FACTORTIERRA

TAMBOGRANDE, Peru – On June 2, 2002, nearly 40,000 people voluntarily participated in a non-binding local referendum to express their opinions on mining activities throughout the Tambogrande District, including the agro-exporting San Lorenzo Valley and the dry forest in the Locuto Community .   98% of the valid votes were against mining, which dealt a blow to Manhattan Minerals Corporation (now Mediterranean Resources), which had the concession to exploit three deposits between the City of Tambogrande and the Community of Locuto, as it evidenced a lack of social license . The Vancouver-based company had repeatedly claimed it had the support of the local population.   The impact of this exercise in democracy was such that it was replicated in Esquel (Argentina), Sipacapa (Guatemala), and three districts in the highlands of Piura (Peru) between 2003 and 2007, with similar results.   In the case of Tambogrande, following the referendum and the boycott b...

The relationship between Piura City and the water has not been one of the most positive, misunderstandings are older than its Spanish foundation.  By Nelson Peñaherrera   PIURA CITY , Peru - It is supposed that Francisco Pizarro founded San Miguel on August 15th, 1532, becoming the first Spanish Empire's city in South America, locating  it over the Tallan [pronounce "Tajahn"]  town of Tangarara, actual Marcavelica District, just beside Chira (then Turicarami in Tallan language) River.  What promised to be a productive convivence -the soil was pretty fertile- turned disease soon. Malaria decimated the immigrant population, that decided to move away the river . In 1534, it went about 50 miles SE of Tangarará, next to Pilán Mount, Monte de los Padres Acres and Las Damas Creek, actual La Matanza District. Although Lengash River ran nearby,  the city did not located beside this time. It could be renamed as Piura (supposedly from quechuan "Pir...

It looks like an enormous black egg embeded on the mountain slope. By Nelson Peñaherrera . Photos by Estany Tineo .   Cambia a español. SAPILLICA , Peru – “No, sir, the truck to Coletas departures tomorrow at five in the morning and gets back in the afternoon, assures us the driver of a motorcycle used as a taxi throough the tortuos dusty ways around this town. It is obvious that Juan, the driver, is trying to convince me for hiring the service.   It’s Thursday afternoon and since we have arrived to organize a minimum recognition logistics of the petroglyph our partner Marco Paulini reported last July , we’ve just found supporting promises but very few options for visiting the monolyth which highlights a spiral trace carved on basaltic rock. “ Are you going to The Devils’ Rock? That rock is bad! Pregnant women don’t pass over there,” a sixty-year-old lady warns me when she listens to my negotiation process with Juan. I take a little time to chat, hustle our producer ...

A Catholic cemetery keeps a… pantheistic shrine? By Nelson Peñaherrera . Photos by Alesban López .   SAPILLICA , Peru – “Cachirís Mount is straight there and Pilán Mount is mostly on the right,” Sapillica [pronounce “Sapijicah”] District Municipality’s Alesban López points me out, whom I am riding a motorcycle again , on our way to Tunal, 37 km away the southwest of the district capital. A local told him there are rocks “pretty identical” to those he featured on his Facebook account . We have to go down from Sapillica town until Timbes [pronounce “Timbehs”], then climbing up until 1617 meters altitude according to the GPS ( global positioning system ) device the crew carries within.   An hour 20 minutes, at least on motorcycle, by the west flank of Andean Western Range, viewing the coast along the full trail. In Tunal, we are on the spine of the mountain, the rocks are so little (1,5 meters by si, approximately) those just could carve one petroglyph per each one...