The arrival of an anniversary of national independence awakens our reflection on the extraordinary cultural, environmental, social, ethnic and geography multiplicity that defines us. This brings to mind the words of the remembered José María Arguedas: "That beautiful Peru, cruel and sweet, and so full of meaning and unlimited promise."
Below I share some scopes tending to learn and strengthen national pride. In the Andean areas we host the largest population of vicuñas and alpacas, the camelids with the finest fibers and listed internationally. We have 30 varieties of olluco; 3,000 potatoes; 32 corn; and almost 25 quinoa. Thanks to the patient inquiries of the businessman Fermín Tanguis (1851 - 1930) we managed to obtain a cotton -considered the most select in the world- that bears his name.
The Peruvian geography exhibits unique and exceptional characteristics on the planet. The Colca and Cotahuasi (Arequipa) canyons are recognized as the deepest; we have 1,769 glaciers; 12,000 lagoons of different sizes; the snowy Alpamayo, located in the Huascarán National Park (Ancash), was designated the most beautiful in the World Scenic Beauty Survey (Germany, 1966); the Amazon river, the most abundant and fascinating; and the highest navigable lake: Titicaca.
We are among the top five countries in the world in biodiversity. An example is the discovery in a single tree (the shihuahuaco) in the Tambopata Candamo National Reserve (Madre de Dios) of 5,000 species of insects (80 percent were a first for science). In addition, we host 3,000 orchids and 1,760 birds (the most in the world). We have 84 of the 104 existing life zones and 28 types of climate of the 32 identified.
Our country is not only the land of ceviche, pisco, custard apple, lucuma, soursop, passion fruit, among many other sources of food. We are obliged to recognize the contribution highlighted by the eminent historian Luis Eduardo Valcárcel in his work "History of ancient Peru", when he affirms: "… The pre-Columbian Peruvians have in their subscription the number of plants that domesticated the face of the planet. In this way they provided man with a large number of foods, among which the potato stands out as the tuber that freed Europe from periodic famines and contributed to the greatness of the German people. Nearly one hundred other useful plants passed through the hands of the ancient Peruvians to transform from wild into cultivable,with a pronounced change in nutritional qualities and better flavor that makes it appetizing. They also cultivated industrial plants, such as four kinds of cotton, indigo, cabochon, cattail, and other fibers that they used, together with the wool of auquénidos, in the manufacture of their magnificent fabrics. Recall that about 40 percent of edibles have been domesticated in Peru.
The Pacific Ocean is a unique source of resources that is well worth taking a look at. The German male Alexander Von Humboldt - accompanied by his friend the French physician and botanist Aimé Bonpland - arrived in Peru on August 1, 1802, as part of an extensive trip through America. During his stay in the small towns of Huanchaco and Huamán (La Libertad) he found out the sea temperature. He found that it was five degrees lower than that corresponding to that latitude and related it to the presence of a coastal channel that runs from South to North. This phenomenon called "Humboldt Current" contains the richest production of plankton and phytoplankton known.
20 of the 67 varieties of the few cetaceans and related whales in species in the world live on our extensive coastline. Also, it offers 700 genera of fish and 400 of crustaceans. All a wonder of nature that we should take advantage of - in a rational way - to enrich the food diet of the population.
Humboldt, during his stay in Lima, comments on the visible distances and indifferences of the capital city with the rest of the colony. In his letter to the Governor of Jaén, José Ignacio Checa, he makes these sharp statements: “… In Lima I have learned nothing from Peru. There it is never a matter of any public happiness in the kingdom. Lima is more separated from Peru than London, and although nowhere in Spanish America does it suffer from excessive patriotism, I know of no other city in which that feeling is more subdued. ” Later he adds: "… There are few places where there is more talk and less work."
Likewise, our cultural heritage is an inexhaustible hotbed of permanent revelations that contribute to the strengthening of our identity. One example is El Señor de Sipán, a former 3rd century ruler whose domain spanned an area of Peru. Their tombs mark an important milestone in continental archeology because, for the first time, a royal burial of a pre-Inca civilization was found intact - and with no trace of looting.
Another jewel of our ancestors is Caral, which has also been declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. Located in the Supe Valley -200 kilometers north of Lima- it is 5000 years old and is the capital of the Caral civilization. It was contemporary to the civilizations of China, Egypt, India and Mesopotamia. This site had a theocratic organization and was surrounded by cultures framed in what is called "village society".
On the other hand, scientists from all disciplines have visited us attracted by the breadth of the research we offer. We welcome an immeasurable "quarry" of resources that arouse admiration. The German professor and botanist Augusto Weberbauerel, the English writer and geographer Clements Markham, the German doctor and anthropologist Ernst W. Middendorf, the Italian explorer and thinker Antonio Raimondi, are some of the many scientists involved in the study of Peru, whose legacy we are obligated to value.
I keep special tribute for the discoverer of the "Puya Raimondi". An unwavering fighter, he marched to his end motivated by the desire to reveal the country with which he identified himself. Overcoming adversity, he managed to publish the first volume of his volume "El Perú" (1874), dedicated to youth. There he wrote: “… Confident of my enthusiasm, I have undertaken an arduous work beyond my strength. So I ask for your contest. Help me, give a truce to politics and consecrate yourselves to making your country known and the immense resources it has ”. This text is a documented account of our natural and cultural heritage that includes discoveries, mining seats, haciendas on the coast and in the mountains, foundation of towns and cities, among other detailed notes. Today we should bear in mind what he said: "In the book of the destiny of Peru,a great future is written ”.
We have a privileged horizon. However, a critical vision always facilitates understanding the complex reality of an invertebrate, unsupportive and apathetic republic that, nevertheless, rests on a majestic past that should guide our inspirations. Therefore, it behooves us to assume what was emphasized by César Vallejo: "Even if it occurred to me to hate Peru, that hatred would be impregnated with tenderness."
Let's do an analysis aimed at overcoming our intense and recurring disagreements that avoid forging bridges of understanding and coexistence. Let us work to overcome prejudices, complexes, discriminations and everything that separates us from the great national objectives. Why is it so difficult for us to understand that each of us is the "raw material" with which the collective destiny is built? Let us recognize, at present times, the urgency of assuming "change" as an imperative.
Dear reader, we have a thousand reasons to raise self-esteem, enhance sensitivity, perceive the future with hope and full of positive attitudes. Let us forge feelings of fraternal union, embrace new achievements for the common good, consolidate efforts, unite wills and feel euphoria for our millenary roots and, consequently, for our representative plurality in which "all the bloods" converge.
(*) Teacher, conservationist, consultant, member of the Vida Institute and former president of the Board of Trustees of the Parque de Las Leyendas - Felipe Benavides Barreda.
