Almost before arriving in Bolivia we find the silent village of Caspana. A ravine between mountains, millenary stone houses, flower plantations and traditions that blend the essence of Aymara and Atacama culture. Do you want to know its history?
Located in Atacama Andina, Caspana is one of the villages that remain intact over time. It seems that neither modernity nor tourism have touched this beauty that lies in the middle of the desert. There lives around 400 people in houses of volcanic stone extracted from the same hills. Some of them with their colorful doors and colored cross woven of wool to chase the evil spirits.
It is impressive to walk the streets, especially those that are further from the village. We could hardly photograph them as they contain the essence of a culture that is directly influenced by the Incas: Houses of stones piled together, forming true solid walls of just 1.65 in height at the edge of the hill.
They cultivate beautiful colorful flowers, vegetables and fruits that are going to be sold to Calama, a city that is 85 kilometers away. These crops are grown on ancient stone terraces that were inherited from their ancestors. Caspana is a very fertile valley and the system of irrigation is by flood formed by channels of water that arrive at all the lands equally.
There are years of drought that worries its inhabitants, but when it rains, they celebrate with celebrations and dances in signal of purification. The most important is the "clean of canals", which is a payment to the land and is asked for water and planting crops. It is an internal and private party that they have inherited from their ancestors.