My first 35mm photographs
Cuzco - Perú
(Canon AE-1)
Lion's Tail (Leonotis Leonurus), or as locals call it here, "Mamacha Corona", is a beautiful orange flower, abundant in the Sacred Valley, located in Cusco, capital of the Inca Empire.
Hummingbirds love to fly and gather around these tall striking flowers, however, locals consider it bad weed, burning it off as it's almost on every piece of land in the area.
Fer and I took a long stroll around 2:30 PM, enjoying the calm breeze graze through the leaves and crops as it makes a silencing white noise, the distant sound of cattle, and our footsteps on the muddy dirt road each step of the way.
Although, to get here is not an easy task. After a long car ride from Cusco city, we rode a Mototaxi uphill, down from Calca.
It's not a catholic all-terrain alien spaceship designed in the 60', it's a motorized tricycle used to transport people for a very cheap and affordable price. After our walk, we went back to Calca.
As we neared the town's plaza, one can’t help but notice an intriguing curiosity - the presence of not just one, but two bustling plazas. This unique characteristic sets Calca apart, as most towns typically feature a single central plaza.
From here, we embarked on another journey by car, this time heading towards Ollantaytambo, an ancient Inca military fortress which guards the gateway to Machu Picchu. It bravely resisted the onslaught of Spanish conquistadors and Inca rebels during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in 1537.
Peering down one of Ollantaytambo’s narrow, military-engineered streets, the imposing Pumamarca fortress comes into view. Perched on a steep slope, this Inca-built stronghold stands sentinel at the entrance to the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo’s story is legendary, having withstood the Spanish conquistadors in a battle held in January 1537. This historic confrontation saw Inca Emperor Manco Inca, leading an army of approximately 30,000 soldiers, face off against Hernando Pizarro, brother of Francisco Pizarro, who commanded 100 Spanish soldiers and 30,000 Inca rebels.
And as we walked through the narrow Ollantaytambo streets, we saw two girls calmly walk side by side singing in Quechua, their voices intertwined as they sang a living testament to the enduring spirit of their ancestors.
This fortress, a symbol of resistance and resilience, stands as a proud reminder of a culture that has weathered countless storms and continues to be challenged, yet, like the warriors that withstood the Spanish conquistadors, this millenary culture remains unbroken.
