hospitality and graciousness.

Many agencies, local and from abroad, are working to help peoples in rural areas to better their lives, especially in better agricultural practices.

Rural school- note desert

Women & children getting water

Here I present some photos I took of the contrasts of this area. For me the riches went far beyond the materialism I found in the "upper echelons" but was found in the people themselves.

Rural home

"The goat-lady" who grazed her goats in our wealthy area- Piura

30 cents taxi- Piura

Future farmer?

Ayabaca sweetheart

Elena shopping- Piura

Fishermen who give best fish in world!

POTTERY OF NORTHERN PERU

Vicus owl pot



I have always been drawn to the art of ancient cultures especially their jewelry and their pottery. In Northern Peru their works are less known but not any less beautiful.

VICUS peoples (400BC-600AD) were known for their work in ceramics, copper, and gold. Living mainly on the coastal deserts, they used the native clay and local dyes to produce natural and religious symbols; modern day pottery from the town of Chulucanas is said to closely resemble the ancient art. They created Double spout and bridge vessels that created whistling sounds when pouring liquids.


MOCHE potters (100-800AD) produced a great variety of exquisitely decorated vessels. The ceramics incorporated a wide-ranging subject matter, whether the actual form of the pot or the fine line paintings on them, of representations that included people, animals, and gods hunting and making war, music making, visiting rulers, burying the dead, curing the sick, anthropomorphic and ritual scenes. Moche ceramics illustrated all manner of behavior, both human and divine, through expressive modeling and painting, but there were certain reoccurring narrative themes throughout that defined their ideologies.

Moche pottery- note various themes

Pottery representing actual people in Moche ceramics is one of the best known art forms from the Andes.The pieces are very realistic, representing specific individuals, most likely that of important people or rulers.These portrait jars depict weaknesses and physical disabilities accurately; a wide variety depicts disfigured individuals and individuals with genetic defects, giving archeologists an insight into this ancient culture. For these ancients, the processes that created disfigurements were treated with respect and the people they affected were considered part of the normal human condition.

CHIMU (900-1470) ceramics are all black. This culture  is also known for its exquisite and intricate metal-working, one of the most advanced of pre-Columbian times.  Chimú ceramics were crafted for two functions: containers for daily domestic use and those made for ceremonial use for offerings at burials. Domestic pottery was developed without higher finishing, while funeral ceramics showed more aesthetic refinement.

Chimu llama head pot

The main features of Chimú ceramics were small sculptures, and manufacturing molded and shaped pottery for ceremonial or daily use. Ceramics were usually stained black, although there are some variations. Lighter ceramics were also produced in smaller quantities. The characteristic brightness was obtained by rubbing with a rock that previously had been polished. Many animals, fruits, characters, and mystical entities have been represented pictorially on Chimú ceramics.

When I was last in Piura, an old woman whose family I knew well, showed me about six pieces  that her husband has collected- legally or illeglly, I do not know. She later offered me one, which I took, knowing I would never get it out of the country.  I gave it to her daughter to keep for her children, as it is part of their heritage, not mine.

Inca ceremonial vessel

 INCA (1438-1533) ceramics were painted using the polychrome technique portraying numerous motifs including animals, birds, waves, felines (which were popular in the Chavin culture) and geometric patterns found in the Nazca style of ceramics. Without a written language, ceramics portrayed the very basic scenes of everyday life, relationships and scenes of tribal warfare. It is through these preserved ceramics that we know what life was like for the ancient South Americans.


THE POTTERS OF CHULUCANAS - The town of Chulucanas is famous for its pottery. Originally dating from pre-Inca times it is today exported all over the world. The potters of the Vicus culture in the coastal deserts of Peru were known throughout the land as the finest ceramic artists. Using the clay beneath their feet, the natural symbols around them and a strong religious inspiration to guide them, they fashioned elegantly shaped, subtly painted ceramic pots. Designs are varied, but are predominated by black and white. There are several bigger companies but a lot of small manufactures are in Chulucanas itself and in the nearby villages of Quatro Esquinas.

Studio of  Maneno- polishing my purchases

Chulucanas is the home of Maneno. He was born, raise and still living in this town. In this town of artisans, Maneno decided to be a ceramist at the age of thirteen. He learned from his uncle Polo Ramirez, a great ceramist.  When I was last in Piura, we made a trip to this desert town, in evening (due to the heat of day), to visit Maneno and buy some of his wares. It was an amazing experience.

Victor Manuel Juarez is a young artist in search for his own style..." That is what the art critics say about Maneno, but he says he is neither young nor looking for a new style. He is believed to be one with his ancestors that have been making pottery for thousands of years. He is called LLINQA RIMACHIQ "The one that makes the clay speak".

Maneno

His work reflects the waves, the wind, the mountains and the melted snow. His style is the same used by old communities of Simbala, Chulucanas and Vicus. Maneno has represented Chulucanas all over the world in many occasions.

One of the kilns at Maneno's

Mother & Child & bird with llama from Maneno  (OLR Christmas card)

PIURA - OLD AND NEW

I am now in PIURA, located in the northwest corner of Peru. It is the oldest Spanish town in South America. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532, thus earning the modern day city its Peruvian nickname: "La Primera Ciudad"- meaning: the first city.

The Spanish named the city from the Quechuan word, pirhua, meaning abundance. Nowadays, Piura is known as the "Ciudad del eterno calor" meaning "The city of the eternal heat" because it is hot all year round.

When most people think ancient Peru they think Incas, but actually this civilization was more recent and very short-lived, lasting less than 100 years (1438 to 1533).

Like most of northern Peru, the territory of Piura had been inhabited by indigenous groups of natives called tallanes and yungas. These lived without an organization or single leader to rule until the Moche culture (100 to 800 AD) eventually took control. The Moche built great pyramids, spread-out towns and an extensive network of roads and water channels used for farming in a very dry region. They buried their elite with an impressive share of gold and precious stones. On my last trip we visited some amazing museums & pyramids of this culture near Chiclayo, several hours south of Piura.

Moche burial, Sipan, Peru

The Moche culture overlapped with the Vicús culture (200 B.C.-600 A.D.) which reigned in the northernmost corner of Peru´s coastal area where I am visiting. Several details of art and architecture link it with the Moche culture, but just as many details point to local development and influence radiating from the direction of Ecuador, which is not unusual considering Piura is on the border of Ecuador. After the Moche civilization disappeared mysteriously, the Chimor civilization ruled the northern coast of Peru, beginning around 850 and ending around 1470. Chimor was the last kingdom that had any chance of stopping the Inca conquest which began in the 1470s.

Vicus, dbl. chambered pot

Piura came under the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui for at least 40 years  before the Spanish arrived.

With the arrival of the Spanish in 1532, the current mestizo and creole cultures of Piura were born. This mestizo culture includes influences from Spanish Extremadura and Andalucia, African influence due to the arrival of slaves from Madagascar, the Chinese coolies that migrated from Canton to work the rice fields and replace the slaves, and also Roma Gypsies who came as pirates looking for pearls or incognito as Spanish horsemen. Northern Peru is basically today a melting pot of the many faces of these peoples.

My hostess and daughter

Piura served as the first main port through which the Inca gold the Spaniards had gathered was shipped back to Spain.

While Peru is the Latin American country with the highest levels of economic growth in recent years, almost half the children in the Piura region suffer from chronic malnutrition. This is due to the fact that so many fled the mountainous areas when the "Shining Path" raided their territories. Now these people cram the city, especially along the rivers.

Poverty

Intense irrigation of the desert has made Piura a major agricultural center ( rice, cotton and plantain crops), that feeds the masses. One does not think of rice associated with this land of potatoes, but rice is usually served with every meal.  This is due to the influence of the Chinese who came.

Lush rice fields

I love this area (not the heat) and especially the people, who treat me like royalty.  To see a nun in habit is rare, so they have great respect for religious.
It is hard to see the poverty, but the smiling faces everywhere I go gives joy to my heart and even when I return home, these people are with me.

Quecha and Maria

Susana and her three

Andreas & Luis Antonio with tennis trophy LA had just won

PIURA, PIURA, PIURA

 

Map of Regions of Peru

Cathedral- Piura

PIURA is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. The population is 377,496 for the city area, but 665,991 for the region.  At first I found this Province/region busness confusing, till I looked at a map. 

Peru is divided into 25 regions with 195 provinces except for the Lima Province which does not belong to any region. Of the 25 regions I have only been to three: Lima, Piura, and Lambayeque.

In the region of PIURA, there are eight Provinces, again confusing as Piura is the region, the province and the capitol of the province. So it reads, Piura, Piura, Piura.

Piura at night

Ayabaca, one of my favorites places on this planet, is a province within the region of Piura and is the capitol of its province. So it reads  Ayabaca, Ayabaca, Piura.

Ayabaca

My Irish friend, Jeremy, lives in Sullana  (city)  which is in the region of  Piura, and the province of Sullana.

Our famous potters live in Chulucanas  the capitol town of the province of Morropón in the region of Piura.

Chulucanas

 When we travel south to Elena's family in the region of Lambayeque it is to the capitol city of Chiclayo, whose province is Chiclayo. Now do you see why I get confused???? And that is only a small part of the country!

Reed fishing boats- near Chiclayo

FACES OF NORTHERN PERU

Lucio & his sons- my host last visit

The people of Peru are known to be some of the most friendly in the world. They are also not known for their quiet demeanor, though I find the peoples of the highlands and mountains to be less boisterous and much more shy.

Piuranos are characterized by their witty minds, melancolic Tondero music and welcoming personalities. Like all Peruvians, they are heavy drinkers of chicha de jora, pisco or beer and all of them have a tendency towards creativity and art as their source of income.

Here are some photos of my favorites- family, friends and strangers met in travels and I hope on this trip to make many more friends..

Susana's three- my hostess this time

Woman spinning- on the way to Ayabaca

Lucio's wife Elena & Mamma

Dinner with Elena's family-Chiclayo

Abby- on the boat trip of a lifetime!

Prior & Father David OSB - Incarnation Monastery south of Lima

Jeremy's wonderful friends - Ayabaca (Mts.)

MH with Benedictine nuns of Sechura

TRINITY SUNDAY

 

The Trinity- Ethiopian

Alcario Otero

TRINITY SUNDAY is a moveable feast celebrated a week after Pentecost Sunday in honor of the most fundamental of Christian beliefs- belief in the Holy Trinity. We can never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, but we can sum it up in the following formula: God is three Persons in one Nature. The three Persons of God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - are all equally God, and They cannot be divided.

 As the Fourth Lateran Council declared, "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds". While distinct in their relations with one another, they are one in all else. The whole work of creation and grace is a single operation common to all three divine persons, who at the same time operate according to their unique properties, so that all things are from the Father, through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. The three persons are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial.

Trinity Sunday is celebrated in all the Western liturgical churches: Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, most Presbyterians, Methodists, and many churches within the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

It is one of the few feasts that are celebrated as a doctrine instead of an event. It is also symbolic of the unity of the Trinity.

Arturo Olivas

 St. Ignatius of Antioch (early Church Doctor and Martyr)  provides early support for the Trinity around 110, exhorting obedience to "Christ, and to the Father, and to the Spirit."

 Justin Martyr (AD 100–ca.165) also writes, "in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Savior Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit." The first of the early church fathers recorded actually using the word Trinity was Theophilus of Antioch writing in the late 2nd century. He defines the Trinity as God, His Word (Logos) and His Wisdom (Sophia) in the context of a discussion of the first three days of creation. The first defense of the doctrine of the Trinity was in the early 3rd century by the early church father Tertullian. He explicitly defined the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and defended the Trinitarian theology against the "Praxean" heresy.


The most famous image of the Blessed Trinity is the icon of the Trinity was painted around 1410 by Andrei Rublev. It depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, but is often interpreted as an icon of the Trinity. It is sometimes called the icon of the Old Testament Trinity. Rublev is considered to be the
greatest medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescoes.

I arise today

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.
        (from St. Patrick's Breastplate)

ART IN PERU

Madonna of Belen

As I prepare for my second trip to Northern Peru, I present some of the glorious art I will see in the lovely Churches there. This area does not have its own tradition of Church art, so most of what I will see is from another place to the south.

The Trinity with Saints

The most famous Catholic art in Peru period is from the Colonial period from the 16th to 18th Centuries. The Cuzco School is a Roman Catholic artistic tradition based in Cuzco, Peru. The European influence in these paintings came from the Spanish who tried to convert the Incas to Catholicism.




Paintings are characterized by their exclusive use of religious images, lack of perspective, and the predominance of red, yellow, and earth colors. They also use a lot of gold leaf. The subjects are usually depicted in native flora and fauna as a backdrop, the most common is of the Virgin Mary, sometimes with the Child Jesus.

Madonna with Alpacas

My favorite is Madonna with Alpacas. She was painted by an unknown artist. Note the gold leaf highlighting. The Madonna has her eyes downcast, which suggests that she was painted by an Indian artist.

The Spanish painters who arrived at the Viceroyalty of Peru taught their techniques to the local artists, and they began to shape on linen cloths their own representations, creating a new iconographic interpretation of the Peruvian reality. Most of these paintings were created anonymously because of Pre-Columbian traditions that define art as communal.

Chapel- University Piura

The established school was commissioned to paint sacred art in churches and monasteries throughout the Peruvian city of Cuzco after the area was devastated by an earthquake in 1650. The collected efforts of numerous artists gradually evolved into a unique yet harmonious and consistent style, devoid of individualism. These paintings are usually not signed, but represent traditional depictions of the religious subjects most important to the local indigenous and Hispanic populations.

St. Joseph with Child Jesus

St Michael Archangel (A very popular figure)