The streets are lined with tin-roofed chalets and a surprising number of tall, blond people who aren’t foreigners. There are schnitzels, goulash with spaetzle and strudel on the menu. It feels like being in the Alps, only the greenery is different. There is a good reason for this: we are in Pozuzo, where German and Austrian settlers arrived 166 years ago. But how did we end up here?
A few days earlier, we were sitting freezing in Huancayo at over 3200 metres, desperately searching for a warmer and more beautiful destination. At this altitude, the landscape is breathtaking (in the truest sense of the word), but mostly rather barren and cold, and at some point you long for a change of scenery.
We find something on the map: about 300 kilometres away, about 10 hours drive. The village is at an altitude of 1900 metres and lives in eternal spring. Sounds good. So we pack everything up and drive to Oxapampa.
At a short stop on the way we are spoken to – in Swiss German! And then invited to a beer in the evening. That’s a good start, we think. It’s finally getting green again as we head towards the Amazon, along the eastern flank of the Andes.
Farmers and craftsmen to colonise the Amazon
The valley from Oxapampa to Codo del Pozuzo is unique in landscape and history. It is teeming with emigrant families, those who came here a long time ago and you can still see it in their faces, as the valley was isolated for a long time. Nobody wanted to live there and until 1975 there was only a beaten track.
The valley was not uninhabited when the settlers arrived, there were indigenous tribes from the jungle. But the Peruvian government wanted to open up the area and colonise it with groups of its own choosing. The German explorer and globetrotter Baron Kuno Damian von Schütz-Holzhausen struck a deal with the government: 10 000 German settlers were to move into the region over a period of six years. They were to be farmers and craftsmen and would receive some money and land. The government would also pay for their passage to Peru and build a road there.
The Baron published the offer in a Prussian newspaper. It was well received. In Tyrol, Joseph Egg was recruited as a priest to help the poor families there. The fact that a priest would be there naturally gave the families confidence. But it wasn’t that simple: the settlers also had to be able, Catholic and of impeccable character. All of this, of course, had to be certified by a priest.
180 Tyroleans embarked on the adventure. They travelled by train to Antwerp, where they were joined by 120 Rhinelanders and Bavarians. On 29 March 1857, the ship left for America, arriving in Peru at the end of July. But the destination was far from being reached.
The journey continued eastwards across the Andes mountain range. Eventually, there was no path to follow. They had to make their own way and build one. Some died, others settled. After two years, in July 1859, 156 settlers (including new descendants) finally arrived in Pozuzo.
The Prussians founded the village of Prussia on one side of the river, while the Tyroleans settled in Pozuzo. Later, other groups of settlers arrived and the community grew despite the difficulties. Other villages such as Oxapampa, Villa Rica and Codo del Pozuzo were founded.
However, for 100 years they were almost cut off from the world and could only be reached by foot. It was only 50 years ago that a road was built to Oxapampa, but it is still in questionable condition, despite being designated a ‘national road’. The road is narrow, with stops for passing each other. There are also landslides that make the road impassable at times. On our way there we had to wait for a while because a lorry got stuck and there was no way through. Another truck pulled it out.
Between tradition and Disneyland
Oxapampa itself has lost much of its old charm. It is becoming more of an Alpine Disneyland for rich tourists from the Peruvian capital, Lima. Prusia still has its charm; we had a wonderful meal there (schnitzel with potato salad) and enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the hospitality. But it was not until we arrived in Codo del Pozuzo that we experienced the real local life.
The village was founded in 1967 and for a long time was shunned because of the coca plantations, as well as cattle farming. As a result, the cartels are very present. But now it is quite quiet, even if it is not really worth seeing. Nevertheless, we visited a colleague of Michael’s who was volunteering there and we were warmly welcomed by the host family.
It was a lovely Christmas. We saw their Christmas performances where the Krampus (Austrian mythological creature) kidnaps the naughty children and learnt to dance a little polka. They still dance the traditional polka and waltz here. There are youth groups and big competitions between the villages in the region.
But almost nobody speaks German any more, and if they do, it’s hard for us to understand. The Tyrolean dialect, especially the old one, is only understood by the true natives of Pozuzo.