Peru

I was wondering recently why it is I’ve always wanted to go to Peru—long before I knew about Incas and Machu Picchu. It took me longer than it should have to figure it out. It’s all about Paddington Bear. I loved Paddington growing up, with his duffle coat and wellies and marmalade sandwiches. Before landing at Paddington Station with his beat up old suitcase, Paddington had voyaged from “Darkest Peru.” That phrase is so evocative. From 28-29 July Peru celebrates its Independence Day (the declaration was made on 28 July 1821, but I suppose it really is worth celebrating for two days) and I know Paddington would want you to join me in raising a glass to all those Peruvians.

Peru has been inhabited by humans for something like 13,000 years. Prior to the emergence of the Incas, thee were plenty of other cultures, including the Mochica (responsible for the Moche “pyramids”) and the Nazca, to whom the Nazca Lines are often attributed.

Then came the Spanish—in 1532 conquistadors beat out the Inca Emperor Atahualpa and under Francisco Pizarro’s leadership brought Spanish rule to the country. For a while Spain was pretty happy with the revenue Peru provided, but in the 18th century silver production dropped off. The Spanish Crown decided to increase taxes to wring some extra money out of the country, and Peruvians responded with rebellion. None of these were successful in the 18th century.

Then came Simón Bolívar in the 19th century. After other wars of independence had been fought, Bolívar and José de San Martín came along with a military campaign, bringing about Peru’s independence.

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing—in the War of the Pacific (1878-1883) Peru lost to Chile, which resulted in the loss of some of Peru’s territory.

In the 20th century there has been a coup—in 1968 General Juan Velasco Alvarado led the Armed Forces against president Fernando Belaunde. After 7 years in power, Velasco was forcefully replaced in 1975. More recently there’s been concern over debt, inflation, drug trafficking and political violence. The scene has improved since the 1980s, but accusations still emerge—while things were improving between 1990 and 2000, the 2000 elections were considered fraudulent.

Today’s poem is by César Vellajo—while there were only three books published while he was alive, he’s on any greatest hits list for twentieth century world poets.



The Eternal Dice

For Manuel Gonzalez Prada, this wild and unique feeling—one of those emotions which the great master has admired most in my work.

God of mine, I am weeping for the life that I live;
I am sorry to have stolen your bread;
but this wretched, thinking piece of clay
is not a crust formed in your side:
you have no Marys that abandon you!

My God, if you had been man,
today you would know how to be God,
but you always lived so well,
that now you feel nothing of your own creation.
And the man who suffers you: he is God!

Today, when there are candles in my witchlike eyes,
as in the eyes of a condemned man,
God of mine, you will light all your lamps
and we will play with the old dice…
Gambler, when the whole universe, perhaps,
is thrown down,
the circled eyes of Death will turn up,
like two final aces of clay.

My God, in this muffled, dark night,
you can’t play anymore, because the Earth
is already a die nicked and rounded
from rolling by chance;
and it can stop only in a hollow place,
in the hollow of the enormous grave.

—César Vellajo
from Modern Literature of the Non-Western World
translated from the Spanish by James Wright