Everyone has heard the legends and of the oasis Huacachina but how many of you know Lake Pacucha? Lake Pacucha is located Apurímac Region, 17 km from the city of Andahuaylas and there are several legends to this lake.

The two well-known ones are: 

1. The legend states long ago before the lake appeared there was a town known to others as a paradise for its beauty, the people were kind, humble and spiritual however, with time people from all over came to the town bringing with them their own customs and traditions. The town became corrupt, one day a poor old man arrived to large house which was celebrating a wedding and asked for charity but he was insulted for being dirty and ragged so he left. He wandered down the street to where he was met by poor lady called “Mama Petecc" who gave him food. In return the old man asked the lady to leave the town with her son and her lamb with one condition, the condition was that she could not look back to the town at any moment and must keep walking. As she left the town she heard thunder and lighting and the screams of people, her curiosity got the best of her and she turned around to look only to be turned into stone. To this day you can still see a rock close to the lake that resembles a woman. 

2. The second account of this story has more of a religious context to it: Long ago there was a town called Pacucha a place abundant of resources like corn and potatoes and as the town grew larger the people began to build more houses and with this growth the people became envious, miserly and heretics. One day Jesus (in Spanish el Señor) disguised as a dirty old traveller with scars and a large beard came to the town. He first went to a seller of pots and asked for a pot so he could take water on his travels, the seller scorned and insulted him. Travelling further on he met a cobbler and ask once again for help, this time he asked for some shoes and again he was insulted and left. He then arrived to the centre of the town where he arrived to a house that was celebrating a wedding, the party was of grandeur and luxury and while the food was being prepared, the traveller asked for something to eat. The guests were annoyed by his presence and threw him into the streets laughing and insulting him. Sad, the traveller continued down the street where he met a widow. The widow was knitting a manta, with a lamb at her side and carrying a child on her back. He asked her for some food and she humbly invited him to eat machka (Quechua for Maca) however, he thanked her and did not eat and only asked for a flower from her garden. In appreciation the traveller warned her to leave the town as it will be destroyed, she obeyed taking her son and her lamb. The traveller told her two things before she left, firstly she should travel in the direction of Andahuaylas and secondly that no matter what she hears she can never turn back and look. As the widow left and reached the heights of Wayrapata she heard a tremendous noise and as she stopped and turned around she saw a wave come from the centre of the town reaching to the skies. This wave engulfed the town and became the lake today. The people that live around that part have said that when the moon is full and when the clock strikes midnight, they can hear the music from the party coming from the lake and sometimes there is a song from a mermaid that can be heard, it is said the song goes like this: “I am already leaving this town I am going to have breakfast in San Jerónimo I am going to have lunch in Andahuaylas And I am going to have dinner in Talavera.” The fate of the widow is said to have been she was turned to a large rock made of salt and some say that the cows lick this rock and when all the salt has been dissolved it will be the end of the world. 

The communities that live around the lake like Santa Rosa, Anccopaccha, Machaybamba and Compuerta use the lake for fishing and for agriculture. The story of Pacucha is taught to children and is given as a warning, so children are taught to be kind to the elderly, be respectful and to share and not to be misery.

By: GringoPeru

If you travel down South of Lima to a place called Lurin and look out to the ocean you will see the Islands of Pachacámac (aka Islands of Cavillaca), it is said that these islands have a legend about their origin. There was once a beautiful goddess called Cavillaca, many tried to gain her affection but she refused and never accepted anyone. However, one day while knitting under a Lucuma tree, a god (in some legends it is stated that he is part demon) by the name of Cuniraya, who also desired her arrived. So to gain her affection he converted into a beautiful bird and flew to the tree and deposited his semen in one of the lucuma’s and made it fall close to the Cavillaca. Thinking nothing of it Cavillaca ate the fruit and became pregnant. After nine months she gave birth to a baby boy and when it reached the age of one, she and other gods had a reunion to discover who the father was. Cuniraya also attended this meeting but disguised as a beggar, when she asked who was the father all the god even Cuniraya remained quiet. So she put the baby to the floor and he crawled to his father and climbed on his lap, feeling ashamed she ran with her child to the beach, crying and shouting. She did not notice that Cuniraya was following her behind, removing his rags and unveiling a handsome god. She then jumped into the sea where she and her son turned into the islands, the little island is said to be the son and is known as “Isla San Francisco” (Island San Francisco). 

The largest island is now used as a marine base and has laboratories that serve to study oceanography and other studies relating to marine biology.

By: GringoPeru

The Easter celebrations are nearly over and you may have seen, heard or participated in the passing of the seven churches. This is tradition not only carried out in Peru but over Latin America, starting on the Thursday the 7 seven churches are for devout follows of the catholic church to remember Jesus from the Last Supper to his crucifixion. 

The churches in Peru are as follows with a little history and their role in the walk of the seven churches: 

(Iglesia de las Nazarenas) located at Jirón Huancavelica 515. Built in the 18th century this church houses the sacred image of Jesus that was painted by an African slave and has withstood many disasters and has also become the main symbol for the “Señor de Los Milagros” festival in October. The first church is to remember Jesus at the Cenacle where he celebrated the “Last Supper” with his disciples and to remember his night at Gethsemane where he prayed and sweated blood a night before his crucifixion. 

2. The Sanctuary of Santa Rosa of Lima 

(Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima) located at Jirón Chancay 223. This church was also built in the 18th century and for many years was the home of Isabel Flores de Oliva, Santa Rosa de Lima. Here you can find the well of wishes, the garden of Santa Rosa and her room where she stayed. Santa Rosa became the first Catholic in the Americas to be declared a saint. The second church is to remember Jesus being taken from Gethsemane to the house of Annas where he was interrogated and was hit by one of the guards. 

   3. The Coventry of Santo Domingo    

(Convento de Santo Domingo) located at Jirón Camaná 170. Built in 1540 this church is very important to the catholic community and is where the relics of three saints Santa Rosa de Lima, San Martín de Porres and San Juan Macías are kept. This church also became Santa Rosa’s final resting place. The third church focuses on Jesus’s walk to the house of Caiaphas where he was spat on and insulted. 

4. Cathedral of Lima (La Basílica Catedral de Lima) 

located at Jirón Carabaya or can be found at the Plaza de Armas. One of the oldest cathedrals in Peru dating back to 1535 and was built over a pre-Hispanic temple to the sun. Some of the oldest artefacts of Lima can be found here and it is the final resting place of the Conquistador and founder of Lima, Francisco Pizarro. The fourth church is for the devotees to reflex on the meeting Jesus had with Pontius Pilate and the false accusation that were brought against him.

 5. Monastery of San Francisco 

(Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima) located at Jirón Lampa y Ancash. Here you can visit the old library with books dating back the colonial period however, this church is more well-known for the catacombs that lay beneath the church where 25,000 people were buried till the practice of burying people under churches were outlawed in the 19th century. The fifth church is to reflect on Jesus’s and his appearance in front of King Herod, where he and his guards were also abusive to Jesus. 

6. Church of La Merced (Iglesia de La Merced) 

located at Jr. de la Unión 621. This church was built 1535 by friar Miguel de Orenes and is known for its beautiful architecture and paintings also the church is known to commemorate the sacrifice by the Mercedarians who exchanged themselves for Christian prisoners who were considered enemies of the catholic church. Mercedarians were used to catechize the people who were conquered by the conquistadores. This church is reflex on Jesus’s second appearance in front of Pontius Pilate, here Jesus is crowned with a crown of thrones and is condemned to death. 

7. Church of San Marcelo 

(Iglesia San Marcelo) located at Jr. Rufino Torrico 618 Esq. con Av. Emancipación. The church was built in the 1551 when the order of San Agustin arrived to Lima. In this church there is many images, images of Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Los Remedios and San Marcelo. The church has been rebuilt and modified during the 18th century due to earthquake damage. The last church devotees reflex on Jesus’s passage from the house of Pilate to Calvary carrying the cross, where he was crucified and the burial of Jesus, where on the third day he resurrected. 

The following Friday (Good Friday) is the day to remember the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross), this is followed by pray.

Written by: GringoPerú

There is an interesting legend about the yucas (cassava) noted by Franciso Izquierdo Rios and Jose Maria Arguedas in a book called “Canciones y Cuentas del Pueblo Quechua”,1949. 

It starts when the God Wiracocha, exhausted and hungry after a day of hunting went to the Yunga (Yunga is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest) to collect some yucas. The yuca at this time hung from branches. The plants failed to recognize the God as he was tired and his clothes were different, so when Wiracocha reached for the yucas the branches wilted denying him of their fruit. Angered, Wiracocha punished the plants as they had rebelled against him, the punishment meant that yucas will never be eaten in heaven again and that only man and animal will eat them only after destroying the plant. So the fruit of the yuca plant became its root and to this day the plant most be destroyed in order to obtain the yuca.

Translated by: GringoPeru

Inka Cola is a soft drink that is well-known and loved by Peruvians and is seen as the national soft drink that represents Peru. The origin of this drink originally came from the British immigrant Joseph Robinson Lindley, also called José who was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire in 1859. Lindely and his wife, Martha Stoppanie moved to Peru in 1910 and settled in the Rimac district of Lima and started to work on a soft drink based on the native plant Lemon Verbena. Located at 371 Jirón Cajamarca they opened a small bottling plant where all the work was done by hand, this small place was called Fábrica de Aguas Gasificadas Santa Rosa. In 1918 they obtained the first machines to assist in the production of their product and in 1928 changed the name of the company again to Corporación José R. Lindley S.A. In 1935, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Lima, Lindley launched Inca Kola with the logo “Solo hay una y no se parece a ninguna” ("There is only one, unlike any other"). 

The company continued to expand and develop and in 1962 the company launched another product called Bimbo which came in flavours such as strawberry, pineapple, orange and cola. Another mile stone for the company came in 1972 when it expanded nationwide and in 1996 they acquired a German bottling plant called Krones which was fully computerized and automatic allowing the company to produce a thousand bottles a minute. Direct competition came from the Coca-Cola and in 1995, Inca Kola had 32.9% of the market share while Coca-Cola had 32% and due to popular demand Bembos (Peruvian fast food chain) and McDonalds began to serve Inca Kola. However, in 1997 due to a mix of restructuring of the company, expansion and mismanagement, the company took on a huge debt resulting in a $5 million loss for the company in 1999. In this crisis the company looked for help turning to Coca-Cola which took half of Inca Kola Perú and one-fifth of Corporación José R. Lindley S.A, the deal cost Coca-Cola a speculated amount of $200 million. 

The grandson Johnny Lindley Taboada, grandson of the founder became the chairman of Corporación José R. Lindley S.A and worked with Coca-Cola striking a deal which stated that he would be the sole owner of the trademark Inca Kola outside of Peru and within Peru a joint-venture with Coca-Cola. During the years that the two companies negotiated smaller business started selling their own branch of soft drinks like Isaac Kola, Triple Kola, Concordia, Oro and Kola Real. Their main smear against Inca Kola was that Inca Kola was no longer Peruvian and was a sell out to an international company. Corporación José R. Lindley S.A continues to buy out bottling plants, bottling both Coca-Cola products and Inca Kola and in 2010 to celebrate its 100 years in Peru, it received a medal of honour from the Congress of Peru. On 28th of January 2014 Johnny Lindley Taboada passed away and Johnny Lindley Suarez became the new chairman.

By: GringoPeru