A glimpse in the thoughts of Julio Ayma Arpa

Written by Tyler Cole | 13 February 2010

My gracious host while in the Southern Peruvian countryside, Julio is a native of the village of Huañuscuro along the shore of Lake Titikaka.  After moving to the larger city of Tacna, Peru for work as an adult, he has since retired to the place where he grew up and now farms and raises animals with his wife and stepfather.  I initally came into contact with Julio when my impromptu Aymara teacher, Lorenzo Hancco, brought me to Huañuscuro where he used to teach about 25 years ago.

Julio invited me to stay in his home, and more details on the visit can be found here.  I asked Julio a few quesitons for this A Glimpse in the Thoughts of, and here´s what he said (translated as accurately as possible from Spanish):

If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

Moses, because he was born of a high class and despite being of that class, he denied the power and the wealth that came with the position to lead the oppresses Isrealites from Egypt. He sacrificed high class and power to do the right thing.

What do you like to do in your free time more than anything?

Read, especially about the histories of the development of civilizations and how to improve one´s life.