![](\"http:\/\/dowbrigade.com\/VillaMaria\/introhead.jpg\")
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\nNow, for something a bit different, the Dowbrigade would like to dig out and dust off his Ethnographer’s pith helmet. The Paucity of postings during the past few days is due to our work putting the final touches on the web page of our son’s new Eco-tourism Hotel nestled in a valley high in the Andes mountains. While we cannot officially announce it until we get the OK from the boss, we can post a link to one part of the site: the continuing compilation of our translations of the legends of the region, one of the earliest inhabited spots on the entire Americn continent, North or South.<\/p>\n
\n High in the Peruvian Andes lies an isolated valley, rich in history
\n and natural wonders, called the Callejon de Huaylas. It is home to some
\n of the oldest known human habitation in the New World – some 14,000 years
\n ago. Long before the reign of the Incas and the invasion of the Conquistadors,
\n this rich ecosystem was the center of the Chavin civilization, one of
\n the oldest in Peru. And thousands of years before that, the area was
\n inhabited by prehistoric, neolithic tribes.<\/p>\n
In the 1980s a cave was discovered a few kilometers north of Carhuaz,
\n on the other side of the R?o Santa in the Cordillera Negra. The cave
\n contained bones of mastodons and llamas and suggested human occupation
\n dating from as far back as 12000 BC. Situated close to a natural rock
\n formation which looks vaguely like a guitar, the site is now known as
\n the cave of Hombre Guitarrera (Guitar Man).<\/p>\n
The legends in this collection can trace their origins to the Chavin culture.
\n Reaching its height between 400 and 600 B.C., the Chavin civilization was known
\n for its intense design skill, fueled by ritual use of psychedelic snuff, especially
\n visible in their advanced textile and metal work. After a prolonged and gradual
\n decline, they were eventually conquered by the Incas less than a hundred years
\n before the arrival of the Spaniards.<\/p>\n
This wide valley, some 200 km long, is split by the Santa River and fringed
\n by a picturesque group of towns and villages, among them Huaraz, Carhuaz, Yungay
\n and Caraz. Today, the Callejon is known as the "Switzerland of South America" and
\n is a center of mountain climbing and eco-tourism.<\/p>\n
It is largely a land which time forgot. Wedged between two soaring mountain
\n chains -the Cordillera Negra and Cordillera Blanca- the Callejon de Huaylas
\n offers incomparable Andian vistas, an indigenous population living largely
\n as their ancestors did centuries ago, and easy access to snow-capped peaks,
\n pristine mountain lakes, and little-known ancient ruins.<\/p>\n
It is here, in the still-under-construction "Eco-Hostal It contained a charming and revealing collection of myths and legends, collected Although our translation is imperfect and the last in a chain of oral The War Between the Ancoillas and the Apuchallas<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Back in the old times there were two gigantic mountains. One, Apuchallas, The other, Ancoillas, fabulously rich due to the gold and silver that The inhabitants of Apuchallas were afflicted with hunger and misery. The people of Apuchallas occasionally came to the Ancoillas to plead "Give us a bit of food," they implored, or some of the gold and silver But the overbearing (ensobercidos) Ancoillas laughed at them, and threw "Get out of here, fleas. There is nothing for you here!"<\/p>\n In this way they insulted and humiliated them, without an ounce of compassion. Apuchallas attacked with their slings. But the giant stones he was flinging Ancoillas, proud of his power and wealth, didn’t take Apuchallas seriously. "Your anger makes me laugh," he crowed, "You are angry because And for a long time things stayed that way, with Ancoillas ignoring his A long time passed, and Apuchallas did not grow weary of his attack. Both giants were now exhausted.<\/p>\n In the last battle, al rayar el crespeculo, Ancoillas burst the right Half blind, the ancient laborer could not extract his vengance. While Ancoillas felt happy.<\/p>\n "Now I am the Sole Master of the Earth" he shouted repeatedly. But On the other hand, the population of Apuchallas began to feel happier. It seems that during the long war, Apuchallas had flung at his enemy Links to all ten of the Legends<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now, for something a bit different, the Dowbrigade would like to dig out and dust off his Ethnographer’s pith helmet. The Paucity of postings during the past few days is due to our work putting the final touches on the … Continue reading
\n Villa Maria<\/a>", built and managed by our eldest son on land we bought
\n before he was born, a complete escape from the wired world and our normal concerns
\n and behavior patterns, holed up in a cozy adobe cabin, two simple rooms with
\n a hand-crafted fireplace, electricity but no phone or internet access, that
\n we came across a slim volume published by a tiny local press and titled "Legends
\n of Ancash."<\/p>\n
\n over 20 years by Marcos Yauri Monteros and first published in 1961 by P.L.
\n Villanueva, Lima, ed. The stories were collected from three main sources throughout
\n the Callejon: 1) high school students, most of them living in towns and monolingual
\n in Spanish; older people from the town and villages, almost all bilingual Spanish-Quechua,
\n and 3) camposinos, nearly all monolingual Quechua speakers. Quechua is the
\n most widely-spoken indigenous language in the entire Andean region, a linguistic
\n descendent of the language of the Incas, and the second "official" language
\n of Peru. <\/p>\n
\n and written transition covering centuries and at least three languages,
\n we think the stories are poignant and revealing in their own right, and
\n offer a tantalizing glimpse into another world. Here is another of the
\n ten Legends of Ancash.<\/p>\n
\n extremely poor. <\/p>\n
\n it possessed in
\n abundance. <\/p>\n
\n The people of
\n Ancoillas lived in luxury, their hands overflowing with riches. They
\n celebrated with
\n scandalous parties, which eventually corrupted them.<\/p>\n
\n for aid.<\/p>\n
\n that you have in
\n excess."<\/p>\n
\n them out of their
\n palaces.<\/p>\n
\n It happened
\n then, that no longer able to bear the poverty, the Apuchallas decided
\n to declare war on their
\n greedy neighbors. The fight broke out, and the battle between the two
\n colossi was
\n ferocious.<\/p>\n
\n did not hurt
\n Ancoillas. His aim was poor, for he was not a warrior, but just an old
\n laborer<\/p>\n
\n He mocked the
\n ancient Apuchallas.<\/p>\n
\n you envy my wealth."<\/p>\n
\n feeble attacker.<\/p>\n
\n At last Ancoillas responded, and shot at Apuchallas with his golden sling. From that point
\n on the battle was
\n very bloody. The rivers and streams ran red with the blood of the combatants.<\/p>\n
\n eye of brave Apuchallas. <\/p>\n
\n he crawled on the earth
\n looking for another stone, Ancoillas unleashed another shot with such
\n force and accuracy
\n that Apuchallas fell dead with a shattered head.<\/p>\n
\n as time passed, his
\n people began to lose their wealth and feel sorrow. The orgies no longer
\n fulfilled them. <\/p>\n
\n For their lands began to produce gold and silver, just as the lands of the Ancoillas had in
\n the past But they did not
\n waste the riches in vice, but instead bought tools, with which they worked
\n their fields, which
\n were now completely clean.<\/p>\n
\n all of the rocks and
\n stones from their lands, and the Ancoillas had thrown all of the gold
\n and silver in their territory at the lands of their vanquished foe Apuchallas.<\/p>\n