Frozen in time? (3/13/2018)
Over spring break I had the opportunity to visit some friends from back home at the University of Illinois. While there, I noticed my friend Brooke had tons of pictures from Machu Picchu. As it turns out, Brooke had spent January in Cusco as part of a short-term study abroad experience. I was so fascinated in Cusco and her trip that I started talking to her about what she experienced first hand. Me, an LAS minor, and Brooke, an anthropology major, both brought insight and genuine curiosity to our conversation. I asked her how Cusco was different from what she expected. It's one thing to learn about a place, and an entirely different thing to experience it for yourself. What she said really intrigued me and even confused me, so I thought to post about it here.
She told me Cusco was VERY Americanized and that if she was dropped there without knowing where she was, she would never have assumed it was as culturally and anthropologically relevant as it is. In short, Cusco is for the most part a modern city full of people from all around the world. Generally speaking, people speak English, amongst other languages. She said it was difficult to study Incan culture because it was not as apparent as she had hoped or expected. Cusco itself had changed. It was not "frozen in time" as she expected, rather a thriving modern city, looking to capitalize on the massive influx of tourism. Even the indigenous people spoke English, used current technology, dressed in western style clothes, and used tourism to their advantage.
All of this initially upset Brooke. As an anthropology student eagerly anticipating studying Cusco and indigenous Incan ancestors today, all of this tourism and westernization upset her. As she examined it more closely however, her feelings began to change. It's not fair of us as students and historians to compartmentalize indigeneity. Not all indigenous peoples dislike change, modernization, and American tourism. The residents of Cusco welcome change and tourism, and use it to better their lives. For example, Brooke spoke to an indigenous man who is a tour guide around Cusco's city center and another who drives taxis for mostly tourists. Tourism and change doesn't threaten indigenous peoples, it gives them opportunities to change and redefine what it means to be indigenous. It's narrow minded of us to expect indigenous people to stay frozen in time and subjects we can study. Just like any culture, indigenous people are allowed to change with the times. Brooke's experience in Cusco really opened my eyes to how our expectations about places and peoples we learn about are sometimes misguided, and that places like Cusco can modernize and that's okay.
-J
She told me Cusco was VERY Americanized and that if she was dropped there without knowing where she was, she would never have assumed it was as culturally and anthropologically relevant as it is. In short, Cusco is for the most part a modern city full of people from all around the world. Generally speaking, people speak English, amongst other languages. She said it was difficult to study Incan culture because it was not as apparent as she had hoped or expected. Cusco itself had changed. It was not "frozen in time" as she expected, rather a thriving modern city, looking to capitalize on the massive influx of tourism. Even the indigenous people spoke English, used current technology, dressed in western style clothes, and used tourism to their advantage.
All of this initially upset Brooke. As an anthropology student eagerly anticipating studying Cusco and indigenous Incan ancestors today, all of this tourism and westernization upset her. As she examined it more closely however, her feelings began to change. It's not fair of us as students and historians to compartmentalize indigeneity. Not all indigenous peoples dislike change, modernization, and American tourism. The residents of Cusco welcome change and tourism, and use it to better their lives. For example, Brooke spoke to an indigenous man who is a tour guide around Cusco's city center and another who drives taxis for mostly tourists. Tourism and change doesn't threaten indigenous peoples, it gives them opportunities to change and redefine what it means to be indigenous. It's narrow minded of us to expect indigenous people to stay frozen in time and subjects we can study. Just like any culture, indigenous people are allowed to change with the times. Brooke's experience in Cusco really opened my eyes to how our expectations about places and peoples we learn about are sometimes misguided, and that places like Cusco can modernize and that's okay.
-J
I really enjoyed reading your post. I would love to visit Cusco and see how it compares to what we learned in class. I found it interesting that your friend saw a large American influence in the region. I am glad you brought up the "frozen in time" idea because that is how I imagined it to be in real life. I also thought it was interesting on how the Cusco people welcome tourism and it makes me wonder the impact tourist have in the area. Are tourists disrupting the historical and cultural past in the region? Finding a good balance between creating immersive experiences and preserving the past needs to be consistently discussed/monitored.
ReplyDeleteJohnny,
ReplyDeleteIt is cool that you and your friend were able to discuss her trip and relate it to what you both were studying academically. It is interesting that she found Cusco to be Americanized, and I can see where this at first would have been very different than expected and disappointing to her. This reminded me of the guest lecturer that we had before spring break and the topics that he discussed about Mexico. The idea that there were times where modernism was extremely racist, and how the indigenous people to this day have to decide what things they are willing to sacrifice in order to be modern. I like how you said Cusco was not "frozen in time" like your friend envisioned but rather was "looking to capitalize on the massive influx of tourism". The idea that the indigenous were not suck in time makes sense as they have to create income for themselves and progress along with the rest of the world in order to survive. Cusco has found their ways of doing this by capitalizing on tourists it seems. I do wonder what the indigenous of Cusco have decided they can not sacrifice in order to be modern? Are there traditions that they hold close that they will not let the tourists and ways of modernizing influence? You stated "the residents of Cusco welcome change and tourism" I wonder if all the residents did or if there was some opposition to this?
Hey Johnny!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog! As someone who has been to Cusco, it was really easy to picture what you were saying in comparison to what I had seen. And yes, I definitely agree with your friend that Cusco is FULL of tourists and is a very modern city. But I love how you guys looked at it, as a city that is allowed to modernize as much as any other city. As you said, the indigenous have found new ways to change and redefine what it means to be indigenous. Additionally, although it is not "frozen in time," there is so much amazing history in that city and surrounding it. For example, my family and I stayed very near to the main plaza in a hotel that although modern and created to make a profit off of tourists, had walls partly built by the Incas themselves. And there were many things to visit both inside and outside of Cusco that were full of history and culture. Thus, it is modernized, but yet history and culture do at least partly remain in the city and surrounding it.
Thanks for such a good read! :)
Becks