HISTORY OF VILCABAMBA
The district of Vilcabamba is historically considered to have been the final stronghold of Incan resistance against Spanish domination. In 1556, the final Inca, Manco Inca, absconded for 40 years in this valley, converting it into an impenetrable fortress for four decades. After this period of Incan resistance occurred a period of territorial isolation and abandonment for hundreds of years, except for the presence of a few small bands of native Incans scattered throughout the valley. This isolation was due to the difficult and dangerous nature of the region that greatly impedes its habitation. In effect, the vestiges of Incan culture of centuries past have remained intact.
In the past 100 years, adventurers from other regions of Peru have colonized the area with the hopes of using native communities to extract precious metals from newly discovered mining sites. Descendents of these people are the current inhabitants of the district of Vilcabamba, the heirs of a majestic geography, possibly the most impressive in the Cusco area. The region houses historical artifacts of the final Incan dynasty and remnants of the most fascinating of pre-Incan societies. Currently, the rich culture in the district of Vilcabamba is fundamentally heterogeneous with predominating indigenous undertones.
LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
The district of Vilcabamba is located in the department of Peru known as Cusco in the La Convencion province, located in the northwest of the city of Cusco. Vilcabamba is located very near Machu Picchu, a wonder of the world, and near Choquequirau, one of the most important archeological remains of the Incan world. This district, as a result of its expansiveness, is the second largest in Peru, and is divided naturally into four groupings of valleys, all of which are found between 800 and 5600 meters above sea level. This area houses many microclimates including Amazonic territories with tropical flora and fauna. The regions above 2000 meters also include a rich environment that crowns the beauty of the countryside. Many natural habitats of endangered species are found in these regions including those of the Spectacled Bear (Tremactos Ornatos), Cock of the Rock, or Tunqui (Rupiola peruviana), the Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), a symbol of Vilcabamba, the Andean orchid known in Quechua as “waqanki” (Masdevalia vitchiana), the Chachacomo tree, the “Pulla” of Raimondi, the largest flower in the world, and many other interesting species.
LIVING CONDITIONS OF THE POPULATION
Acording to the National Home Survey (ENAHO IV- 2001), the district of Vilcabamba finds itself located in a region of extreme poverty. This poverty is most intense in regions of very high altitude and lower, tropical territories where it is estimated that 98% of the population lack basic living necessities.
According to eminent economists of Vilcabamba, more than 15% of the population is sub-employed, 90% participate in small-scale agriculture, and that a small percentage participates in commerce and various informal jobs. Employment for women has increased from 5% to 11% between the years of 1993 and 2000. Nevertheless, the vast majority of these women are subject to sub-employment.
The percentage of economically active population diminishes gradually as years go by as a result of constant migration, climatological variation, an excess of political subsidies and other factors.
EDUCATION IN VILCABAMBA
Youth education is performed by state institutions. Children of various ages and socioeconomic backgrounds are taught during the three basic phases of kindergarten, elementary and secondary schooling.
The growing rate of student absenteeism is a result of a variety of factors including the fact that the distances between homes and schoolhouses can require hikes of up to four hours. Teacher absenteeism is another concern that is a result of low salary, difficulty in reaching teaching centers, state institutional corruption, poor teaching facilities among other factors. The teaching of a bilingual population (spanish-native language, quechua) should be bilingual in itself but in Vilcabamba, this is not the case. In effect, young students often lose interest in their education which exacerbates the problem of absenteeism.
HEALTH IN VILCABAMBA
The profound territorial extension of Vilcabamba encompasses nine small health outposts and one health center, which is deficient for such a large region and in need of reform. The personnel of these institutions are excellent providers of health care but include only ten health professionals and fifteen sanitary technicians for a current population of one thousand seven hundred. This is the minimum number of health service personnel for such a population.
Severe diarrheal sicknesses are one of the most frequent causes for health care administration. This is a result of a lack of basic sanitation and ¨metaxenic¨ sicknesses that plague tropical zones during certain seasons, both of which diminish the productivity and economy of the population. Infantile and maternal mortality in recent years and in actuality are a major concern among the population and are a result of a variety of factors. These factors include dangerous ancestral beliefs and customs, deficient equipment in the most distant health outposts, and a lack of sufficient communication and transportation services including no ambulances whatsoever for the transport of emergency cases. Paradoxically however, Vilcabamba is considered to be a district of high risk for public health.
ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Vilcabamba
is a privileged territory for its geographic variety which creates
its different altitudinal levels and many ecosystems.
Vilcabamba houses an infinity of animal and plant species within a
range of climatological regions. Here, as in many other parts
of the world, these marvelous ecosystems are being attenuated by
human activity as a result of ignorance of the native populations
and a lack of ecological politics that could vindicate the serious
harm inflicted upon the environment. The most recurring
environmental attacks include indiscriminant foresting without
adequate planning. This deforestation is performed for commercial
reasons and very rarely for auto consumption in private kitchens
that require large amounts of firewood. These kitchens
themselves can lead to environmental problems and health
complications for the families that use them including throat
irritations, optical sicknesses and even lung cancer.
Contamination of rivers with garbage as a result of a lack of civil
ecological education, hunting animals to extinction and many other
factors also lead to environmental destruction.
