Peru Blog – Snedeker Science

Climate change is a major concern that will affect us all. Through workshops, presentations, and reading science articles I have learned quite a bit about the impacts that climate change may have on New York State and the NYC watershed in which I live. As I prepared for my field experience I wanted to learn how it will impact life in Peru. To begin our journey we will go back in time several millenia to look at the climate in Pre-Incan Peru. Much of this information came from exhibits held within Museo Larco. If you are ever in Peru I highly recommend visiting it.

One of countless artifacts contained within the museum.

Agriculture was a major component of the societies of ancient Peru as seen by the vast quantities of terraces. Their main concern was that the cycles of nature would go unchanged. They understood the importance of these cycles and even created observatories to mark significant events like seasons. There were three conditions that were of great importance:

That the climate was favorable and water arrived at the right time and in sufficient quantity.
That the land was fertile
That people worked in an organized manner.

The end of the Moche culture may have been partially the result of a change in one of these cycles. El Niño is a natural climate pattern that is caused by a weakening of the trade winds over the Pacific Ocean affecting the weather globally. Around 600 CE a very strong El Niño occurred flooding irrigation systems and reducing the amount of fish off the coast. This led to the people losing faith in their leaders who are considered to be representatives to the gods.

Image from NOAA showing how El Niño affects rainfall. Peru, which is normally dry, receives more rain than normal.

Ironically, it is due to El Niño that researchers have so many artifacts to study. The number of Incan artifacts is relatively low because the Spanish destroyed most of them when they conquered the Incas. Older artifacts were buried and thus preserved. Approximately, every 18 to 25 years Peru’s northern coast sees torrential rains as a result of El Niño which causes flooding. The receding floodwaters leave a layer of mud that marked the period in which the rain occurred. Layers of wind-blown sand build up between the layers of flood-derived sediment. The study of this stratigraphy allows archaeologists to calculate the ages of the artifacts.

It is clear that climate played a major role in the lives of the ancient Peruvians but that doesn’t quite address my question. While hiking through the Colca Canyon (see earlier post) I learned first-hand how a changing climate has affected the life of these ancient peoples. In Pre-Incan times, the terraces were built higher up on the mountain because there were ten rainy months during the year so the river was higher. The Incans built terraces lower on the canyon walls because they saw six or seven rainy months. Now it rains only two or three months out of the year and the river is quite low. With receding glaciers, water access in this canyon will be impacted. These climate changes occurred at a much slower rate than we are seeing today which is alarming.

Parts of Lima have buildings made of mud bricks like seen at these ruins. This is fine when you live in a location that receives no rain but when the rains do come your buildings will disintegrate.

Moving to present day, I tried to ask a variety of stakeholders what impacts they were seeing related to climate change today. It was hard to get a clear answer at times because from what I was told, the terms weather and climate are often used interchangeably so much was lost in translation. As mentioned earlier, Lima receives only something like five centimeters of rain a year. This is not enough to provide for a city of over eleven million people. The city receives its water from three rivers that flow from the Andes to the Ocean. As the temperatures warm due to a changing climate, the glaciers are receding which is reducing the water in the rivers. Glaciers melt slowly over time providing water gradually to the rivers. Without glaciers there might be times with little to no runoff.

Growing grass and flowers (no flowers in this particular median) does not seem like an efficient use of a limited resource like water.

Heavy rain events are very rare in Lima but their frequency is increasing. They used to occur every 40 to 50 years but now that is down to 30 to 40 years. In certain parts of the city they used mud bricks to build their buildings which totally disintegrate in a wet climate. Heavy rains lead to erosion and can impact the turbidity of the water in the rivers. With no reservoirs this excess water is just lost to sea. Changing ocean temperatures may reduce the productivity of the ocean as well. Warmer temperatures lead to less plankton which leads to less marine life. Fishing, the life-blood of many Peruvians, is at risk.

I have a lot further to go in my understanding of how climate change will affect life in Peru but I have a foundation to build upon. I’m hoping that over time I can find a group of Peruvian students to partner my students with so we could learn from each other and work on developing local solutions that we could each implement within our respective communities. Maybe someday we will be like the ancient Peruvians and work towards protecting the natural cycles.

Saving the Best for Last

By neilsnedeker

On August 31, 2022

In Peru Blog

Of all of my excursions I was looking forward to hiking Vinicunca, or Rainbow Mountain, the most. This is a fairly new tourist destination in Peru because up until fairly recently the top of the mountain was covered by glaciers. The glaciers have since melted which led to the discovery of the rocks that give it its name Rainbow Mountain.

Definitely the coolest alpacas you will ever meet!

This would be one of several very early mornings in a span of a few days. Our tour group would leave at 3:00 a.m. to beat the crowds which turned out to be a great decision. We were the second tour there and by the time I was descending the mountain there was pretty much a single file line of people trying to make their way up.

Tilted layers of rock. The more resistant layers stick out while the less resistant layers wear away.

The climb was not easy. It was about a four mile round-trip hike that would take me over 17,000 feet of elevation. Given the fact that it was Winter and I was so high it was by far the coldest morning of the trip. There was ice and frost on the ground and I had to break out the hat and gloves. Most people opted to ride horses up the majority of the mountain but I wanted to hike it. As I approached the top I would take a step or two, breathe heavily for a minute or so, and then take a few more steps.

It was definitely worth it. These colors were not edited like in the pictures you see online.

The ridge of rainbow mountain is made up of layers of rock of different types that have been tilted over time. I’m not sure if I’m 100% correct but I will act confident so people will believe me. The reds are due to iron oxides present in the rock, the greens are from the mineral chlorite, yellows are due to iron sulfides in the rock, and the purplish colors come from goethite. As a rock nerd it was difficult to take my eyes away from the amazing views even as my lungs burned from the cold, dry, lack of air.

The u-shaped valley is evidence that this area was once covered by a valley glacier. At the base of the valley an outwash plain was evident.

All good things must come to an end. The tour guides herded us up and it was time to descend the mountain. This would be much easier than the ascent although as I approached the parking lot I started to feel a little light headed and I started to develop a headache. Hours at very high elevation (the highest I had previously hiked was 13,000 feet) and very little water probably played a role. Once back in the bus we would stop for lunch which would clear up my headache. That night I would fly from Cusco to Lima so that I could catch an early morning flight home. I paid for a hotel room that I would only use for about 2.5 hours between getting in after midnight and needing to leave the hotel at 3:00 a.m. the next morning. It was a great trip but it was very good to get home.

Come visit my friends and I at Rainbow Mountain!

Of Course I Went There

By neilsnedeker

On August 30, 2022

In Peru Blog

Machu Picchu. When most people think about Peru visions of Machu Picchu form in their head. I’m sure eventually I would have gotten the question about whether or not I visited so I figured I would get that out of the way up front. I will not be talking about the frustrations with the tour company I was booked through and all the problems I had including getting off the train in Aguas Calientes with no idea of what I was supposed to do. Let’s keep this positive!

Here is a sneak peak of what it looked like. Yes, it rained. The only day of rain in three and a half weeks.

My tour of this majestic set of ruins would not be until the second day of my hike. On the first day we would stop at several ruins in the Sacred Valley. One of these ruins was Pisac. Like so much of the Incan ruins they were built on a mountain. It is believed that this complex was built as a residence, an astronomical observatory, and for religious purposes. My memory isn’t what it used to be and I went here a month and a half ago so I don’t remember much. Here is a picture!

All of the holes in this cliff were burial tombs. I would not want to be the one to carry a body up that steep slope!

One of the buildings at Pisac. The slanted walls make it earthquake proof.

After visiting these ruins we went to lunch. It was the only disappointing meal I had in my entire 25 day adventure. That comes out to one bad meal out of about 142 meals that I ate so I am not complaining. Next we went to another set of ruins where we climbed a lot of stairs, tried to look at some temple, and then quickly went back down the stairs because some of us had to catch the train. It was a beautiful train ride to Aguas Calientes, a town at the base of Machu Picchu. We would arrive after dark and I will skip the rest.

I learned how to tell the difference between Llamas and Alpacas. These are llamas.

The next morning a small group of us started the hike to the main gate of Machu Picchu. We started off well before sunrise so headlamps were a necessity. My previous 3 weeks was spent in a desert and I was not ready to hike in the rainforest. The humidity was 100% and it was warm. Shortly after beginning the ascent I was completely drenched in sweat. The climb was not that steep nor was it long but I definitely struggled. Upon reaching the gate I changed into a dry shirt which was then soaked through by the fog and the rain. For one glorious minute I was wearing a dry shirt though.

How did this rabbit get into this window? I have so many questions!

After a short walk we arrived at **The Spot**. It might have a name but this is the spot that everyone goes to for the iconic picture of Machu Picchu. It looked pretty grey to me. We hung out for an hour or so to wait for the weather to break. During this time we learned about the history of the the complex. It is much more impressive than I could have ever imagined. How did someone see these steep cliffs and then say to themselves, I want to build up there? For defense and security I totally get it but it must have been quite the endeavor especially considering it is built out of granite, a very hard rock.

From out of the fog came these ruins. Our patience was rewarded.

Eventually we had our fill of looking down into a large collection of the ruins and it was time to walk through them. The fog continued to lift and we would eventually see some blue skies. Now for more pictures!

I believe that this used to be a school or some sort of academy.

Some sort of astronomical observatory. The sun comes through specific windows and lands on specific parts of the rock on certain days of the year. In other words, this was somewhat of an ancient calendar.

Temple of the Condor. In the center on the bottom is the head and you can see the wings going out on either side of it. The large tan and black rocks that the temple walls are built around.

Several hours later it was time to leave. We built the crowds, partially due to the poor weather, and we made our way to the buses. We didn’t see the point of walking the trail down especially considering it reeks of urine. Yea, you probably didn’t want to know that. What I found interesting is that the bus tickets are the only thing I saw in all of Peru that is in US dollars. I was not expecting that so I didn’t have any on me. Once back in town I wandered for a couple hours and was amazed at how long the line was for people to take a bus up the mountain. Some of these people would probably have to stand in line for hours. After lunch it was time to board my train and I headed back to Cusco.

This fountain in Cusco was a gift to the city from NYC. Apparently there is a similar one somewhere in the city. Someday I will have to go look for it.

Some Islands Do Float!

By neilsnedeker

On August 1, 2022

In Peru Blog

The morning after I completed my Colca Canyon trek it was off to Puno. The day started off a little rough as the bus to pick me up was late and I was concerned that it had forgotten me. Then about an hour from Puno the bus had mechanical issues and we lost about 45 minutes as the driver tried to figure out what was wrong. Fortunately for those of us going to Puno, we were close to a small town where we transferred to a van for the remainder of our trip. The roads in Puno are way too narrow for something like a bus. The rest of the passengers would wait in town while the mechanic tried to figure out what was wrong with their bus. Then they had a long drive through a remote part of Peru to get to Cusco.

Puno Cathedral, an 18th century baroque-style church

My afternoon in Puno would be relaxing as I needed a break and the elevation was a little under 13,000 feet. Just going up stairs was enough to get me breathing hard. The next morning I left for a two-day trip on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world! Not too long after boarding the boat we arrived at the Uros Islands. These islands are floating islands created by the Uros people out of totora reed. This reed needs to be replenished frequently to reduce the possibility of fire and to keep the islands stable.

This is the island we stopped at. Each family group creates their own island.

We stopped at one of the islands and got off our boat. One of the passengers immediately lit up a cigarette and quickly was told to put it out. The reed that makes up these islands is like straw but thicker. Fire and straw do not go together. On this island we received a tour and saw a presentation about how the islands are made. On these islands the people speak Aymara but our guide was able to translate. Initially the Uros moved to Lake Titicaca to avoid the Incas who were taking over this part of South America. The islands were a form of defense that could be moved to evade their enemies. The first to move out on the lake lived in boats but then they created these floating islands. Now people live on them so they don’t have to pay taxes.

A model of the creation of a floating island.

Once our tour was over we got onto a boat made out of reed and rode it to another island. After purchasing some delicious bread made of quinoa it was back on our tour boat and off to Amantani.

The floating school at Uros. This is a primary school only as most kids are pregnant by the time they are 16.

I would be staying on the island of Amantani with a native Quechua family. Upon stepping onto the island we were broken up into small groups and were introduced to our host family. The Amantani people speak Quechua but the younger generation has learned Spanish in school so it was easier to communicate. It was a struggle to walk uphill to our house as we were at just under 13,000 feet of elevation. I had not gotten used to the lack of oxygen yet. At our house we were shown our rooms for the night, we had a freshly cooked lunch (delicious!), and then we gathered at the central square for a short hike.

The house I stayed at. The whole family was wonderful!

We would be climbing towards the top of the island to visit one or both of the temples on the island. Once again, climbing was a lot more difficult than I would have thought. It wasn’t steep but the lack of oxygen definitely was felt. After a while I made it up to the temple devoted to Pachatata (Father Earth). From there you could see villages around the perimeter of the island.

When I had caught my breath I descended this hill and then begin the ascent to the temple devoted to Pachamama (Mother Earth). This hill was higher and it offered great views of the sunset. By the time I started to descend the temperatures dropped significantly.

When we returned to our house we had a quick dinner and even though we were all exhausted it was then time to prepare for the nights event. There would be a dance in town with everyone in the village invited. To enter you need to wear traditional attire and fortunately for me it was pretty basic for guys. It was just a poncho and a chullo (Andean style hat). The women had to wear quite a bit more. Nobody stayed very long and upon returning to our house we were asleep in no time.

The next morning we returned to the shore for a quick excursion to another island Taquile. While here we climbed up to the top, saw some native dances, had lunch, learned how they make their native shampoo, and then descended the other side and got back onto the boat.

Comparing Amantani and Taquile

Even though the two islands are close to each other they are quite different. On Amantani all men wear the same clothes and all women wear the same clothes. Once they get married, the women always have knitting needles in their hands. The men sit around and don’t do very much. On Taquile, the men and women wear different clothing depending on their age and their marital status. Once the men reach a certain age they wear a different hat. Once they get married they wear yet another hat and a bag where they store their coca leaves. As part of the wedding ceremony, the men weave some sort of blanket that the women will use to carry things as well as their baby. The women make a chumpi (a thick, cummerbund-like waistband) for their husband. The inner layer is made of her hair. The guide didn’t get into the different clothing the women wear. When they get married, the men are always knitting while the women sit around and don’t do much.

Will I Make It Out of the Canyon?

By neilsnedeker

On July 24, 2022

In Peru Blog

Day two in the Canyon saw a much later start than the previous day. As mentioned in the previous post, there are several reasons why I was glad that I chose to do this hike in three days instead of two days. It was nice to be able to relax within the cabin and we enjoyed some really good food our first day in the cabin. The second reason I am glad that we did the three day hike is that we got to walk through two towns that the other hikers did not get to see and we were able to learn more history about the people in the canyon. After a fairly short walk we arrived in Cosñirhua. Primary students in San de Chuccho would have to walk to Cosñirhua to attend school. There are very few kids in this age group though as the school would only have eight students and one teacher.

Cosñirhua. You can see the school to the left of the image with the courtyard covered with the green tarp. It didn’t take us long to walk through this town.

There is a gold mine on the opposite side of this mountain and they have invested in these towns. They are the reasons they have roads and they are building an aqueduct to help provide water to the people that live here. There is only one secondary school in this valley and while there used to be a school bus to take students to this town (towards the top of the valley) it is broken so students have to walk up to 90 minutes to get to school. Not sure what is happening with the bus but the gold mining company bought it. Hopefully they plan on fixing it.

Aqueduct cut through the mountain. Earthquakes will often damage infrastructure like this.

The next town we would walk through would be Malata. This primary school has 14 students currently attending it. We walked past a tiny little clinic that is the only clinic if people get sick in any of these towns. Down the road a little further is a private clinic (much nicer) that is for the gold miners. Apparently in emergencies they do help out the people that live there.

After passing through Malata we would drop back down to the bottom of the valley to cross the Colca River again. Once we crossed the river we would climb back up a little bit and enter Sangalle, an oasis at the bottom of this valley. There are no roads to this town and the only way to get in or out is by walking. Mules carry goods in and out of the bottom of this valley.

Sangalle. The trail out of the canyon can be seen on the left.

The third reason that I was glad that I did the three day hike is that I got into Sangalle around noon. This meant I got to enjoy the swimming pool during the heat of the day. Since we were near the bottom of the canyon, the sun set behind the canyon walls around 3:30 p.m. and temperatures dropped quickly. It is winter in Peru. People that did the two day hike arrived at Sangalle between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and they could not enjoy the pool as much as we did. Some of them did jump in but they found it really cold.

It was an early night as the next morning would be tough. We would be hitting the trail by 4:4o a.m. to hike to the top of the canyon. Our goal was to reach the top before the sun rose and then we would get to have breakfast. The climb was steep but we made good time. We hiked over a mile in the first hour. Things started to slow a little at that point though. What made it tough was how dry it is. You don’t realize how much dust is kicked up hiking in this area until you are hiking by headlamp. As the second hour ticked by fatigue was starting to set in. It looked like the top was approaching but I know how misleading false summits can be. It turns out that this wasn’t a false summit and I was almost to the top. With about 15 minutes of hiking remaining the sun started to rise. When I reached the top there was this tremendous sense of accomplishment.

The hike out of the canyon. The last half of a mile to town was flat. That means we climbed about 3500 feet in just under 3 miles.

I did not drink any chicha prior to starting this hike. This is what the trail was like!

After reaching the top we walked another half a mile to town, had breakfast and left. Not too long after leaving we stopped at some natural hot springs to soak our tired/sore legs and it did feel good. On our way back to Arequipa we stopped at a viewpoint that was over 16,000 feet high and saw several volcanoes. We stopped once more so people could use the restrooms but I was fixated on the volcanoes as well as the hoodoos that I saw. Eventually we made it back to Arequipa and I prepared to move on to my next destination early the next morning.

The Adventures of a Science Teacher

Category: Peru Blog Page 1 of 5

What Impacts Will Climate Change Have on the Daily Lives of Peruvians?

Saving the Best for Last

Of Course I Went There

Some Islands Do Float!

Comparing Amantani and Taquile

Will I Make It Out of the Canyon?