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Some days passed in Cusco. La ciudad Puma. The heart of the Inca empire, Cusco is shaped like a Puma. The plaza, located at the great puma’s heart, is constantly beating. Pumping life forces, coherent and disjunct. Honking of car horns, tubas and trumpets, bark-bark, BANG. Each morning, the sounds of shots fired burst my being from dream-space to place of regimented performance. On Thursday, it was a Catholic celebration, the day of Corpus Christi. The day before it was a colegio band precession. On Saturday, a military parade. The experience of rest is a privilege that need be rivaled by the insistent movements of la puma. As I willingly stay horizontal, slightly opening the ears and re-wiring the mind to attempt to understand the voices projected throughout the plaza, I wonder, who is this for? I wish curiosity could replace one of the 5 medications I was given to de-enflame my intestines (damaged 5 days ago by our last meal in Lima: langostinas + cerveza = XXXX), I wish curiosity could invigorate a sleepy morning with the energy to go out and witness, become a part. I guess its not that urgent. After snooze, I went to the roof with my yoga mat, the message then received more directly, like a voice of the gods raining down from above. Is this war? Breathing, extending, flowing, coming serenely into myself. Am I involved in this war? The processions of militant bodies, bearing weaponry and national pride, is but a spectacle today. A play, a re-creation, a remembrance. It could turn real, as it once was. So much history in humanity. I am here to learn; I hope my learning can keep us safe. read full post >>

This week we arrived in Cusco! While the journey was arduous and surprisingly difficult due to the high altitude, the struggle was 100% worth it. Being in Cusco, and staying in what is apparently the best hotel in Cusco during Corpus Christi is such an honour and a privilege. Although the first few days were difficult since we had to leave for the airport at 3:00 AM and were riddled with altitude sickness, and my two roommates got an intestinal infection, our time in Cusco so far has been really special. read full post >>

Syntax slays! slaye el syntax? read full post >>

First thoughts on reading the beginnings of Inka Bodies and the Body of Christ by Carolyn Dean The Thursday that shines greater than the sun, “Jueves que reluce más que el sol” At around 11 am this morning, the announcing archbishop said these words: “Esta no es una fe sincrética.” The translations of some of […] read full post >>

I am fascinated with the way children develop their own unique forms of justice, or hierarchies. At the boarding school in ‘’Deep Rivers’’, children would physically fight against each other, almost ceremonially. The game names sides after Peruvians and Chileans, and it explicitly imitates war. There is, collectively, a need to reenact political violence, and […] read full post >>

While I have long been aware that many of the buildings in Cusco are built on top of Inca structures, I realized that I have never *really* taken the time to consider the origins of the materials for the colonial buildings that sit atop these Inca remains. The second chapter of Inka Bodies by Carolyn Dean explains that The Cathedral of Cusco was constructed using the stones that were taken, or perhaps more appropriately, stolen from Sacsayhuamán, an Incan citadel that lies just north of where we are now. The...read more read full post >>

Reading Blog 3 read full post >>

Reading Blog 3 read full post >>

Having now shifted from Lima to Cusco, I have felt the differing landscapes of these cities to be reflected in my overall mood. Cusco- once known as the center of the universe to the Incas- holds much history and life in every corner. I was extremely moved during my reading of Deep Rivers. In my […] read full post >>

Cusco circa 1920 read full post >>