The road of crossroads

In a hidden place amid Piura, Ayabaca, an Morropón, Sáncor Creek offers an unequitable, refreshing, and immaculate jewel.

 

By Luis M. Correa Castillo

 

    TAMBOGRANDE, Peru – When the first Sun ray appeared englighting the majestic image of Jabonillo Mount, the FACTORTIERRA crew was on the way from Pueblo Libre to Monteverde Altoas part of the route that would lead us to Zapallal’s Coppers. Our trip plan specified as stops, going up out Pueblo Libre, the towns of Monteverde, Las Salinas, Tinajones, Palo Negro, and El Cantero, the last place that would open us the pass to the peasant’s path.

 

Like in every expedition as well as our life, the destiny ever sets us up many crossroads. The first one was at the town of Las Salinas. What way to take? If the same Las Salinas natives kept jealously the right route, the true is we ever bet to our instinct, and following Jabonillo, we passed from the likely green tone, the fresh breeze of the canal, the odor to mango, plum, and lime that characterized Las Salinas, to the somber color of the dry forest around Tinajones, also the home of the leafy elegant tree wearing white smoking, ready to go out party – a Caesalpinia species.

 

The second crossroad featured in Tinajones. What road to take? The Brown-narrow-eyed girlwho sold us the breakfast was not too jealous and guided us beside a cemeterywhere seemingly the mortality rate ran out scared because just few crosses decorated the place. There was a little church in the end of the town too, and some locals who offered the wrong way because arriving to the town of El Carrizo was not our intention, so from that point, we had to go down along a sunny, unforested path until getting to the town of Palo Negro.

 

    The third crossroad featured out there. What road to take? The girl who gifted us a sip of water smiled saying “you are crazy, actually. Why going down from El Carrizo if there is a path connecting Las Salinas to Palo Negro?You could take 45 minutes coming until here, but to go up to el Cantero, simply follow this other road until getting to the alley – it will guide us.” (No doubt, the innocence of childhood to see the world changes the reality compared to the vision of the persons drowned into selfishness and evil.)

 

We restart our way with these words until getting to the alley, and here the fourth crossroad featured. What road to take? There were no Las Salinas natives, narrow-eyed girl, nor any child who said us what road to take. It was when our instinct smelled again that familiar, unique aroma of the plums and we realized ultimately that was our destination.

 

The path of the alley was very gently to our stomach, it provided us with abundant plums and a kind shadow, but as the quote says, every good has to end. It was so. The alley was over and the way to El Cantero waited for us. Just hearing that name –the quarry in English—gave me the idea of an exhausting place, threatened by the hot Sun, and I was not wrong. I looked at my arms and the tanned color of the city blushed too much than the blood beside it was pink color.

 

    There was no way-back and our conviction led us to El Cantero. The crew already showed signs of fatigue and dehydration, nothing acceptable conditions for any local. We left El Cantero and took the peasant’s path carrying on the fatigue and the dehydration like beasts of burden, but mostly motivated by the landscape that began to colorize, what was an indication that something good would come up. Maybe the virgin who lives at the top of that unnamed mount listened to us and showed us Sáncor Creek. We rested at its rim, we drank some water, we filled our bottles with a few energy to the rest of the way.

 

The way already lasted two hours and it never gave up, it didn’t let see its hidden treasure. 3:00 in the afternoon, and not finding it, we decided to get out down the peasant’s path warned by a noisy waterfall that we thought for good it would be our reward. However, it was the spillway to a rocky zone where stores the water coming in down from the coppers.

 

After resting and taking a bath for many hours, we decided to adventure a little more on the way before the sunset, and around 6:00 in the afternoon, our eyes left charming with the wonderful show that Zapallal’s Coppers brought us. I would dare to say that either Picasso, Van Gogh, or Michelangelo would have paint a similar work, neither Jules Verne would adventure much like those explorers to show up those marvels to Piura, Peru, and the rest of world.

 

    The peasant’s path

Before gasoline and diesel allowed to shorthen distances from the coast to the highlands of Piura, the only transportation mean for people and merchandise were horses and mules. Those ones were driven by peasants along very defined routes, resulting even shorter than the actual roads.

 

The whole Piura Region is crossed by thousands of those ways, some of which have begun to vanish. The route we propose connects Malingas, Piura Province, to Zapallal Community, Ayabaca Province.

 

Malingas is easily accesible from the cities of Tambogrande or Chulucanas, although the shorter route goes from the first place. Both cities, at the same time, are connected to Piura City, the regional capital, very well communicated through the Pan-American Highway.

 

The problem of Malingas is that, during the summer, gets isolated due to rains, so there is an alternative access from the town of Cruceta, located between the cities of Tambogrande and Las Lomas. From Cruceta, we have to get to Totoral Alto. This route is longer. Whether Malingas or Totoral Alto, the goal is ever arriving to the village of El Cantero, where the borderlines of provinces Piura, Ayabaca, and Morropón join.

 

    Alto Malingas

This community is located at the southeast edge of Tambogrande District, Piura Province. It’s formed by the villages of El Carrizo, Tinajones, Las Salinas, Palo Negro, and el Cantero. The community members include the town of Sesteadero, but it depends politically on the Municipality of Tejedores Town.

 

In average, 500 people live in every village mostly working on small cattle, the rainless agriculture, and very low scale apiculture. All this zone is part of the Pacific’s Tropical Forest, so it is possible to find Caesalpina, Acacia macracantha, and the predominant Prosopis pallida. Although the farmers have decided to protect the zone from activities damaging their environment, the authorities could support this effort reinforcing the rules protecting natural areas.

 

    The Community of Tunal-Zapallal

It is actually formed by two sectors: Tunal at the north, Sapillica District, and Zapallal (pronounce Sapayal) at the south, Frías District. Both belong to Ayabaca Province but the habitants are better connected to Chulucanas District, Morropón Province.

 

The community is divided by Sáncor Creek. The Zapallal’s Coppers are located just in the middle, which are three big natural pools, in shape of Chinese wok, about 132 feet diameter and 7 feet depth in average. The zone is not walked a lot more than the own locals due to its difficult access. Sáncor Creek, that comes down from Altos de Frías (Frías Heights), has created a little canyon before going out to the coastal flats and leading into Piura River.

 

The north side of the canyon contains the only path to access, that was formerly used by peasants. It can take two hours from its entrance in El Cantero Village until the coppers. If you get without water, there is a gateway to the creek at 1.5 hours of the pathfor recharging. This water can be drunk directly, no further compplications.

 

The back side of Jabonillo Mount still waits for us to hike, but equipment is required and specialized guides. However, the simple rock climbing and the trekking are possible to do without problems.

 

The community is not more than 200 people who live disperse. They work on agriculture of grains, fruits, and sugarcane. In fact, they make sugarcane syrup, that is the paste to obtain the organic sugar, but the farmers have not found a market for this product.

 

The zone is available for more exploration. Just as a detail, there is a natural oriel where the Callingará Mount can be watched from. This is the place where the Venus of Frías was found five decades ago, and what is on exhibition at Eguiguren Museum, Piura City.

 

Alex Neyra joined the production of this story. We thank to the Community of Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur, Irwing Vriceño, and Narciso Villegas for their collaboration.

Visit the place with our crew. Write us down at factortierra@gmail.com

© 2008, 2020 Asociación Civil Factor Tierra. All Rights Reserved.