Guinea Pigs, Alpacas, and a Sold-Out Concert! (Day 5)

The fifth day of our tour was our last day in Peru. The travels through Cusco were very strenuous, especially as our bodies acclimated to the increased altitude. It’s important to keep in mind that Machu Picchu is a few thousand feet lower than the City of Cusco. Upon returning to Cusco last evening, we immediately felt the difference in the altitude.

This would be the first time that we would sleep at this attitude— over 11,000 feet high!

We took a tour of the city of Cusco on Friday morning, but many choir members were unable to make the tour due to various symptoms of altitude sickness. To alleviate the discomfort of altitude sickness, we were told to drink plenty of Coca tea, which was always available in the lobby. This natural remedy ameliorated many of the symptoms. Personally, I experienced some shortness of breath, dizziness, and a mild headache. Fortunately, none of these symptoms were too severe. My Apple Watch recorded my sleeping heart rate at 80 BPM, when typically, it is at 58. This suggested that even in sleep, my body was working hard to keep up with the altitude. 

After a short tour by bus of Cusco City, we visited another archaeological site, Saqsaywaman, a citadel on the outskirts of Cusco with an elevation even higher than the city at 12,141 feet high. It was also built by the Incan emperor Pachacuti and his successors. This was another amazing site and engineering feat! Huge stones were placed together to form a fortress without the use of any mortar. Some of the stones weighed as many as 80-tons. The Spaniards later removed most of the smaller stones to build Spanish Cusco. This Incan fortress is high above the city Cusco, where one can see beautiful views of the region.

We then went to a textile museum, where we saw exquisite garments made from alpaca, an animal similar to a llama, but with the neck not quite as long. The material of the alpaca garments felt like silk!  While at the museum, we were able to see and interact with the alpacas on the premises. They were not bashful in interacting with humans.

After visiting the textile museum, we went to a group lunch. We discovered that Peruvians, since early Incan times, have cherished guinea pigs as a delicacy that was eaten for special occasions.  Knowing that food represents the culture, I ordered a guinea pig during our lunch, to see what the meat might taste like. We all were surprised to see that the entire guinea pig carcass was still intact with eyes, nose and mouth almost smiling at you when brought to the table. Our guide told us that there was not very much meat on the animal— mostly on the legs and thighs. The meat tasted a little like chicken, but much more flavorful due to a higher fat content. The meat has much more protein than most meats, making it a healthy choice for a meat. I could not eat the head. Our guide took the head home to devour on her own time. What an experience! We walked back to the hotel, to get ready for our 6 p.m. concert at the Cusco Cathedral. 

The concert was held in the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin, the main church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco. Our concert in Cusco was sponsored by Catholic Charities. Admission to the concert was free, with the donation of a food item for the local food pantries. All 600 of the attendees brought an item of food for entrance— what a novel way to help the disadvantaged!

When the Spaniards were trying to Christianize the Incan inhabitants in the 15th century, they made a point of allowing local artifacts to enter the items of the church.  A depiction of the Last Supper shows many local foods on the table including a prized guinea pig. We were surprised to find a statue of a Black Jesus Christ, to help the local Incan see a figure that may look like them. This statue is celebrated during Holy Week and physically removed from the Cathedral and paraded around Cusco as locals throw flowers at the figure in commemoration.   

Our concert happened to be days after the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Prior to the concert, a short prayer and candle-light vigil were held to pray for the those killed and their families in Texas. There were over six hundred in attendance. Once again, the local population appreciated the Morgan offering, especially after such a solemn ceremony for the Texas massacre. My improved Spanish allowed me to introduce all music in Spanish.  

Most of all, I was so proud of the Morgan Choir to sing a full concert at this altitude, without any noticeable difference in quality.  All future concerts should be easier.

Days 1 and 2 / Destination: Sold out Performance in Lima, Peru

Days 3 and 4 / High Altitudes

Days 6 and 7 / Ecuador, Mi Ecuador

Day 8 / The Land of Volcanoes

Day 9 / Concert in the Clouds