Adios Huanchaco, hola Cuzco and the Andes mountains! The past few weeks have been rather hectic. For one, we finished up lab work and took some awesome day trips to such sites as El Brujo and Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna. Lab concluded satisfactorily, although we did not quite finish weighing, bagging and tagging the plethora of material we collected at Cerro La Virgen. It was not feasible to complete the inventory in such a short period of time. On our last few lab days, we were fortunate enough to have some guest speakers. One of these guests included a bone specialist who had a thing for fish scales. “These are fish scales,” she said. “Can you talk about these bones?” Jen said. “Yes, these are bones. These are fish scales” the bone specialist responded. As it turns out, she was more a fan of fish remains than bones. However the weaver was much more interesting. He showed us how to make the caballitos, or traditional fishing boats which are seen all around Huanchaco. They are made out of a reed material which is twisted to form a large boat. We did not have the time or talent to create a lifesize one, although supposedly one can be formed in two hours. Rather, we made small one foot long caballitos. They were surprisingly easy to make, although I suspect that attempting to construct a seaworthy vessel of one would be more difficult. One of my lab assignments was to identify different shells which we found at the site. I wandered into the lab of the Huanchaco Instituto Del Mar where a biologist there bagged, tagged, and identified individual shells for me as well as provided live samples. Unfortunately the poor live samples did not stay alive for a very long period of time.
Huaca de la Luna and Huaca del Sol were spectacular. They were both absolutely massive, with traditional Moche designs on them. The huacas were used for ceremonial purposes, and feature elaborate murals. Sadly they were both partially destroyed by Spanish Conquistadores and flooding. However, enough of the structures remain so as to show the grand scale upon which the huacas were constructed. El Brjuo was similarly impressive, although on a smaller scale. The site consists of a pyramid, now semi-derelict, near the shore. It receives its name from the shamans who would visit this site, among others, to practice rituals. At first none of us understood this, but after our tour guide passed out complimentary San Pedro cocktails, we began to realize what the Moche did at this site…well, maybe not, but there were some really awesome murals here as well.
From there, we departed Huancahco to the lovely Andes mountains. Lush greens, a sky like cotton upon a pure blue canvas, and an ethereal brightness. Grey rock outcroppings stand sentinel, guarding the valleys below. Of the sites we have seen, Ollyantaytambo and Machu Pichu were the most impressive. The stonework at each site was particularly mesmerizing. Many of the bricks are perfectly flush, and were even carved in situ. To add to the marvel, both sites are enormous in scale. Having the opportunity to see these ranks up there with Baelbek in Lebanon, for the 3 most impressive archeological sites I have ever seen.
Well, guess I had better go see the rest of Cuzco and cherish the Andes while I have the opportunity to. See you Stateside!