Peru Dispatch Part II – The Vicos Community

Huaraz and Caraz

Have you ever wanted to visit a place so badly, only to have your plans continuously derailed by things beyond your control? That perfectly sums up my long pursuit of reaching Huaraz. Over the past decade, I’ve made several attempts to get there, and only there, bypassing Cusco and Machu Picchu (both incredible places I’ve visited multiple times) in search of a new challenge.

My goal has always been the Cordillera Blanca, affectionately called the “Patagonia of Peru”, a region I’ve dreamed of exploring for years. But fate had other plans: first a washed-out road stopped me before the 8-hour drive even began, then a car breakdown, then geopolitical issues. It felt like the universe was conspiring to keep me away. Finally, after returning from my 2024 Peru adventure, it seemed as though the stars aligned – a new flight from Lima to Huaraz was launched, running frequently and soon becoming daily. What was once a grueling 8-hour drive had transformed into a 1-hour, 5-minute flight, complete with breathtaking views reminiscent of the French Alps on approach.

That is where part II of our dispatch begins. To this point, we had explored the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco with the infamous Cris, aka Jon Bon Jovi (did I mention to you, we all serenaded him with a Bon Jovi song when we first met in Cusco?). Now we were off to join professor, author, and anthropologist, Carlo in Huaraz, the foremost authority on the site of Chavin and the history that occurred up here, over 5000 years ago.

I am such a nerd, self admittedly. I think my middle name is Luis Skolnik (Gen Z, ask your parents who that is, trust me they know). So I made a list of every Egyptian King from the 1300 BCE to the common era, in order to place where this history takes place, much of it during a parallel time when Ramses II was ruling in Egypt. I did this, because much like some of the thought leaders in this space working at the most well-known museums, I am of the belief that these two empires were not living in isolation of each other, and that our theories of plate tectonics before the common era need to be revisited, since much of the history we learned is being rewritten by new discoveries regularly.

Once we place the time frames together, the eerie similarities in some of the architecture and rituals are too hard to ignore. Even the history at Tumshukaiko in Caraz and Chavin, had similarities to ancient India and the story of Shiva, that were just too strong to ignore. As humans, we are all connected in some way. My finance brain refuses to believe that, however my history and knowledge quests know that to be true, too many similarities and coincidences to ignore. That, my friends, is the center of my desire to visit the region of Ancash. Tie that in with authentic interactions with communities like Vicos, where we are among the first to be there, and hotels like Santa Cruz, entirely community run, with a heart bigger than the most luxurious of hotels, and you have a formula for the future of Peru.

Enjoy Part II of Peru Dispatch