Leave No Trace
Inca spirituality teaches us about our connection to nature. The Inca saw parts of nature as gods. For example, the Apu (mountains) were gods that provided snow which melted into rivers (the veins of Earth) to provide water for life to exist. Pachamama (Mother Earth) is our home where we live and provides us life. Every time the Inca drank, they gave an offering first in gratitude to Pachamama, then shared the drink among their community.
Working with this spiritual concept, Project Inti aims to educate families with Leave No Trace principles to lessen the (tourist) footprint at Inca sites, as well as, within communities. Saul has been speaking at the annual chasqui (porter) conferences over several years, providing introductory information on Leave No Trace principles. In the past decade, the government has made an effort to shut down the Inca Trail in February to clean up the trash and designated campsites. But there is a lot of work yet to be done both on the Inca Trail, as well as in daily life. It’s common to find trash in the streets and along roads and rivers. We are working on establishing trust and relationships with the chasquis so that we can hopefully be more successful in passing along this education.
Saul continues to help chasquis understand how travel agencies work and how to negotiate fair wages. The conference hosts nearly 2,000 chasquis each year and Saul works with about 50 of them individually to teach Leave No Trace Principles.
Working with this spiritual concept, Project Inti aims to educate families with Leave No Trace principles to lessen the (tourist) footprint at Inca sites, as well as, within communities. Saul has been speaking at the annual chasqui (porter) conferences over several years, providing introductory information on Leave No Trace principles. In the past decade, the government has made an effort to shut down the Inca Trail in February to clean up the trash and designated campsites. But there is a lot of work yet to be done both on the Inca Trail, as well as in daily life. It’s common to find trash in the streets and along roads and rivers. We are working on establishing trust and relationships with the chasquis so that we can hopefully be more successful in passing along this education.
Saul continues to help chasquis understand how travel agencies work and how to negotiate fair wages. The conference hosts nearly 2,000 chasquis each year and Saul works with about 50 of them individually to teach Leave No Trace Principles.