A Visit to Corcor Village

Monday, 20 August 2018

Our day started with a visit to the small village of Corcor, where we were able to learn about traditional Andean life: food, agriculture, herbal medicines, and textiles were on display.

Welcome to Corcor!

The first step in turning alpaca wool into textiles is to wash it. It was amazing how quickly the dull gray-brown wool became nearly pure white.

Traditional dyes are made from a number of plant and and animal sources. The deep reds (cochineal) are made by crushing beetles found on prickly pear cacti. The color can be modified by adding additional chemicals. The center smear is untreated cochineal. The color to the left has had copper phosphate added. The color to the right has been treated with lemon juice. The very dark top color result from the addition of alum.

The village women make a wide variety of textiles on traditional hand looms.

Agriculture is accomplished with plenty of manpower and the assistance of oxen. The fruits tied to the oxen's heads are given as rewards for pulling the plow properly. Note that the oxen are "yoked" by their horns, not their shoulders.

The traditional way of grinding grains. The large rocking stone grinds much more quickly than using a mortar and pestle.

The soups, stews, and vegetables were very tasty.

Meat and potatoes Peruvian style. Roasted cuy (pronounced "coo-ee", guinea pig) is the major source of meat in rural areas. We saw lots of roasted cuy along the roads. Cuy was gamey, tough, and fatty, but tasty. Once was enough for me!