Jose Carlos Mariategui

 Our first encounter with the lomas 3.5.14

Quebradas Verdes sited at the end of "long finger"

We started the second field work day by visiting Quebradas Verdes, an Agrupaciones Familiares located at the end of the “long finger”. Miguel Ramos Almestar - the general secretary - and his family were happy to show us around. 

We ascended the quebrada (ravine) along the main road populated with houses on each side. They explained how they had to carve away at the sides of the ravine to create a wider platform on which they could settle. 
  
We walked up through an area of settled plots where people were living to an area with just a few plots which were currently not occupied. Beyond the line of plots we ascended further up where the road became more rocky and less defined. It was here that Katy - Miguel’s daughter in law - pointed out the area at which plants grow as soon as it gets cooler and wetter in winter. These were not plants that they had sowed seeds for, but ones that appear naturally, at last we had found…the lomas! 

Photos of the Ramos Almestar family with the lomas full in bloom

Although, there is little sign of vegetation right now, they assured us that as soon as rain became more apparent in the area, plants would wake-up from their current dormant state. Defined as diverse ecosystems, lomas are characterised by naturally occurring fauna and flora. They appear seasonally when fog and precipitation increases in the winter months and correspond with changes in coastal climates. As human settlements have increased in the quebradas, those previously inhabited with lomas have started to disappear. It will be interesting for us to investigate the relationship that people have with these native green areas to try to understand how their presence can be preserved. The awareness that Miguel’s family had about this precious ecosystem and the name Quebradas Verdes (literally green ravines) itself, implies that maybe these ones are here to stay.

 

 

No Vive 1.5.14

 

As we traversed the settlements of Agrupaciones Familiares in JCM we saw many signs of houses which have been built by new arrivals but appeared to be unoccupied. According to the rules or estatutos of these groups, this non-habitation (which implies profiteering from property speculation) is not tolerated. To signify a non-compliance with this rule, the houses are marked with 'no vive'  meaning no-one is living here. This type of estatuto is put in place to protect the rights of people who do not have an alternative place to live.

¡Bienvenido a Jose Carlos Mariategui! 29.04.14

A snapshot capturing our first encounters in the quebradas of JCM