At the bottom of the sacred valley, the town of Aguas Calientes sits, acting as the launch pad for visits to Machu Picchu. As such, the town is almost entirely dedicated to tourism, with hotels, restaurants advertising “best Peruvian food”, and overpriced bodegas lining each relevant street. We spent roughly 24 hours there wandering around to look for something to do and to eat at relatively good prices.
For example, each good entree cost around 10 soles more than meals back in Cusco, due to the fact that all items are shipped in by train and that this is the only place for tourists to stay before they ascend the mountains so restaurants can charge higher prices. The entrees at the regular prices were unappetizing and rather unhealthy, discouraging us from spending that money anyways. Water bottles from the bodegas that I had been paying 2.50 soles for in Cusco were now 5 soles in Aguas Calientes. The streets were narrow to maximize the space to house and feed tourists, and I was surprised how many buildings there were in such a small plot of land in the valley. As I walked up one street to get to our hotel, I passed six different small hotels and four restaurants, leaving little space for other commodities or services common to a normal non-tourist centered city.
With the entire town dedicated to serving the endless waves of tourists, only 4,000 native people actually live there with the rest of the workers arriving by train each morning to serve as crew for trains or guides for the Incan site. I often wondered about the character of the people who lived there permanently and that of the town itself. What defines it beyond dependence on foreign money? Was there anything uniquely Peruvian about this town that would differentiate it from any other tourist trap found around the world (other, of course, than the ancient Incan ruins)?
Well, while walking around in order to waste time and avoid sitting in our hotel rooms, we came across an established soccer field with picturesque views of the city and stunning mountains surrounding it. It had fencing and small stadium seating along two sides, with a municipal building along one and a cement stage on the other. When we happened upon it, a soccer match was taking place. An official one, with adidas uniforms, referees, and fans paying money to sit and watch their teams compete. Along the outside of the field people convened to stand and watch, drinking and talking while little kids chased dogs in circles. Everyone watching, besides a few curious tourists like us, was a native Peruvian, a local worker of this tourist establishment.
I was shocked to see such a large space used for soccer rather than hotels or restaurants that would inevitably bring the town more money. Instead, this wide open space was perfectly preserved, cared for, and almost revered by the locals taking a break from service. The soccer field and organized match showed a hidden side to Aguas Calientes, one that cheers for its local soccer team and has a society beyond the tourism industry. After the game had finished and the players had cleared the stadium, the local people flooded the field and brought more goals in order to play recreationally themselves. Wives and babies watched husbands in more serious games while kids and adolescents messed around and talked on the other end of the field.
This popular inclusion in the middle of a tiny tourist town speaks to the deep importance of soccer in Peruvian culture. For the people of Aguas Calientes, and I'm sure for the people of many other small towns in Peru that are often overlooked, soccer provides a depth to their lives and gives them something to care about beyond the mundane and stress of their work and lives. They chose to dedicate this valuable time and space to soccer, something that connects and unifies them in the face of demanding tourists and gives them a sense of pride and stability unique to their identity in an ever-changing environment.
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