In the land of Pisco... Notes on the History of Wine and Pisco from Arequipa

Pisco / Peru more tan 400 years of History & Tradition (1613 -2013).

By Alejandro Málaga Núñez-Zeballos Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa Academia Peruana del Pisco Pachamama Andean Tourist Review Translate by Katrina Heimark Among the notary protocols that the Regional Archive of Arequipa posses, there are those protocols developed by the public scribe Gaspar Hernández Mariño, whose first writing dates from 1550 and his last from 1585. It amounts to a document-rich history of 19 codices that have suffered from the severity of time and the theft of some folios of particular interest. Currently they are held in an adequate location and at the service of research. From these writings, I include some singular extracts. October 8, 1565. Merchant Mateo Sánchez, foreigner, owed to ex-mayor Juan de la Torre, the amount of 1879 pesos and 4 silver tomines of 4 pesos. The mark without quintars for use for 756 bottles of Pitay wine, of which 400 bottles were priced 4 silver pesos and 356 and the quintals of raisons were priced 6.5 pesos for each quintal. In 1568, Diego Hernández de la Cuba, neighbor of the city, sold to Alonso Nuñez, Presbyterian clergyman, his entire wine harvest from the land of the vine Lluculla, at the price of 3 common silver pesos per bottle. It was promised “a boca de tinaja” in the month of August. Alonso Núñez had to find the earthenware jugs (tinajas) in order to take the wine. That same year, Juan del Salto, resident of the city, received from Juan de Quiróz Vélez 101 bottles of wine from the earth that cost 505 pesos, 20 bottles of wine from Castilla at 10 pesos, 200 pesos; 5 bottles of vinegar, at 6 pesos each. In 1569, there is a writing of a contract between Diego García Serrano and Bartolomé López, residents of the city. Bartolomé López chartered to Diego García Serrano 250 bottles of White wine from Castilla that he had in the city, and they were transported in “carneros” of the earth to Cusco. They left on August 25 and in the lapse of 40 to 45 days they arrived at their destination. For the same destination, Isidro López sold to Pedro Gonzáles 150 bottles of wine in stock of the harvest from his land of the Pitay de Juan de la Torre. Placed in the Pitay bodega, the price of each bottle of wine in stock was 2 and a half pesos of common silver. That year, Mrs. Juana Muñiz, neighbor of Arequipa, made a contract for 5 years with the councilor of the Town Council, don Diego Cornejo, in order to produce on a piece of land with grapes in the valley of Vítor, purchasing and planting 50,000 grape vines. This is the oldest date that indicates that a woman was active in this area. elpiscoesdelperu