South America 2026

Today we get to experience THE AMAZON!
We visited an actual Quechua community; we were told it is not a replica. Athough we only visited with the Yachak & his wife, there are ~70-80 families in this community, average 10 people/family. The 'Yachak' is Quechuan for something we would think of as a Shaman: a local medicinal expert, spiritual leader, & most important/revered person in the community.
'Luis' was the Yachak who met w/ us. There is only one Yachak per community and they're not always agreeable to meeting with tourists. We were fortunate. He is 59, has 10 children ranging from 35 to 18. He is in the process of training (mentoring) 5 younger members of the community to eventually replace him; only one will eventually be chosen. It is believed that the person chosen as (& replaces) the Yachak has a 'gift' for the responsibility; the current Yachak identifies who he believes to have that 'gift' and educates them in the ways of local medicine. It's amazing the degree to which the Quechuans believe in & rely on the qualities of local plants/roots to cure various ailments. There is a thorough belief that 'nature provides all'. Through him & our guides we learned about the community: housing, education, financial support, health, and community continuity.
By surprisingly random selection, Mark was chosen to receive a spiritual 'cleansing' from the Yachak to rid him of bad energies. It was a pretty cool thing to watch.
At the end of our visit we were given the opportunity to try a local tool used to hunt: a blow gun. Because of its silent operation (versus a shotgun), nearby animals are not scared off, thus enabling the shooter more opportunity for success. We shot at a wooden target -- this was no easy task. The 'gun' is long, heavy & not easy (for us) to hold an aim. We were only shooting from a distance of a few meters; locals use this gun to shoot at animals in trees many meters over their head!
Were we dependent on this tool, we would likely go hungry.
Our day concluded w/ a few local traditions courtesy of our guide.もっと詳しく