Guillermo Rendón Cuadros:the most famous tour guide in Arequipa speaks out

by César Ballón

Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros is his full name and he is the most successful and recognized tour guide from Arequipa. His fame comes not from his sports career as a downhill mountainbiker and martial artist but as a tour guide involved in the promotion of Colca Canyon as one of the natural marvels of the world.

Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros is the actual secretary of the local tour guides association from Colca Canyon ASGUIP TUCAY and named spokesperson of the native people from Caylloma province where one of the deepest canyons in the world is located.

Guillermo Rendón has declared a frontal war against ABUSIVE TOUR GUIDES COMMISSIONS and against AUTHORITIES CORRUPTION which is a cancer that is affecting tourism in Colca Canyon. Tourism doesn´t benefit all the people in Colca Canyon just a group of businessmen who manipulate authorities.

The fight started when a corrupted director of tourism of Arequipa wanted to cancel local tour guides from Colca Canyon. Tour guides association from Arequipa backed up the idea. The voice of the leader was heard and a revolt started.

Sustainable Tourism is an unknown word in the lexicon of the travel agencies from Arequipa.
For the locals Guillermo Rendón Cuadros is the Mallku Jaqe or the Kondor Man, which is the name of a mountainbiking raid that took place in Colca Canyon area. In that time , Guillermo Rendón took part in this mountainbiking champions raid which started from the top of a mountain at 5;100 meters and after a three day adventure the cyclists arrived to the Pacific Ocean. The distance covered was more than 500 kilometers.

But at the same time Mallku Jaqe has other meaning. In the Inca religion, a Mallku or a Condor is a person who has inherited the inca ancient knowledge and traditions. Rendón is considered also as a Chaka Runa or Man Bridge a person who has the knowledge of the Mother Culture (Inca) and The Father Culture (Spanish).

Guillermo Rendón Cuadros is not only a tour guide or a well-known sportsman. He was a teacher and he taught Philosophy, History and his specialty :Comparative and Inca Religion. Others considered him as the Tupac Amaru or Shining Snake who fought against the abusive conquistadors. Guillermo Rendón doesn´t offer his clients just “empty explanations” but a real experience with the inca culture.

The reaction of the tour guides from Arequipa was expected. Slanderous blogs against his person were done with the purpose of taking away from tourism through attacking his good imagen.
Involved in the creation of this campaign against him are travel agencies from Arequipa whose interests in keeping this unbearable situation are notorious. A student from Chivay who defended the right of the natives through his web page was killed in Chivay. His body was thrown to Colca River.

Rendón is still there like a mountain. His power according to him comes from the Truth. The Truth for him is the evidence collected during more than 15 years that shows all the corruption of tourism in Arequipa. Most of the tour guides and travel agencies from Arequipa are considered by the locals as PARASITES who lived from commissions obtained from the locals and from the tourists.

Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros was declared by the major of Chivay as ADOPTIVE SON OF CAYLLOMA PROVINCE because of his labour in the DEFENSE OF THE RIGHTS OF THE NATIVE PEOPLE FROM COLCA VALLEY AND COLCA CANYON.

He is the only tour guide in all Arequipa Region that has received such condecoration and such honour.

Guillermo Rendón Cuadros is until the moment the most awarded tour guide from Arequipa and nothing can be done to stop the Condor Man who has announced publicly the FALL OF THE CORRUPTED ONES AND THE BEGINNING OF THE REAL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IS COLCA CANYON.

The Colca Specialist would like to thank association of local tour guides ASGUIP TUCAY for having us provided the pictures of this significant ceremonial where Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros WAS DECLARED ADOPTIVE SON OF CAYLLOMA PROVICE.

The ceremonial was performed in Chivay´s main square. It was a small but significative ceremonial.

The patriotic ceremonial is about to start and an association of nurses and the representative of mothers´s association were present in the ceremonial.

Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros singing the national anthem with the hand on the chest.Symbol that the country´s noble ideals are in our hearts.



Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros, the adoptive son of Caylloma province was invited to raise the flag of Caylloma province,a honour never given to anybody but to authorities.

The protocol is important too. A policeman is telling the Governor of Caylloma province that the ceremonial is over.






Inside th Townhall of Chivay, the representative of the major will proceed with the awards ceremonial.

The Governor giving a message to the people of Chivay about the importance of fullfilling our roles in society.

Guillermo Rendón speaking about the importance of sustainable tourism and the importance of preserving the cultural identity of our peoples.

We cannot be indiferent with the suffering of our people! There is still a lot to be done and each one of us has to become a promoter of our cultural values.! -said the adoptive son during the ceremonial that was filmed and watch by millions of peruvians in national TV.

The Major of Caylloma province giving a condecoration to Guillermo Carlos Rendón Cuadros declaring him AS ADOPTIVE SON OF CAYLLOMA PROVINCE FOR DEFENDING THE RIGHT OF THE NATIVE COMMUNAS AND FOR ITS OUTSTANDING WORK IN THE PROMOTION OF COLCA CANYON AND IN THE PRESERVATION OF THE NATIVES CULTURAL IDENTITY.

The secretary of local tour guides association ASGUIP TUCAY from Caylloma province giving an award to the USAM which is a Mountain Rescue Unit in Chivay. They are the ones who are risking their lives for tourists that sometimes don´t recognize the labour of these brave policemen.

The Colca Specialist Crew would like to thank our readers for their time and the same time for backing us up in the diffussion of the culture and traditions from Colca Canyon and Peru.

Thank you very much !