Early last year, I posted an item named “Wedding in Colquepata”. The story was about a surprise invitation to a local wedding in this small village in the Peruvian Sierra. I promised myself that one day I would return with print-outs of the photos I took on that day. Eight years later, I found myself yet again in the village of Colquepata, thus complying with my self-made pledge.
The First Visit – 2015
It was July, 2015. We had just set off a few hours previously from Paucartambo, where we had been celebrating the colourful “Fiesta de la Mamacha del Carmen”. ( See link at end of this post.).
We had just started the four day drive from Paucartambo back to Lima and were heading towards Cuzco.
We stopped to stretch our legs in a little village. Tim, with whom I was sharing the driving had his camera (as usual) round his neck and attracted the immediate curiosity from a local Señora who was passing by.
We entered into conversation with her. She was on her way to help prepare the food for a village wedding. She indicated with a wave of her hand, a group of villagers who were already hard at work.
We looked and they waved back at us. The next thing we knew was that we had been invited to meet the bride and groom.
The bridegroom’s father (seated on the left) gave us a warm welcome as he sat with his bag of coca leaves on his lap. He invited us to join him as he continued “chacchando coca” (chewing coca leaves)
The celebrations would start in the evening and continue through the following day. Everyone was busy with the preparations. A mountain of potatoes were being peeled…….
and judging by the amount of meat that was ready to be cooked, there was to be a massive attendance to this little family home later in the day.
The air was full of laughter and chatter. They spoke in Quechua, but were always ready to converse and joke with us in Spanish.
Although we had been invited to stay for the actual wedding, we regretfully had to be mindful of the long journey we had ahead of us. With regret, after a few hours we had to bid our farewell and wished the bride and groom, the family and friends the very best.
It was a wonderful moment and it was a shame we couldn’t stay longer. As we couldn’t stay they kindly offered us some food to take on our journey.
On returning to Lima, I vowed that one day I would return and give the family copies of the photos I had taken. In my original post I ended the article writing the following;
“It only took me a few moments to work out what I wanted to do. I would print out the photos, hire a car in Cuzco, and return to Colquepata to the house where we had received such a warm welcome and spent such an interesting time. It would be such a pleasure to see them all again and share these images, and maybe get an up-to-date photo of the couple, perhaps now with their children. And that will indeed be another story to tell!”
The Return Trip – 2023
A few months ago, after eight years ( better late than never) I returned to the village. This time, I flew to Cuzco and hired a car to drive to the village of Colquepata. After a few hours, I got to the village main square. “Let me see, it was down here……yes, …. it was at the very end of this street that we met the woman who was looking at Tim’s camera.”
I walked down the road towards the end of the village.. “Yes… that’s the door where we took a photo of the kids.”
And there next to the door was the gate. It was open, so I peeked inside. Yes, this was it.
The gate creaked open on rusty hinges ….. and there on the right, staring at me, was the bride’s father Don Benedicto.
He was sitting by the open door of his house surrounded by some of his family.
Benedicto had hardly changed at all, during these eight years.
Sitting around him were two of his eight children. I was welcomed by his daughter Felicitas who was carrying her little baby.
And sitting next to his father was Benedicto’s youngest son, Juan, sporting a football shirt as well as, (like his father ) his bags of coca leaves.
One of his daughters in law was also there, as the whole extended family live together and work on the family parcel of land. Benedicto’s wife, Gregoria was away tending their flock of sheep, and his other children were working in the fields..
Sitting round chatting and drinking some Inca Cola which they had served me, it was now the moment to present Benedicto with the photos from the wedding. He smiled as he saw the photos of family and friends and embraced me with a big hug.
It was then, however, that Felicitas informed me of some very sad news. Susana, the young bride, had been a keen football player. One week-end, a month before, she had been playing in a match with her team. At the end of the game, she felt unwell and had to sit down. Concerned, they took her to the nearest medical post. Sadly, she died soon after arriving there. Her husband who had also lived with Susana’s family had returned for the time being to his own family community on the other side of the town.
I felt worried and concerned about having given Benedicto the photos so soon after his tragic loss. However, he reassured me that he was pleased to have the photos as he did not have many printed pictures of his daughter, Susana.
Benedicto is now 78 years old but is still active. The family have to walk for two hours to get to their parcel of land. However, Juan now has a motor bike and can take Benedicto to the land following a long and rough trail. They grow a variety of crops…maize, potatoes and other vegetables, which they sell in the local market.
They have a flock of forty sheep which they keep for wool and also for meat. Felicitas showed me the way they clean and treat the fleeces.
Benedicto showed me how the wool shorn from the sheep was spun into yarn.
Felicitas and other members of the family would then knit jumpers, scarves and gloves which they sell. His wife, Gregoria would often knit as she looked after the sheep on the hillside..
After a couple of hours it was time to go. We decided to take a photo together before I left, which I could then send to them via Juan’s WhatsApp. Benedicto got up and disappeared into the house. He came out with a beautifully crafted poncho, his special poncho, which he insisted I should wear. I felt honoured by this gesture and happily prepared for the photo which was taken by Juan.
And so……. here is the picture!
I hope to return to the Festival in Paucartambo again this year in July. It is an amazing, colourful experience, hence my desire to live the experience again. On the way there, I hope I can make another short visit to the wonderful Hualla family.
Meanwhile to end with…… a short gallery of photos from my first visit!
Some other posts – The Festival at Paucartambo, an event not to be missed!!!!
And here, the village and people of Paucartambo! I will be back there again for the festival this coming July!
Wanderings! 
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