Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [307]
The best place to buy ceramics around here is in La Encantada, a quiet rural outpost just outside of Chulucanas, whose inhabitants work almost exclusively in artesanía. La Encantada was home to the late Max Inga, a local legend who studied ceramic artifacts from the ancient Tallan and Vicus cultures and sparked a resurgence in the art form. The friendly artisans are often happy to demonstrate the production process, from the ‘harvesting’ of the clay to the application of mango-leaf smoke to get that distinctive black-and-white design. The village is reached from Chulucanas by a 10-minute mototaxi ride (around S5).
There are a few basic hotels in Chulucanas, including Hostal Chulucanas Soler (37-8576; Ica 209; s/d S20/36), two blocks from the plaza.
Civa has frequent buses to and from Piura (S2, 45 minutes).
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HUANCABAMBA
073 / pop 8000 / elev 1957m
For the daring adventurer, Huancabamba, deep in the eastern mountains, is well worth the rough 10-hour journey from Piura. This region is famed in Peru for the powerful brujos and curanderos (healers) who live and work at the nearby lakes of Huaringas. Peruvians from all over the country flock to partake in these ancient healing techniques (Click here). Many locals (but few gringos) visit the area, so finding information and guides is not difficult.
The mystical town of Huancabamba is surrounded by mountains shrouded in mist and lies at the head of the long, narrow Río Huancabamba. The banks of the Huancabamba are unstable and constantly eroding and the town is subject to frequent subsidence and slippage. It has earned itself the nickname La Ciudad que Camina (the Town that Walks). Spooky.
There’s a small tourist information office (47-3321; 8am-6pm) at the bus station that has an elementary map of the area and a list of accredited brujos and curanderos. You can also change US dollars at the bus station. There’s a basic hospital (47-3024).
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SHOPPING FOR SHAMANS
When people from the West think of witchcraft, visions of pointed hats, broomsticks and bubbling brews are rarely far away. In Peru, consulting brujos (witch doctors) and curanderos (healers) is widely accepted and has a long tradition predating Spanish colonization.
Peruvians from all walks of life visit brujos and curanderos and often pay sizable amounts of money for their services. These shamans are used to cure an endless list of ailments, from headaches to cancer to chronic bad luck, and are particularly popular in matters of love – whether it’s love lost, love found, love desired or love scorned.
The Huaringas lake area near Huancabamba (Click here), almost 4000m above sea level, is said to have potent curative powers and attracts a steady stream of visitors from all corners of the continent. The most famous lake in the area is Laguna Shimbe, though the nearby Laguna Negra is the one most frequently used by the curanderos.
Ceremonies can last all night and entail hallucinogenic plants (such as the San Pedro cactus), singing, chanting, dancing and a dip in the lakes’ painfully freezing waters. Some ceremonies involve more powerful substances like ayahuasca (Quechua for ‘vine of the soul’), a potent and vile mix of jungle vines used to induce strong hallucinations. Vomiting is a common side effect. The curanderos will also use ícaros, which are mystical songs and chants used to direct and influence the spiritual experience. Serious curanderos will spend many years studying the art, striving for the hard-earned title of maestro curandero.
If you are interested in visiting a curandero while in Huancabamba, be warned that this tradition is taken very seriously and gawkers or skeptics will get a hostile reception.