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Porter Health and Welfare

Peru opens its sacred city of Caral to tourists

Porter health and welfare Copied from SwissaMissa on the Thorntree (Lonely Planet).

For those of you concerned about the health and welfare of the porters on the Inca Trail, today's edition of Cusco's daily newpaper El Sol ran a disturbing article entitled "Exploitation on the Inca Trail Continues." It claims that only ten percent of the 250 legally operating tour agencies comply with the law when it comes to adequate pay, proper gear and nutrition for its porters and, disturbingly, a total disregard for the limitation of weight carried. The legal limit is 20 kg = 44 lbs and, the article claims, loads up to 35 kg = 77 lbs are being put on the backs of porters who are getting paid less than half of the mandated 160 nuevos soles (approx. USD 50) for the four day trek.
I don't doubt even for a minute that the agencies being recommended most on the ThornTree are part of the ten percent who are in full compliance with the law and would not put their reputations at risk, but I do want to bring this very real problem to everyone's attention. Consider the health and welfare of your porter (without whom you simply could not do a four-day trek carrying only your day pack) and DO NOT DEAL with the shadier tour operators who offer bargain basement prices. Also, if you suspect or actually know of any obvious mistreatment of porters you might want to report the offenders to the Sindicato Único de Porteadores de la Red Turística del Camino Inca del Santuario Histórico de Machupicchu.

In and of itself this shows the porters' plight even without mentioning lousy tippers. It also shows that there is a union of sorts, the above-mentioned Sindicato Único de Porteadores de la Red Turística del Camino Inca del Santuario Histórico de Machupicchu, but try to organize a labor strike in a country where exploitation is the order of the day and where there are 10 applicants for every job opening! It also shows that tour operators brazenly lie to you about a porters' wages being 100 soles for the 4 days. They obviously expect you, the tourist, to make up the difference, however they must be clear about this when they sell you the package. Therein lies the problem.

Peru opens its sacred city of Caral to tourists
Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The Sacred City of Caral, the oldest city in the Americas that has changed the history of Peru and the world since its discovery in 1994, is now open as a prime destination and archaeological treasure for tourists who visit Lima. As a result of the work done by the Proyecto Especial Arqueologico Caral-Supe (Caral-Supe Special Archaeological Project), the Sacred City of Caral is now open for tourists and will continue to undergo a series of restorations that will provide an added value to the existing and future tourist circuits in the region.

The Sacred City of Caral, built over 5,000 years ago, is not only the oldest city in the Americas but also third overall after Mesopotamia and Egypt, followed by China and India. This historical treasure, located in the Supe Valley, is just two hours north of Lima and easily accessible by the Pan-American Highway. Although Machu Picchu, located in Cusco, has gained considerably more attention around the world as the capital of the Inca Empire, many do not know that the Sacred City of Caral was the first political state formed in Peru 4,400 years prior to the Incas.

The Caral civilization was ruled by a hierarchical system with differences in rank and position in society; this is evidenced in the unequal distribution of wealth and occupational roles. Tourists who visit the area will be able to see how this system influenced the Caral way of life when they tour the residential and public housing areas, pyramids, sunken circular plazas, temples, altars, and more.

Due to the civilization’s organizational structure, they were able to flourish in specialties such as astronomy, medicine, engineering, trade, music, textiles and basket weaving. Agricultural cultivations were also an important part of the Caral daily life. Coloured cotton was the Caral product of choice for trade especially when it came to anchovies and shellfish arriving from Aspero, the first fishing town in the Americas, one of 19 contemporary settlements of this civilization. Other contemporary settlements to Caral are Kotosh in Huanuco and Piruro in the Maranon Valley; Huaricoto and La Galgada in the Santa Valley; Las Haldas in the Casma Valley; El Paraiso in the Chillon Valley; Bandurria in Huacho and Culebras near to the Culebras Valley.

The Sacred City of Caral receives visitors from all over the world. Caral received 7,338 visitors in 2003, 15,265 visitors in 2004 and 21,068 visitors in 2005. With the support of PromPeru, this number is expected to rise in the coming years.

Michael Verikios - Wednesday, July 05, 2006

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APUS PERU Adventure Travel Specialists - Email: apusperu@westnet.com.au

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