Photos

Today is Peru's Birthday:

On July 28th 1821, Argentinian General Jose San Martin declared Peru's independance publicly in a balcony of a house in a town north of Lima. However, it took 3 more years to finally defeat the Spanish Army in the Battles of Junin (not far from where the picture is) and Ayacucho.

A mythical village:
This town's name is Mito, and it means myth in spanish, and after a nice walk of at least 12km it did seem to be a mythical town. Basically we took small
minibus to an isolated town called Aco in the middle of the Mantaro Valley, and then decided to walk back towards the river following the caravans of sheep and donkeys which were the only ones on the dirt road.

The photo "la inmensidad de lso andes" was taken in the road between the two towns.
Mito is a typical andean village with an athmosphere that is quickly disappearing in many andeans towns. it is quaint, full of with traditional architecture. WHile due to increased prosperity, people in many towns are taring down their traditional houses, and replacing them with ugly, but more confortable brick and cement houses.

So far Mito has been escaped, but who knows how it will be in 10 years.