Indigenous women who are agents of change in Cusco

Modesta is 33 years old. Every day she goes out to work in the fields to feed her 3 children. For 5 years she has been part of the tourism project of her community of Chumpe, which is part of the community tourism network La Tierra de Los Yaqchas of the Sacred Valley of Cusco. Since she has been part of the group of women working in tourism, she says that her life has changed. She says she is now an independent woman and can now give her two children a better future.

Before working in tourism, she says that she did not know her rights. Being able to meet with other women and talk to them about their role in the community has led each one to take on a leadership role not only in her community but also in her family group. They stopped being simply the women who took care of the housework and became entrepreneurs, generating economic resources for their families and in some cases even employing their husbands for tourism-related activities.

Modesta feels strong. She believes that she can generate changes in her community and feels that with each of the actions she takes, the young women in her community learn to love their indigenous culture more and feel strong as women. It has been difficult, but she knows that each of her actions will be recognized by her children and they will feel proud of her. Her dream is that they can become professionals and return to the community of Chumpe to generate development without losing their indigenous essence. 

Although her community is located in the Sacred Valley, very close to Cusco, what she needs is that the tourists who visit Cusco and Machupicho continue to visit her in order to generate the changes they want to make. She is happy that her tourism proposal strengthens her indigenous identity and makes her feel more and more proud of her culture.