Marilu Behar is describing pottery technique in a video at Seminario Ceramicas in Urubamba, and I am instantly smitten. She has a quietly direct yet impassioned demeanor and though I am reading the English subtitles in the video, I am listening closely to the cadence of her Spanish.
I’m even more smitten an hour later when I find myself sitting in the courtyard in waning light, discussing art and contemporary Peruvian politics with her. I’ve just purchased several beautiful works that were done under Pablo Seminario’s direction here, and I’m waiting for Wes to finish his purchases.
Marilu is keenly concerned about the rise of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and fears his socialist ideology will ripple through the Americas. The Chavez-sanctioned candidate was defeated in the last election, but they might not be so fortunate when Peruvians vote for president again in a few years.
“People here aren’t poor,” Marilu says in flawless English. “But the message of getting things for free is irresistible.” I think about it for a moment. By U.S. standards, these folks are poor. But everyone appears to get plenty to eat and their lifestyle is more agricultural than poor. They work the fertile fields and live in humble adobe or cement homes. Even the countless dogs I’ve seen during my travels here are, by and large, well-fed and content, not like some of the canine skeletons I’ve seen limping along the roads in Jamaica. I’m sure abject poverty does exist in Peru, but here in the Sacred Valley I’m not seeing strong signs of it.
During the Shining Path’s reign of terror, Marilu and her partner, Pablo Seminario, were threatened but nothing came of it. She has friends in Venezuela who are trying to flee Chavez’s socialist government, but now they can’t sell their homes and are trapped, though some apparently are migrating to Miami and other locations.
But Marilu is determined to remain in Peru, even though she’s gravely concerned for what the future will bring. That Shining Path’s ghost still haunts the nation, and a few recent acts of terrorism are raising concerns that the next presidential election could prove a watershed event.
Marilu concedes that the rise of tourism here has been a mixed blessing. The influx of foreign money is driving land prices up and making things difficult on many levels, but it also is raising the standard of living. A Chavez-inspired socialist regime likely would do much to quash this and return things to the bleak, uncertain times when fear of the Shining Path drove away foreign investment.
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Seminario Ceramicas is an amazing studio run by Pablo and his partner, Marilu. Squawking macaws and amazon parrots skulk around a beautiful courtyard while a pack of German shepherds pads back and forth, trying to stay as close to Pablo as possible. Pablo and Marilu’s son leads us on a tour of the various studios, explaining the techniques used to create pots, plates and artworks along the way.
Afterward, when dusk has taken the courtyard, I peer into a round cage that houses a tiny monkey, possibly some sort of squirrel monkey. He’s at the bottom of the enclosure, snuggled up with two large rabbits who are his housemates. He opens his eyes briefly when he senses my presence, takes me in and nods off again.