Would you like to go on a journey with me to my country, and see the place where Inca Son was really born? Come with me, and we’ll discover the Andes together…

These are the beautiful Andes, one of the world’s largest mountain ranges. I was born in Ascope, a little town in the northern part of the Andes.

Meet my family. From left to right, that’s Clemente Villalobos my grandfather, who lived to be 116 years old. He’s gone from the earth now, but he lives on in one of my songs, called “El Abuelo,” (the grandfather). Next to him is Fermín, my beloved dad, also departed. Isidora, my mom, stands next to him. She and Fermín had 13 kids, but life for us was hard, and five of my brothers and sisters died of hunger during their childhood. The other young people in the photo are my nieces and nephews. We Villalobos are a big clan.

Here’s another shot of three generations of Villalobos: me, Fermín, and Clemente. They passed on their love of music to me. It was part of our daily life. We sang as we worked in the fields, around the campfire telling stories, and on festival days.

These brightly dressed people are from Puno, in the southeastern Peru, near the shores of Lake Titicaca. Notice that one of the men holds a quena, or reed flute similar to the ones played by Inca Son.

Here I am with another native of Puno. Peru is famous for its colorful clothes woven from the wool of the llama and alpaca.

Here is a recreation of the ancient festival of Inti Raymi, in Cuzco. The great “Sapa Inca” is carried by his subjects as thousands perched on stones of an ancient fortress watch, just as they have done for centuries.

When I watch my people celebrate the ancient feast days, it makes me proud to be a descendant of the Inca.

I was honored to be asked to perform with the “Royal Musicians” at the festival of Inti Raymi.

White llamas are especially prized by my people. They are gentle and hard-working. They have been an important part of Andean life for thousands of years.

A few years after I moved to Boston and founded Inca Son, I returned Ascope with a goal: to create the village’s first playground. It was called “Boston” after my newly adopted city. That’s my mother standing to my left.

Another family photo. In Ascope, houses are made of cement, which keeps them cool in the warm weather. When I was a boy, we were so poor, our house was made of quincha (bamboo), with no electricity and only dirt floors.

Here’s my son Inti discovering the homeland of his dad, and a friendly goat. I named him after the Inca God of the Sun. Inti is now a big boy of 13.

The children of Ascope ride swings for the first time.

Machu Picchu has always been one of my greatest sources of inspiration.