THE ANDES AND ITS NATURAL SCENERY.

The Andes is the largest of all the mountains ranges in the World, anchored at Cape Horn on the "Land of Fire" (Tierra del Fuego), at the very Southern tip of Chile and Argentina, following the West Coast of South America, creating a dense Mountain barrier of high mountains and volcanoes along its 7500 kilometers; until it is finally lost in the Caribbean Sea and the Plains of Venezuela.
The Mountain barrier of high mountains and volcanoes stops the dense clouds that rise from the Amazon and keeps the hot sands of extremely dry deserts along the Pacific coast cool, which are even drier because of the cold, rich waters of the Humboldt current. This phenomenon reduces the climate temperature and makes it less likely to rain; however, occasionally this happens because of the "Child Chill Breeze (Corriente Fria del Nino)". This phenomenon causes climate changes in the Andes and heavy rains in the North that results in overflowing rivers and floods, while the Southern part suffers a prolonged drought. This event occurs every 3 or 4 years, while the one with devastating consequences occurs every 8 or 15 years.
The geography of the Andes and the variety of climates found along its ranges encouraged the emergence of an amazing natural diversity in the midst of the toughest terrain on the planet.
At the altitude of 600 meters above sea level, the climate is tropical, corn and cotton are the most produced. However, the existence of cotton cultivated at 2,850 meters above sea level was recorded in 1552. On the slopes of the Eastern jungles, fauna is represented by forest animals, including the Amazon alligator, the jaguar and the boa.
There are at least 1,710 species of birds that have been identified, 460 mammals, 330 amphibians, more than 17,000 species of plants and many insects that are not yet counted.
The coca plant, a shrub that grows up to 3 meters high, grows vigorously at an altitude of 1,800 meters.
The plant produces small red berries and a foliage of oval leaves with very soft edges that once dry are chewed to reduce temporarily the feelings of fatigue and hunger during the hours of grueling work in the highlands. The leaves contain carotene, riboflavin, thiamine, iron and calcium, and active alkaloids that helps digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. It is also known that by chewing the leaves or drink the tea made of the leaves alleviates the effect of altitude  sickness, helping to relax the airways in the lungs and restore the smooth tone of the  muscles of the digestive system to people who are not acclimatized to high altitudes. The leaves are also used in the activities of worship and shamanism.
Botanical studies suggest that coca grew on the mountainous jungles of Peru and spread throughout the Andes. One of the oldest examples of its use was found in the Northern Coast of Peru in Huaca Prieta (2500-1800 BC), where coca leaves were found with lime containers (an alkaline reagent that releases the alkaloids of the leaves). The Incas achieved the control of coca cultivation supplying the whole Empire with the shrub from the jungle to regions near Cuzco, acclimatizing the plant to higher altitudes and so were able to grow in the Sacred Valley.
The Puma/Jaguar, one of the Inca's sacred animals, lives in very high areas where the cultivation of quinoa, amaranth, lupine, potato, and other crops are done. The Puma/Jaguar represented the co-essence for pre- Columbian rulers and such association continue into the present with regard to shamanism. This may have to do with the growl of the Puma/Jaguar, which is said to sound like thunder, and the fact that they generally hunt at dusk and dawn. Dawn and dusk are perceived throughout the Andean people as the "split between the worlds (the unseen and the physical), as they are neither day nor night. These association are also related to shadow, and these are the times of the day when shadows are most apparent. One of the most important characteristic of the Jaguar behaviour is the fact that they are able to swim and even known to fish, and bodies of water symbolize a conduit to the world below. Jaguars are one of the few large feline predators that swim, thus providing a logical association with the underworld.