Perusina and Perusino and the secret of irrigation

Once upon a time, it was a clear, starry night in the vast mountains of Peru. The two little adventurers, Perusina and Perusino, were lying in their cozy hammocks, surrounded by soft, colorful blankets. They loved to listen to the stories of their country before they fell asleep. Today they had a question that wouldn't leave them alone.

“Perusina,” Perusino asked quietly, “how did people in the past bring water to their plants when they lived in the high mountains?”

Perusina thought for a moment and then smiled. "You know, Perusino, that's what Manco Cápac taught people. He was the first Inca and came from the Sacred Lake Titicaca."

Perusino sat up and looked at her with wide eyes. "Can we find out how he did that?"

“Of course!” whispered Perusina. “Close your eyes and I’ll tell you the story.”

Long, long ago, when the mountains were higher and the rivers wilder, people lived in the Sacred Valley. They grew corn, quinoa and potatoes, but water was often far away. The sun was hot and without enough water their crops could not grow.

Then Manco Cápac, the son of the sun, came to help the people. He was clever and knew that life without water was difficult. So one day he went to a particularly dry village. The people were sad because their corn was almost dried up in the fields.

“Why are you so sad?” Manco Cápac asked kindly.

"We have no water for our plants," said an old woman with tears in her eyes. "The river is far down in the valley and we cannot carry all the water here."

Manco Cápac saw the high mountains and the distant river. He thought for a moment and then said: "I will teach you something that will help you."

The next morning he led the people to the slopes of the mountains. There he showed them how to dig small trenches in the ground. "These trenches," he said, "will bring the water from the river to your fields."

The people were amazed. “But the river is so far away! How could the water get here?” they asked.

Manco Cápac smiled and explained: "The mountains and valleys are like a slide. If you dig the ditches correctly, the water will flow by itself. But it takes time and patience."

The people worked hard. They dug long canals that meandered through the mountains, getting closer and closer to their fields. It was hard work, but they did not give up because they knew that Manco Cápac was teaching them only the best.

One day, after many days and nights of hard work, the canal was finished. The villagers stood at the edge of the fields, waiting, anxiously. Then, suddenly, they heard a soft rushing sound. The water was coming! It meandered gently through the canal, just as Manco Cápac had promised. It flowed to their fields and watered the thirsty plants.

The people cheered with joy. The corn began to grow, the potatoes blossomed, and soon the village was green and full of life again. "The water brings us life," they said gratefully, "thanks to Manco Cápac and his wisdom."

Perusina looked at Perusino, who was almost asleep. "And that's how the Incas brought water to their fields," she whispered softly.

"Manco Cápac was really smart," Perusino murmured, closing his eyes. "The ditches are like little slides for the water."

“Yes,” said Perusina, “and that is how the people in the high mountains of Peru were able to make their land fertile.”

The stars sparkled above the two little adventurers as they gently drifted off to sleep, dreaming of ditches, mountains and the miracle of water that gives life to plants.

"Sleep, my child, in Peru,
Llamas rest, clouds close.
The moon shines brightly on mountain and valley,
Sweet dreams in the starbeam. 🌙✨"

(c) by ToPet