HERITAGE TRAIL
Latin America, with its rich resources – oil, minerals, and tourist sites – has been vulnerable to exploitation by outsiders. Typically, indigenous communities reap relatively few of the benefits. This might have become the fate of the communities around Choquequirao – Machu Picchu’s sister city – if Juan Covarrubias Ccaihuari had not organized the communities to protect them.
Juan is a Peruvian Quechua who’s great, great grandfather settled on, and was granted ownership of, the land around and including Choquequirao. Over the years, small villages emerged as Juan’s relatives settled and farmed this portion of the Andes. As he was growing up, he and his cousins even played soccer on the central plaza at Choquequirao, and they loved exploring the unexcavated ruins among the overgrown vegetation. In 1996, however, the Peruvian government repossessed the ruins to develop and protect them.
The ruins can only be reached by a rigorous trek through the steep Andes so tourism was very limited, until Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel 2017” named Choquequirao as the #1 destination in the “Top Regions” category. Outsiders suddenly became interested in gaining a foothold in the area and tried to convince locals to sell their land. To combat this, Juan started his own tour company, Apurimac Adventures, which is the only tour company run by, and employing, the locals around Choquequirao.
In partnership with Global Pearls, we are also helping families develop the capacity to serve the growing tourist needs. We assisted many families along the trail with the construction of hostels – the families make the adobe bricks, collect timbers from the mountains, and provide all the construction labor, while Global Pearls purchases the roofs, windows, beds and bedding. Renting the rooms and selling meals has become a good income source during the tourist season. We also funded improvements in infrastructure, like the water and sewer systems.
With the plunge in tourism cause by the Covid pandemic and later political riots, we realized it was important to diversify income sources along the Choquequirao Trail as well as other communities in the mountains around the Sacred Valley. We have therefore been working to foster agricultural entrepreneurialism, with in depth training of motivated youth and seed capital to get enterprises off the ground. From greenhouses to cuy businesses to trout farms, we are helping youth generate income opportunities in their traditional communities.
Juan has a natural understanding of business, is dedicated to quality, and has a passionate desire to protect these communities – his communities. It is a joy to help him in that effort.
Want a fun way to support these communities? Take a trek with Apurimac Adventures!