Tantarcalla - A Community Facing Eviction

Tantarcalla

The village of Tantarcalla is a small, peasant community about a two-hour drive south of Cusco. Approximately 250 families reside there with a school and a post office. They are primarily subsistence farmers and life is difficult there at an elevation of 3800 m (12,500 ft). These indigenous Quechua people have lived here for hundreds of years, since the time of the Inca. It is along the famous Qhapaq Nan (The Inca Road), and it is their ancestral home.

The people of the community also work for some of the surrounding large farms owned by landowners in the lower, more productive valleys. These farms are owned by families of Spanish descent that have handed them down to their children over generations. The people of Tantarcalla have worked and lived side-by-side with these landowners throughout the generations, and that continued after the land agrarian reform of 1969. In recent years, one of the current owners is claiming that he owns the land the community is situated on, and he is attempting to have them evicted.

Residents of Tantarcalla stand watch at the entrance of their community as they await the arrival of police to evict them.

He has a rather dubious-looking map which he claims his parents gave him, stating this land also belonged to them. He had a lawyer notarize it and is using this as the basis of his claim. Corruption and exploitation play heavily into the situation. Those with money and influence can get what they want when the right palms are greased. It is usually at the expense of the indigenous people.

On March 24th, the claimant, along with his lawyer and government officials, arrived at the community with the backing of heavily armed riot police intent on evicting them. Ambulances were sent ahead of time in preparation for what was to come.

The people of the community, men, women, children, and the elderly all waited for the arrival of the police, armed with nothing but sticks, and vowed to defend their homes. These people are accused of being terrorists for not leaving the only homes they have ever known.

Community members from Tantarcalla stand guard with sticks as riot police prepare to forcefully remove them from their ancestral homes.

The leaders of the community and their lawyer argued their case, producing documents that they claim prove that they are the rightful residents of the land. These documents were never presented to the courts as previous lawyers had taken advantage of the community members by taking their money but never filing the documents.

These documents contradicted the map being produced by the claimant and ultimately the lawyer and government officials had to consider them. The eviction has been delayed for a month while they are presented to the courts for the judge to view them.

An elderly woman wipes away tears at the prospect of being evicted from the only home she has ever known while facing off agains riot police.

I, along with a handful of other photojournalists were there to document this standoff as the people defended their home. I truly believe if we had not been there to bear witness to that day, it could have gone much differently. They brought an ambulance with with intention.

This is a very poor community, and the little money they do have is being used to defend themselves legally. As a result, there is no money for the school or other necessities of the community. As these things occur, it is difficult not to empathize with the people and remain objective. I find it shocking and disgraceful, to be honest.

A man raises his fist in defiance.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident and is indicative of what the indigenous people of Peru are up against. As I was writing this, I learned that another young man has succumbed to his injuries today. He had been beaten by police during the protests. Sadly, the tally increases.

I plan to keep track of how things evolve for the people of Tantarcalla, and I will do my best to be there the next time they attempt to evict the community.

As always, thanks for reading and for your support.

MB