Ultimos Posts 1. 05/05/2013 17:46 - The Art of Adobe Wherever you go in the rural villages of Peru's sierra you will see many or most houses made of adobe mud bricks. They are usually small, squat, with a couple of tiny windows and an unattractive roof of corrugated iron ( calamina ), sometimes held down by small rocks. They are practically a symbol of poverty and what is considered backwardness. Yet, just preparing the basic materia... 2. 06/04/2013 23:12 - Maiz Cabanita: El Solay/La Siembra (Planting Time) 1 The highlight of the agricultural calendar in Cabanaconde is El Solay or La Siembra , the planting season. The expression solay is unique to Cabanaconde and I understand it to be some kind of linguistic hybrid (it's neither Spanish nor Quechua). The classical Quechua expression would be sara tarpuy (literally, maize planting), and this is also used in Cabanaconde, albeit within par... 3. 03/03/2013 20:11 - What I Miss: New Zealand vs. Peru Over the past five or six years, I've divided my time between New Zealand and Peru. I've generally made a lot of effort to get back to Peru, and when I'm there I don't really feel homesick. This might be because I've always been there on a fixed term - if it became permanent I might feel differently. However,there are always a few things about New Zealand I miss when I'm away. Conv... 4. 09/02/2013 03:44 - Cabanaconde: Making Chicha Previous posts on Cabanaconde and maíz cabanita: first , second , third , fourth , fifth An absolutely vital ingredient in the agricultural cycle is chicha , the maize beer that is drunk before, during and after work in the chacras , especially during large collective efforts such as the solay /planting. Here's a description of how it is produced. Note that this refers only to... 5. 26/01/2013 17:33 - El Maíz Cabanita: El Arado (The Art of the Plough) Previous posts on Cabanaconde and maíz cabanita: first , second , third , fourth Once the land is irrigated, it is time for the barbecho , which refers to the process of turning over and resting the soil before the next planting begins. This post describes el arado (ploughing), which is an important part of both this stage and the planting season. The traditional way to ... |
