Protests and Anger Grow

Feliz Año Nuevo!

I am going to make this post short. I want to get everyone caught up on recent events, so I can respond more promptly to events as they occur in the weeks to come.

After those first few days settling into Cusco and acclimatizing, my peaceful strolls through the city and stopping for a good meal or a drink came to a halt. The protests grew and the anger along with them was building up. You could sense it.

Large crowds were gathering in front of the local municipal offices around Cusco. They were demanding that their local representatives tell the leaders in Lima that they want new elections and that they do not recognize the newly instated president’s authority. They wanted congress closed down until new elections were held.

There was an array of different groups that held marches throughout the city, ranging from university students, rural farmers, and union members to average citizens of Cusco. There were also more extreme political groups, along with agitators from criminal elements that wanted to bring down the government and create chaos. Although these people were mixed in with the peaceful protesters, they were easy to identify.

In spite of the tension and those who wanted an escalation in the intensity of the protests, they remained peaceful those first few days. There were reports of violence and deaths happening in nearby areas of Apurimac and Arequipa, but so far there was none of that happening in Cusco. The police oversaw the protests, accompanied the protesters through the city, and allowed them to march through the streets. The riot police stood guard over key locations in the event that things did escalate.

Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for what was going to happen next.

To be continued…