Peru by the numbers
What the photos don’t say—but we remember.
- 6 miles/day on average by foot —through temples, terraces, and time
- 150+ vertical steps climbed to reach platform views from Ollantaytambo to the cave of Choquekilla, the Golden Moon, known in Spanish as Ñaupa Iglesia. From its entrance, the sun cast a golden glow across the mountain range before us.
- Descent from Sacsayhuamán into San Blas—stone stairs winding into whitewashed alleyways and artisan courtyards
- 2 weddings, 1 proposal—love witnessed by sacred stone
- 20+ Cara Cara falcons (Mexican Eagles) swirling overhead as we gathered in ceremony
- 2 Lightning Masters encountered—keepers of cosmic fire and ancestral strike
- 4 Quarpay initiations—received in lineage from the Apaza family
- 2 Blossom clearings—gentle releases into renewal
- 1 Coca Leaf Reading—ancestral guidance through sacred leaves
🧭 Sacred Encounters
We sat with Mamita María Apaza, a 100-year-old Altomisayoc from the Chumpi Paqo tradition of the Quico community. Her presence was a living bridge to the ancient cosmology of the Andes. Four of us received Quarpay initiations from her son, Manuel Apaza, a Pampamisayoc—a moment of profound transmission.
At lunch, we were joined by Wak’a Kamayuq, a descendant of the Huallpa lineage. Struck four times by lightning as a 2-year old child alongside his mother in Kiñua Pata, Quisinsaya, he shared how lightning is perceived not as trauma, but as initiation. His presence was quiet, luminous, and deeply felt.
🏔️ Ceremonial Immersion
We were introduced to the Apus—mountain spirits named and revered. Through native-led ceremony, we acclimated not just to altitude, but to the Quechua understanding of the expression of: water, wind, stone, and inner memory.
Three Feathers: Gifts of the Winged Ones
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