24th June

On 24th June we received photos and texts from many celebrations at our BRIEs. 24th June is St John’s Day and Farmers’ Day. It’s also – still – a bit like the winter solstice in the Andes.

At the libraries, we don’t usually mark these dates in any special way, because for us every day is Farmers’ Day. Every day we must remember and honour those wonderful people who, through the hard work of their hands, fill our tables and our stomachs. 

But still: I think it’s worth remembering one date: 24 June 1969, when President Juan Velasco Alvarado, as part of the agrarian reform, set out to highlight the dignity and rights of those who work the land.

And so, we join in these celebrations. With all our hearts.

Happy Farmers’ Day, friends and fellow farmers!

Here we share with you some texts and images from the celebrations at our BRIEs:

At the “Víctor Andrés Belaunde” BRIE in Jaén, we held an All’pata paguikun ceremony on Farmers’ Day to give thanks to the land for its generosity, to our mountains, and to our departed loved ones.

An offering from our librarian, Tovías Silva Díaz, at the ‘Antenor Orrego’ Primary School in Jaén, with his pupils.

Kiara, a student and librarian at the BRIE of the University of Education in Jaén, performing the ‘all’pata paguikun’ with her pupils at the Alfonso Arana Vidal Primary School in Las Naranjas, Jaén.

Maricarmen, who is also a student and librarian at the BRIE library at the University of Education in Jaén, is making an offering to the earth in the park in the Bellavista district, together with her students.

At IE Los Ángeles, in José Sabogal, San Marcos, we are very proud to celebrate Farmers’ Day with a reading circle where we learn from the resources in our Farmers’ Library.

The Book Among the Children of Atahualpa

In April 2021, the National Library of Peru published *The Book Among the Children of Atahualpa*, a collection of six lectures on the Rural Libraries Network delivered by Alfredo Mires between 2008 and 2018 in various locations across Colombia.

Taken together, these lectures offer a broad overview of the Network’s vision, activities, challenges and achievements, highlighting our work in promoting reading as a tool for community identity, development and liberation.

The book also contains Alfredo’s profound reflections on the urgent need for appropriate, high-quality library services, as well as revealing examples of the wisdom that characterised his thinking and his work.

The book *Entre los hijos de Atahualpa* forms part of the *Reading, Libraries and Community* collection, an initiative that seeks to promote the development of critical citizenship through libraries, books and reading. Before he left, Alfredo strongly urged us to study this book. “It’s all there,” he used to say.

The book is also available in PDF format. If you would like to join the community reading initiative and remember Alfredo, you can access it via the following link:

THE BOOK *BETWEEN THE CHILDREN OF ATAHUALPA*: The Experience of the Cajamarca Rural Library Network – Alfredo Mires Ortiz

Qayaqpuma

Come,

ascend into silence,

in deep

silence.

Excerpt from the poem ‘Listening’ by Alfredo Mires Ortiz – Romance of the Mountain

Encouraged by Helen Heery, a friend of the Rural Libraries Network, we climbed Qayaqpuma to give thanks for its protection and to remember the teachings of our comrade Alfredo.

This sacred mountain awakens a world of emotions. There we find not only the memories of our grandparents, but also the marvellous gifts of Mother Nature.

A hummingbird leads the way and we begin our walk amidst achupallas, cacti, chamanas and lloctaras; in short, an immense variety of plants that reveal their beauty to us up there at the very summit. The rocks, as well as being beautiful, convey a sense of protection and strength. The owls keep watch over their home; the ants, spiders and bees bear witness to their tireless labour; and from above, from that marvellous blue sky adorned with white clouds, the chinalindas watch over us.

In Qayaqpuma, you’ll find the peace your heart needs. The mountain welcomes you with the coolness of its breeze; it offers you warmth or shade at just the right moment, makes you feel at home, fills you with its energy, encourages you and shows you the way forward.

Thank you, our brother Alfredo, for leaving us this legacy, which is so valuable to all the people of Cajamarca; and let us trust that those who visit it will do so with responsibility and respect.

A path

If the sun were to shy away this morning,

you can be sure that the shade

will be keen to show its face.

If the river were to dry up just like that,

it would be because the stones in its bed

perhaps wanted to look without the lens of water.

For the night is often

the eve of dawn,

and daybreak heralds

starry nights.

That to live is to grow

which sometimes kills,

and to die is to live

which sometimes grows.

(…)

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

in: How to go to bed undecided and wake up ready to take a risk

Eyes that don't see, heart that suffers

A few weeks ago, due to a problem with my eyesight, I had to put the book I was reading at the time aside. Every day, the pain grew worse; it was a twofold and intense pain: caused by the health problem itself and by the inability to read.

This situation made me realise just how precious this sense is, one that allows us to enjoy reading printed books: moving forward at our own pace, going back a few lines to savour a passage again or to better understand what we’ve just read, or simply highlighting what is becoming most meaningful to us. I tried listening to some audiobooks, but nothing compares to the pleasure of holding a book in your own hands and turning each page with the satisfaction of knowing how much we’ve already read and how much more remains.

Fortunately, there are ailments that pass, even if they leave us a little battered, and which restore our desire to continue enjoying what we love most, such as reading for its own sake.

Lola Paredes

The Magic Barrel

Books are like children; some take a little longer to come into being. After a long wait, a new book from the Network has finally ‘been born’: *The Magic Barrel*, part of the *The Storyteller* series from the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca.

This book brings together ten texts from the oral tradition from different parts of the world. It contains stories by well-known authors such as Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, but also takes us to the Arab, French, English and even Chinese worlds with lesser-known writings. 

The author, Rumi Elías Mires Mocker, “tells his story (…) from the perspective of the archetypes of (Swiss doctor and psychologist) Carl Gustav Jung”, as our friend Grimaldo Rengifo mentions in the foreword to The Magic Barrel. And, indeed, at the end of each story you will find a description of the archetype that predominates in each text. 

The Network presented this new publication as part of our anniversary celebrations on 31 March. Thank you to all our friends who joined us on this occasion.

And thank you, Rumi, for taking us on this journey, for offering us new readings and new adventures, for your contributions and thoughts, for your critical eye and your encouragement, for your consistency and integrity.

The Magic Barrel is on sale at the headquarters of the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca.

Gustavo explains

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine from Medellín, Gustavo Oquendo, sent me a photo of a note he had written for a girl at his school. Gustavo is a secondary school teacher, and the girl is a primary school pupil at the same school. Despite her young age, she seems to be an extraordinary reader, and Gustavo wanted to give her one of the Network’s books as a token of recognition and encouragement. For this, he had chosen ‘Mandalas del Ñaupa’, one of our colouring books. 

I was moved not only by the gesture of rewarding this girl, but also by the explanation – so simple and precise – that Gustavo gives about the Rural Libraries Network and the Ñaupa. Here I share it with you:

Dear ___, I am your teacher, Gustavo.

I am sending you this book as a gift for your love of and talent for literature. I hope you fill it with your magic and essence.

A Ñaupa is an imaginary being, a cave painting from the northern highlands of Peru. He is a guardian of the earth, a caretaker of all beings in nature.

The Ñaupa is the symbolic figure of the rural libraries of Cajamarca in northern Peru; these libraries are built by the peasant farmers themselves, where they keep their books filled with legends and stories that recount their own lives and those of all beings in nature. Enjoy it.

With affection and appreciation.

Thank you, dear Gustavo, for sharing your thoughts.

Rita Mocker

A country

How sad is a nation

with no children to defend it,

and one must take care

that it is not sold off piece by piece.

How uncertain is a country where

the land and water are sold off,

and the rightful owners

are ignored, mocked and insulted.

Excerpts from the poem “A country”,

by Alfredo Mires Ortiz,

in: Resuellos

Original in Spanish:

Un país

Qué pena da una nación
sin hijos que la defiendan
y más bien hay que cuidar
que en pedazos no la vendan.

Qué incierto un país en donde
la tierra y agua se venden
y a los legítimos dueños
ignoran, burlan y ofenden.

fragmentos del poema “Un país”,
de Alfredo Mires Ortiz,
en: Resuellos

World Book Day in La Pauquilla, Cachachi

The BRIE (Rural Libraries in Schools) at the “Bicentenario” Educational Institution in the community of La Pauquilla, in Cachachi, Cajabamba, celebrated World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April in a very special way. We would like to share this wonderful experience with you, as recounted by its headteacher, Mr José Noé Hoyos Rodríguez, whilst also commending the efforts of this educational community to promote literature, reading and the value of books.

Today, 23 April, at the “Bicentenario La Pauquilla” Educational Institution, we marked a significant day for World Book Day, reaffirming our commitment to reading as a tool for transformation in a rural context. Students and teachers actively participated in various activities that fostered a love of books, critical thinking and creative expression.

In particular, the dramatised reading of “Paco Yunque” by César Abraham Vallejo Mendoza aroused great interest and emotion among those present, prompting reflection on justice, empathy and social reality through the lens of literature. These experiences reinforce the role of Rural Libraries in Educational Institutions (BRIE) as vibrant spaces for learning, gathering and the development of citizenship.  

José Noé Hoyos Rodríguez

Book Day in Jaén

Dear family of the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca. 

At the “Sagrado Corazón” School in Jaén, we also celebrated Book Day. 

We organised an activity where the pupils visited the two places with books: the Reading Promotion Room and the Library.

We’ve had a lovely experience all week. And most importantly: our students have enjoyed reading. Taking them to a different space, where they can read more freely and choose what they want, helped a great deal. They were delighted with the books, and some of the young people have returned at another time to finish reading their favourite book.

The Rural Libraries Network was present throughout with its books: beautiful and meaningful, full of tradition, identity and wisdom.

This message came to us from the “Sagrado Corazón” School in Jaén, where one of the Network’s first Rural Libraries in Schools (BRIE) was established.

Thank you, Ms Elizabeth and the school community, for sharing this wonderful initiative with us.

We are us

We build community by helping one another, sharing what we know, exchanging goods, looking after one another, protecting one another. “We are not one without the other,” as our comrade Alfredo Mires used to say.

Today we celebrate the arrival of another major publication from the Network: *We are Us*, now in its second edition. This companion book returns with peasant reflections on Andean tradition; on the knowledge of our ancestors, on values rooted in respect for oneself, but also for others.

We invite you to read it so that we may continue to learn from one another, or rather: learn together; come together to celebrate every achievement, value who we are and what we know, care for the planet, and keep creating.

Remembering…

In Eduardo Galeano’s *The Book of Embraces*, there is a passage that reads: “To remember: from the Latin *re-cordis*, to pass through the heart once more”. 

It is a very apt phrase that explains how our memory is not merely a repository of information, but the ability to relive past emotions, people, situations and lessons in the present.

Between 2017 and 2021, at Rural Libraries we were delighted to welcome Nathalia Quintero Castro, a Colombian friend who was writing her doctoral thesis on the journeys of the Network. Nathalia presented this thesis in 2022 under the title The Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca in Peru: Andean Trajectories and Geographies, and dedicates it, amongst others, to “her ayllu in the city of Cajamarca, the Mires Mocker family, and her community ayllu comprising all the librarian families of the Rural Libraries Network”.

Nathalia’s thesis is a text brimming with experiences, convictions, encouragement and connections, with memories, feelings, journeys and loves. 

From time to time, I read, look at and listen to this thesis. And so, I revisit the words, thoughts and voices within my heart. Because the thesis exists not only on paper, but also as a living digital document.

Here is the link:

https://view.genial.ly/61b78c92838ab70d8b349be2/presentation-red-de-bibliotecas-rurales-de-cajamarca

Thank you, dear Nathalia, for this gift.

Rita Mocker

The Dream of the Ñaupa

All beings are alive.

All life is sacred.

The whole earth is a temple.

Alfredo Mires

Grateful

Books are food for the mind. How right the person who said that was! Not only because of their content, but because reading them transports us to incredible worlds and enriches our minds. For this reason, we are grateful for the initiative of the Blanco and Barboza families, who have donated books to us. These are a valuable contribution to the readers of our rural libraries and enable us to offer a wider variety of titles to continue encouraging reading. 

If you would also like to support us by donating books, please get in touch with us so that we can continue on this path we have set out on with your valuable help.

Thank you for believing in us…

Back to School

A few days ago, a new school year began in our country.

At this time of year, with a bit of luck, schools are spruced up with a lick of paint, toilet repairs, and the tidying up of cupboards, amongst other tasks. Teachers review and draw up their lesson plans, timetables, and all the guidelines they need to ensure a successful year.

As librarians, we simply hope that the libraries in every single school in our country are also given a boost, and that, hopefully, children are welcomed with a book in hand, along with plans, projects and strategies to encourage and inspire reading for better understanding.

At this time, given the state of the world, more than ever, we need to develop the critical thinking, discernment and creativity of children and young people, based on what they read.

Without reading, we cannot achieve the quality education we so desire.

Sócota in FA

It’s always a source of joy and encouragement when new libraries open.

At our last meeting, the Network’s teacher and librarian, Abel Vásquez Saucedo, brought a large number of books to open two BRs in FA in Sócota, Cutervo: Rural Libraries in Families!

The BRs in FA are part of an initiative that emerged during the pandemic when, in the most remote parts of Peru, where there are no mobile phones or internet signal, students went almost two years without effective support from teachers and educational institutions. 

These mini family libraries that we created in this context were the only source of information and learning for many children. They also provided a reason to gather again in the evenings, as a family, after a day’s farm work, around the fire, to read.

They are now spreading throughout the Network’s territory, thanks to initiatives such as those of Mr Abel.

Thank you very much and welcome to our ayllu of Libraries!

 

We also learn from our land

On 25th February, our brothers José Isabel Ayay Valdéz and Javier Huamán Lara held a discussion as part of a course on Spanish Linguistics at the National University of Cajamarca.

Many people might express disdain (and possibly be scandalised) at the idea of two peasant farmers taking part in such an ‘academic’ activity, and even more so at a university.

The truth is that knowledge comes from everywhere and none of it deserves to be looked down upon, a view we have upheld in our network since our inception. 

Furthermore, the reality is that education is not confined to four grey walls with young people chained to desks for eight hours a day, facing someone who has (academically) a little more experience than they do. Education is a phenomenon that cuts across the fabric of human existence and often comes from the most unexpected places.

This is borne out by the students who took part in this activity, who also affirmed that Don Javier and Don José Isabel delivered a masterclass in Quechua and Andean culture.

Rumi Mires

On permanence and new beginnings

Those familiar with the Rural Libraries Network know that we view our association not as a hierarchical entity, but – in keeping with Andean tradition – as a horizontal organisation. Our organisational chart resembles a mandala, those Hindu diagrams that represent the cosmos through a series of concentric circles and recurring patterns.

Within this, one of the circles or ‘figures’ is the Permanent Council, a consultative body across various areas of the Network.

For a long time, this body was inactive; the advanced age of some of our members, the pandemic and other factors prevented us from meeting. In 2025, at our last assembly, we formed a new Permanent Council, made up of field coordinators, teachers and volunteers from the Network.

On 19 February, after many years, the new council met for the first time. We felt great joy, satisfaction, encouragement, light and hope, a great deal of dedication and many new ideas and initiatives in this space for listening and debate.

It seems that this council has a many dawns.

23 February

On 23 February, Alfredo Mires would have turned 65. His subtle humour, his storytelling ability, and the way he drew me into the fascination of his thoughts made me see the world through different eyes. It is something I miss deeply. That is why, so often, I read and reread his writings. Today I would like to share an excerpt from one of Alfredo’s many lectures with you.

Memory lies at the nucleus of a people’s identity, but that nucleus must be opened up, for the legal record is like a shell that suffocates it. Hence the value of maieutics, the art of helping to give birth, of bringing forth what is dearest to the heart. For memory need not be subject to domination when it possesses the independence of a committed heart and the vigour of an indomitable spirit (let me take this opportunity to pay public tribute to squirrels: it seems they do indeed possess a fruitful forgetfulness, for as they do not always remember where they have buried their nuts, they are responsible, year after year, for the birth of hundreds of thousands of trees).

Thank you, Alfredo, for your teachings, for your presence amongst us, for accompanying us on our journey, always.

Rita

Upbringing, ayllu and apus

From 19 to 21 February 2026, we gathered at the General Assembly with the coordinators of the Rural Libraries, the teachers from the Rural Libraries in educational institutions, some volunteers, the central team and the Permanent Council of the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca. Days of minga, book swaps, laughter, learning, reading and reflection.

At this assembly, we took plenty of time to understand where we come from, what we can contribute to society and how being part of the Network shapes us. 

At Rural Libraries, we learn the profound meaning of CRIANZA (upbringing). For when we speak of rural libraries, we speak of the Andes, and thus of crianza: the cultivation of potatoes and other foods, seeds, plants and small animals; crianza implies care and protection, conversation and attunement with life.

But Rural Libraries is also AYLLU, understood as an extended family, the community of those who love and respect one another. Ayllu are the mountains and lakes, the trees, the stones that are alive and converse; the hummingbirds, like ‘winged gods’, the small animals, the humans or runes: all are part of this great Andean librarian family.

And, likewise, Rural Libraries has taught us that the APUS, our sacred mountains, possess strength and vitality; they are and exist, they accompany us and converse with us. They are Wak’a mountains, protectors and guardians, a place where the power of the community manifests itself.

Being part of Rural Libraries is, then, all of that. And it is our desire and duty to continue teaching and sharing this way of seeing and living life.