Canta

Two weeks ago, we visited several pueblos in the province of Canta, which is located about 60 miles north of Lima. The area is home to a spectacular river valley where the Chillón River has cut a through the mountains.

What’s especially remarkable about this area is that it lies only a few hours from the dry, sandy desert of the Lima coast, yet Canta is extremely verdant. The various hues of green in Canta remind me that photosynthesis indeed is a natural process, that in most parts of the world, when you have a patch of earth, stuff tends to grow. Not in Lima.

There are a few primary reasons for the difference in climate between Lima and Canta. First, lying at nearly at over 9000 feet, Canta is much higher in the mountains than Lima and thus receives much more rainfall than areas on the coastal desert. Second, the Chillón River runs strong in Canta as much of the water has yet to be diverted for small farms, allowing for extensive farming in the river valley. Finally, much of the outskirts of Lima were constructed in areas far from coastal river valleys; essentially, these parts of Lima — deserts with dunes, really — were largely inhospitable before modern technology allowed water and food to be transported more easily.

Please check out some photos: