Comunidades Campesinas...here I come!

And so begins the whirlwind of my travels through the rural peasant communities of Puno. I have just arrived in Juli, the capital of the province of Chucuito. Located an hour from the border of Bolivia, Chucuito is one of the larger Aymara provinces in the department of Puno. The town of Juli is known as the little Rome of Latin America because of its picturesque cathedrals.

I left Puno this morning at 6:45 am and arrived in Juli at 8am, a bit earlier than expected thanks to a very fast combi ride. This morning I will have meetings with the leader of a missionary group of the Catholic Church as well as the director of the Institute on Rural Education. The goal for the next two to three days is to visit some communities and meet with local authorities. After the New Year, I will live in the region for a longer period of time to complete my work with interviewing local and municipal leadership as well as holding community focus groups.

Surely, there will be fun stories to share over this week...