De-beautifying

A few weeks ago we journeyed through the Cajamarcan province of San Miguel and visited some of the most beautiful villages in the region. This beauty lies not only in the warmth of its people and their ancestral customs, but also, because of its geographical location: in these places you can see how the sun says goodbye every day behind the sea.

There is even a privileged spot, very high, to observe the sunset. And there we were. But there was something that shocked us. On this same point from which this wonderful spectacle can be seen, a school has been built - though there is not a single window towards the landscape.

One would think that its location is propitious to generate experiences and learnings linked to the deep identity of the students, but all the doors and windows are oriented in the opposite direction.

This type of construction justifies and explains the words of the famous Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle: "When you try to rise above nature, you are predisposed to fall under her."

Rumi Mires