Astrid Avalos
English 101
May 20, 2008
Essay 1
Things that happen to us change our view of life. Some are good experiences that make us feel happy, but there are other ones that make us feel concerned and can make a big impact on us, modifying the way that we think. In my case, a trip that I took to Machu Picchu more than ten years ago changed my mind about mass tourism and made me realized how it can affect a place, and the negatives impacts that it can have on its environment.
In my last year of high school, my class made a four-day trip to the city of
Cusco and Machu Picchu, as a reward for completing our secondary studies. All of us, sixty two girls of about sixteen years, were very excited because it was the last trip that we would make together, and because we had never been out from home for that long. On that trip, we spent the first two days getting to know the city, and when the third day finally came, we went to Machu Picchu. After four endless hours by train and an extra half an hour by bus, we got there. The bus dropped us near a small hill. From there, we saw the whole place, just like the pictures that circulate worldwide. I was astonished. Nothing prepared me for such a beauty.
My friends and I were very proud to be part of a culture that built such a big archaeological center with so little resources, but during that visit, that feeling changed. We went down the hill, and started to walk on the stone roads to enter to the different parts of the archaeological complex. At the same time we started
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Astrid Avalos
English 101
May 20, 2008
Essay 1 to talk with other visitors and tourists, and we told them stories that we heard about the ruins, and the Inca culture. All of them were very interested, but one comment made me been aware of something that I did not notice before.
One tourist told us that the place was beautiful and magical, but it was very sad that nobody were taking a good care of it. People were leaving plastic bottles, remaining food, and all kind of garbage without any kind of consideration for the place. That tourist also mentioned that hotels were spreading all over the place destroying natural resources. I was shocked and kind of humiliated when I heard him because it was the truth, and because nobody was trying to avoid that destruction.
After that trip, I got to know that mass tourism to Machu Picchu promotes foreign investments, and creates thousands of jobs, but it also has some negative impacts. For instance, population in the nearest villages has increased because many people are attracted for the trade. Every year hundreds of people are leaving their farms and houses in the remotes parts of the country to migrate to villages around Machu Picchu. These farmers usually work selling ceramics or souvenirs to the thousands of tourist that get there, basically because they can get more money than if they stay in their farms cultivating their crops. The migration of people is causing an increase in the generation of waste and of pollution in the place. Every day, we can see more and more garbage to the sides of the roads. Garbage and pollution are destroying plants, putting at risk the natural diversity of the complex. This migration is also causing a decrease in
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Astrid Avalos
English 101
May 20, 2008
Essay 1 the agriculture in Peru. When these farmers leave their homes, there is nobody to cultivate their land, causing the deterioration of the soil.
Another good example is that, for the construction of roads, resorts and restaurants, people are destroying the forest and modifying the natural environment. Nowadays, hotels, in their wanting of attract the most tourist that they can, are growing big. In the past years, they, helped by corrupted civil servants, bought big lands in the surrounding areas of Machu Picchu, destroying the forest to create new spas and relaxation centers. Roads development and new business also make their part on it. They create hundreds of jobs but they are also contributing to the destruction of the forest. This destruction of the forest is having dramatic effects in that area. It is making to move away animals from that region to other ones in which they can find food and a safe place to live.
This trip to Machu Picchu changed my vision of my country and of the preservation of its sanctuaries. I was proud to know all that determined people of my culture can do, and happy about the fact that it is a place that a lot of people want to visit. However after that trip, I got concerned about how mass tourism is affecting Machu Picchu, putting at risk its conservation. That trip made me realize that if we do not take a good care of places as Machu Picchu, other people would not have the opportunity to visit them.
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