After spending some quality time languishing in cafes, we decided to go off in search of the non-tourist hub of the city. It was actually incredibly refreshing to find a thriving city outside the usual gringo haunts. We found bustling food markets and outdoor malls withwell-priced kicks - shoes - that would have made E´s heart patter (Darin´s heart didn´t skip a beat. Who would have thought cousins could be so different?). Perhaps the gem was the hopping Jesus of Nazareth Commerical Center (left).
Labor nerds that we are (we have both spent the last few years working for the same labor union), we were also fascinated to come across Cuzco´s hiring hall. Then, last night we had drinks with the Vermonters who were on our Lake Titikaka trip. They filming a documentary on mining in Peru (copper, silver and gold are the country´s main exports and mining ranks with tourism as one of the largest industries in Cuzco.) Since we last saw the two of them, they´d interviewed 5 different Mayors in the Cuzco region about the environmental impacts of local development. The mayors relayed their frustation at how development has tainted their water supply, and the fact that little of the profit from the newly privatized, foreign-owned mines stayed in the country. The scenario sounded hauntingly familiar (SEIU´s workers in the US have very similar greivances).Cusqueños (people from Cuzco), like Peruvians across the country, have justifiably mixed emotions towards both development and tourism. Development brings jobs, and even though Peruvians see only a fraction of the profits, it is more than they were making ten or fifteen years ago. And as for we tourists, we take over Peru´s cities, but we bring our foreign currency with us - which argueably goes more directly into the pockets of the citizens than does a loan from the world bank. (Paul? Judah? Joelle? You tell me.) The Peruvians also have a tremondously rich cultural heritage that they are eager to share, and its hard to tell how much of it is national pride and how much is for the benefit of us gringos. One cab driver told us, beaming, that he had practiacally pure Incan blood and could trace his ancestors to before the conquistadores arrived. And right now, all of Cuzco is buzzing in preparation for Inti Ramyi, the Incan festival of the sun which takes place on the 24th of June. (That´s the Peruvian Army, below, practicing for the upcoming day-long procession.)
So, is it national celebration or a tourist stunt? Does it matter? And are we tourists a plague or a blessing? I´m sure there are no clear cut answers. I have so many friends who could speak more eloquently with far more authority on this subject than I - I´ve spent years avoiding international issues and keeping my head burried in the (to me) less complicated sands of domestic policy. But if I´ve signed myself up to spend 2 months here, I guess its about time to start grappling with the questions. . . .
2 comments:
I have no clear view of the impact of tourism, but maybe I will in the next few months. My only thought is that tourism can be overdone - I'm thinking of Bethlehem, where nearly every store sells Jesus chachkas. I wasn't learning about Palestinian culture as much as about tourist culture. It seemed, quite absurdly, that I was a tourist observing tourism.
Have fun and don't think too hard.
Thanks for the international economic shout-out. Broadly speaking, both tourist revenue and WB loans are external sources of capital, so I'd think the question is what the money is used for (which varies widely), if you want to figure out relative impact on growth or poverty. What you hint at, though, is the cost of what is demanded in return - WB conditions or things that attract tourists - and those impacts on policies, poverty, and culture.
But Eli's right, have fun and don't think so hard. There will be plenty of time for that.
Post a Comment