VILLAGE OF THE FLOWERS

WORKING TOWARD A BRIGHTER TOMORROW IN PERU’S VILLAGE OF THE FLOWERS

Perched some 12,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes, Chinchero, is renowned as one of the most scenic of all the Sacred Valley’s idyllic mountain villages. Known as the “Rainbow Town,” Chinchero affords the perfect perch from which to view the rainy season’s painted skies against a quintessential backdrop of tile-roofed church towers, terraced cliffs and snowcapped mountains.

Amid all this scenic beauty, the local Quechua-speaking community maintains a traditional agrarian lifestyle, much as their ancestors have for countless generations. But farming is not easy here, and more and more of the village’s residents are looking to the tourism industry to make ends meet.

To help bridge this gap, Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy began its partnership with the village in 2013, empowering locals with a reciprocal piece of the tourist economy while affording A&K guests with an authentic look at village life.

Since then, AKP’s Village of the Flowers program has expanded to provide healthcare, job training and other resources to the people of Chinchero, with a particular focus on helping the village’s women and children with wellness checks, dentistry and a community playground.

Starting in 2023, the program took another big step forward as it trained up 12 women and seven men to become trail assistants for A&K guests hiking the legendary Inca Trail. For many of the trail assistants, this also afforded them their very first glimpse of the ruins of Machu Picchu.

Looking forward, the program will continue exploring new ways to empower the community to thrive through tourism while maintaining and celebrating the traditions that make this village so incredibly special.