By Victoria Brito Morales

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – Art, culture, ecology – and lots of cardio!

A group of UTRGV students this summer pushed their minds and bodies to the limit with the iconic study abroad trip to Peru from July 18 to Aug. 15.

Dr. Robert Bradley, UTRGV professor of Art and Design, and Dr. Mark Andersen, dean of the UTRGV Honors College, led the group of 13 through the strenuous Vilcabamba trek, Machu Picchu and other locales.  

The trip is intended to enrich the art, architecture and visual culture of the Peruvian Altiplano in the Pre-Columbian and Viceregal periods. The various hikes included the ancient Imperial Inca sites and Machu Picchu, along with walking tours of Cuzco focused on the paintings of this historical city.

Dr. Robert Bradley, UTRGV professor of Art and Design, and Dr. Mark Andersen, dean of the UTRGV Honors College, led the group of 13 through the strenuous Vilcabamba trek, Machu Picchu and other locales.  (Courtesy Photo)

“Peru is an enriching country full of culture,” Bradley said. “The students experienced Cuzco, the Inca navel of the universe and colonial center for the Cuzco School of painting.”

The trip is not for the faint of heart, by all accounts. The strenuous hikes are done at an oxygen-depleting altitude of about 14,000 feet.

“It's not a sprint, it's a marathon,” Andersen said. “You don't run up the trail. You'll just wear yourself out. My best advice is, pick a pace where you can go all day.”

In addition to the art aspect, Andersen accompanied his UTRGV Honors College students through a biology course that emphasized the biology of the Alpine forest and pre-Colombian ruins.

“There's a tropical forest that we go to that's really close to Machu Picchu, where I have a canned lecture on about five different ways plant survive in the tropics,” Andersen said.

UTRGV STUDENTS STUDYING IN PERU

Wendy Gonzalez, 19, a senior biology major from Pharr, decided this trip would be an excellent way to network while also learning about one of the world’s most ancient locations. 

The trip widened her perspective like never before, she said, and gave her life a much needed pause to relax. 

The various hikes included the ancient Imperial Inca sites and Machu Picchu, along with walking tours of Cuzco focused on the paintings of this historical city. (Courtesy Photo)

“I used to feel really rushed when it came to finishing my career, and now I feel like I have all the time in the world to finish. I want to keep exploring places and enjoy my youth while I still have it,” Gonzalez said. “The people I met made me appreciate life and taught me to appreciate the Earth and everything that resides on and within it.”

She describes the trip to Peru as the experience of a lifetime, one she would love to repeat. 

“This trip served as a gateway to keep traveling and learning about different cultures and values that are extraordinarily different from ours,” she said. 

During this trip, Gonzalez sprained her ankle mere hours before the first day of the long trek up to Macchu Picchu. 

“The trek, at least for me, was strenuous and it was considered one of the easier ones, but I hadn’t prepared much for it. It was hard with the altitude and the injury,” she said. “So, I wasn’t in the best physical shape, but overall it was super rewarding and we encountered some of the humblest people I've ever met. 

Jessica Martinez, 19, a UTRGV sophomore biomedical sciences major from San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, echoed Martinez’s thoughts on the difficulties of the trek. And although she had trained in advance, she still found herself scantly prepared.

“Physically, the trek was not easy,” Martinez said. “To be honest, I put off doing additional conditioning for it until it was too late and tried relying on my regular gym schedule to prepare me for the trip.

The hikes the group completed were done at an oxygen-depleting altitude of about 14,000 feet. “It's not a sprint, it's a marathon,” Dr. Mark Andersen said. “You don't run up the trail. You'll just wear yourself out. My best advice is, pick a pace where you can go all day.” (Courtesy Photo)

“Aside from all the walking we were doing, the increase in elevation from about 121 feet in McAllen to more than 11,000 in Cuzco made it more difficult to do everyday activities without becoming short of breath,” she said. “After a few days, though, I became more accustomed to the altitude and was able to push myself a bit more on the hikes.”

Regardless of the difficulties, Martinez said this trip, although a big risk, paid off in gaining valuable insight in the ecological regions of Peru and an understanding of its plants, climate and wildlife.

 “The diversity we found in communities in Peru was outstanding,” Martinez said. “We also learned much about the architectural wonders of the Incas in ruin sites such as Ollantaytamboand Tipon. Of course, Macchu Pichu was beautiful, and we were very glad we could visit areas where there was less tourism so we could focus on the experiences of native Peruvians.”

The group also was able to witness an archeological discovery during one of their visits to ruins.

“Overall, this experience was extremely valuable,” Martinez said. “We were exposed to the food, the environment, the culture, the art, and the people of Peru, which we will always remember.”

For more information on study abroad, visit UTRGV Office of Global Affairs.