Specialist Guide Holly Wissler Holl Wissler, an ethnomusicologist, is one of Aracari's specialist guides in Peru. Her academic research and wealth of experience in remote Andean communities puts her in a privileged position to share unique insight into rural andean life and the role of music in these communities. The importance of music in Andean Culture Music has always played a key role in Andean culture, long before the Incas, and it continues to retain its importance even today in the communities of Peru, though traditional cultural practices have been lost in many places. The community of Q’eros located in the Paucartambo province, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of the city of Cusco, has managed to retain many of their traditions like weaving, music and spiritual rituals. Because of their location in a region with three distinct ecological zones, the Q'eros people have been able to remain self-sufficient, and thus, have maintained these traditions with little influence from outside culture. Even so, there exists the risk that younger generations will lose their cultural traditions in favor of modern culture, which they encounter during visits to the city of Cusco. Ethnomusicology Holly Wissler, originally from Iowa, began living and working with the Q'eros community in 2003 after having spent over two decades as a travel tour guide in the southern Andes of Peru. With a master's degree in performance flute and a PhD in ethnomusicology, Holly’s background has allowed her to connect to these Andean peoples through the expression that moves them most: music. Preserving the musical heritage of the Q'eros Accustomed to giving lectures for various universities, Holly has brought the music of the Andes to the rest of the world and has also returned 50 years of musical recordings, documentaries and publications (hers and that of others) to the Q'eros. In this