A day late for international women’s day! I would like to dedicate this blog post to a very special woman I met on February 8th, 2018. My friend and I had the privilege to hike through the Paramo de Oceta with a badass environmentalist Muisca guide named Maria. She is a powerful and humble woman, a descendant from a matriarchal culture, whose energy is so contagious. Her mission: to save and protect the Paramo in Colombia. We hiked in the Paramo de Oceta near Mongui, a small colonial village. Unfortunately, much of the surrounding Paramo is being destroyed by cow pastures and mining. Despite being 'protected' by the government, in Mongui this seems to be a flexible concept seeing how the area owned by a lawyer and politician is being destroyed. Money, as in most cases, runs the place.
In the background of these photos above we see the mountains that have been clearcut.
The funky looking plant is called Frailejones or in the traditional Chibcha language 'Coisa'. They live up-to 200-300 years.
The Paramo is a very important ecosystem. Maria's passion of the Paramo stems from her ancestors deep connection to the land and their understanding of its role in providing life. Oceta, for example, is a Muisca word meaning -the place where the sun lives-. Paramo on the other hand, is a word that was given by the Spanish because this area reminded them of the plains in their native Iberian Peninsula, an ecosystem that has nothing to do with Colombia's 'Paramos'. As in most cases, when colonials name something in indigenous territory, it tends to stick around for centuries. She believes we should give it a new name.
That being said the 'Paramos' of Colombia are found at high-altitude, around 3000-5000 meters, and this is where 80% of the rivers are formed in Colombia. Its fresh water system depends on the survival of this ecosystem. The various plants found in the Paramo capture the water and maintain the moisture in the ground, which overtime forms a small flow of water that makes its way down the mountain to feed rivers. In the picture below, you see how there is a concentration of greenery and you have plants like Lupino, which capture the water in its leaves forming a fresh water system, one drop at a time. Maria would stop a moment next to a plant and say these are your ‘hermanos’ (siblings) and have us gently touch the plant’s soft leaves.
The top left photo is the Lupine plant which slowly collects water. To the right and below we see the greener patches and trees which captures the water. The silvery plants are Arnica.
When this environment is destroyed, there is not enough water building up for this process and the system dries up. The plants in the Paramo have also been studied in the last 10 years and scientists have determined that they are an important source for capturing CO2. It is such an important ecosystem for our waterways and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the process is long and difficult to protect the Paramo for good. Maria is trying to have it recognized by UNESCO so that it can remain in its natural beauty, untouched by farming and mining. I cannot say it enough, Maria is a woman of inspiration, a matriarch at heart fighting humbly for the good of the earth and all its life.
Bottom left Maria is looking down into the traditional burial grounds. Bottom right Maria is guiding us through the fault line into the cemetery. Above her head to the right there is a hole in the rock, this is where it is believed that their leaders were buried with gold and emeralds.
Beyond her passion for the Paramo, Maria also has her culture at heart and we felt lucky that she shared some Muisca traditions. Upon starting the hike she wanted us to select a woman of the group to be the leader of the day in order to demonstrate how a new female Muisca matriarch would have traditionally been initiated as the leader. This involved pressing a piece of a plant called Lunaria onto the new leader's wrist to leave a layer of resin on the skin upon which gold dust would have been sprinkled. You end up with a beautiful outlay of the leaf’s shape, which looks like snake skin, an important symbol in Muisca culture.
I felt quite privileged to have been selected for the task, however we used dirt instead of gold for my nature tattoo haha Unfortunately, I waited too long to take a picture of it and it had started to fade.
That said, Maria’s journey to become a guide was difficult in itself, despite being a descendant of a matriarchal tradition. As in many places, being a woman lessens your chances for equal employment, education and opportunity. She struggled to become a guide and promote herself in a male dominant profession, but she never allowed it to become a deterring obstacle. She doesn’t get as much business as her male counterparts, but her passion and love for the Paramo is what keeps her walking the trails and sharing with visitors. This hike with Maria was one of the most beautiful and enriching hikes I have ever done and her passion shines right through her. I will always be grateful and thankful to have walked through these lands with such a badass woman :)
**If you happen to be interested in doing this hike, we received Maria’s contact through Finca San Pedro in Sogamoso, which is also an amazing place to stay in for a more relaxed vibe. Here is their website: http://fincasanpedro.com/
