Having now shifted from Lima to Cusco, I have felt the differing landscapes of these cities to be reflected in my overall mood. Cusco- once known as the center of the universe to the Incas- holds much history and life in every corner.
I was extremely moved during my reading of Deep Rivers. In my introductory blog post, I discussed my own personal experiences with place and identity- reflecting on how landscape influenced my own conception of self. Witnessing Ernesto in his exploration of identity through the streets of Cusco was incredibly powerful- and particularly special being physically in the same spaces he describes on his journey.
Ernesto shares beautiful moments on the streets of Cusco in which he finds much life and connection- such as seen with his description of the Incan bricks and sounds of the church bells. This connection Ernesto feels to Cusco begins to help him understand his Indigenous roots, navigating feelings and understandings of his own identity in which his Father does not share.
There is one particular story that Ernesto shares in chapter 2 that I found incredibly moving. Whilst in boarding school, Ernesto describes different species of birds in the surrounding area. One of these flocks however, perplexes Ernesto- the parrots. Ernesto describes sharp shooters coming to kill the birds with guns as target practice- sometimes even hitting two at time. Despite his best efforts to scare them away, Ernesto is pained watching them continue to stay even whilst being shot at.
“But why didn’t the flock scatter?”
I felt this story to be a moving continuation of the theme’s identity and connection to land that were set up in chapter one following Ernesto’s experiences in Cusco. I felt perhaps this analogy of the parrots was meant to be a representation of the colonization of Cusco. To the Incas, Cusco was the center of the universe. Their connection to land, culture, and ways of life depended on being there. Cusco was a sacred space. So when Cusco was invaded by the Spanish, the Incas did not flee; despite the mass amount of violence that followed. Just as the parrots stayed in their trees.
The most moving thing I found about this however, was that despite the colonization of Cusco, we see through Ernesto that the sanctity and spirituality of Cusco still remains in that space. The identity of those who came before is still dancing in each brick.
3 replies on “Blog Post #3: “But why didn’t the flock scatter?””
“I felt this story to be a moving continuation of the theme’s identity and connection to land that were set up in chapter one following Ernesto’s experiences in Cusco.” For Ernesto, his identity goes beyond his “natural” connection with the land, and throughout the novel language has a preponderance that cannot be ignored. In reality, Arguedas’s novel problematizes issues of identity through the representation of other practices.
Hi Grace! What a beautiful blog. I similarly really felt connected to Ernesto’s story while reading him in Cusco. The stones being alive and moving especially informed me when we went to see the 12 sided stone. One thing I have not related to however was his description of the darkness of Cusco, as we have never truly experienced it dark and quiet, because the city is alive with people, spirituality, history and noise.
Hi Grace, I loved reading your blog post! 🙂 I was also moved by Deep Rivers and remember how I first felt when coming to Cusco… I find your insights and reflections from Deep Rivers so beautiful…“But why didn’t the flock scatter?” the comparison of the parrots staying in their trees and the colonization of Cusco makes me reflect…Your sentence “The identity of those who came before is still dancing in each brick.” is so powerful to me, thank you for your post!