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Peru, Part 4 – Cañón del Colca

The Cañón del Colca (Colca Canyon), is the 2nd deepest canyon in the world – the first is Cañón del Cotahuasi, also in Peru. Both are more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the U.S. Our itinery included a drive through canyon country, with spectacular views of the terraces painstakingly created to adapt this mountainous terrain for farming, many of them dating back hundreds of years and still in use today. This is truly picture-postcard country.

Our first stop was in the village of Maca for a baño break and to see the local vendors. This was my first introduction to the practice of buying a photo op. For the measly price of 1 Peruvian nuevo sol (about 40 cents), the seller will pose for you with whatever interesting clothing, animal, or child that they happen to be offering. This gentleman had a lovely eagle, which I was more than happy to photograph, until I learned he had something even better – a chance to have your own photograph taken with his willing model.

Our guide César also took a turn:

Maca also has a beautiful Spanish colonial era church, Santa Ana de Maca, with an interior featuring intricate gilded carving and folk-art sculpture of saints. The church was heavily damaged in an earthquake in 1991, but it was restored. If you look closely, you can see that the bell towers don’t quite match. (Click image for full view.)

Our next stop was to see a group of pre-Inca tombs built into the rock face of one of the mountains. These tombs were made for important people and were built high up on the mountain so that they could be as close to the gods as possible. Many of these tombs were discovered in modern times after periods of heavy rains when the structures would fail and bones and other items buried with the person would be washed down to the bottom of the mountain. Other holes in the mountainside were used as storage for potatoes and other crops, and this is how the canyon got its name. Colca is “granary” or “storeroom” in Spanish.

Our canyon tour culminated with a visit to Cruz del Condor to watch for these majestic members of the vulture family enjoying their flights on the thermals created by updrafts from the canyon below. I didn’t get a good photo of a condor because they were so far away, but here’s a view of the picturesque canyon with some of the many tourists who have come to see them:

Then we turned around and headed for Puno, through yet more scenic country – some of which was surprisingly reminiscent of a drive we took around the Great Salt Lake region in Utah a couple of years ago.

In this desolate landscape, the places where the tour buses and vans stop feature a prodigious number of cairns. Here we see Joe making his contribution.

Other images from the day:

Panorama stitched in Photoshop from 6 separate images

November 10th, 2012|Travel|1 Comment

Peru, Part 3 – Chivay & Colca valley

From Arequipa, our group traveled in a van through the Pampa Canahuas Reserve on our way north to the town of Chivay in the Colca Canyon. This was our first venture away from cities and into the highlands of the Andes, through a starkly arid yet beautiful landscape of dramatic mountain peaks, scrubby groundcover, and no trees. We took a short break at this spot where water (from a spring?) provided a nice hangout for this mixed flock of llama and alpaca.

Our guide, César, was now very much in teaching mode, and thus began the impartation of the many facts we would learn about Peru. These lessons fall mostly into a few main categories: Inca civilization, indigenous peoples, food (potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes), camelid species, and textile traditions. Although we have plenty of these animals on farms in Colorado, it was interesting to see and learn about these 3 main species of camelids commonly found in Peru:

The llama, the largest and strongest of the camelids, used mainly for carrying burdens.

The alpaca, somewhat smaller, produces fiber which is prized for its softness and is used extensively in woven and knitted textiles. Alpaca also frequently appears on the menus of local restaurants.

The vicuña, which is not domesticated, so we had to be content with a view from a distance. Vicuña have extremely fine fur, which made them such a favorite of poachers that they were hunted to near extinction and are now a protected species.

Although we had just come from Arequipa, which is at an elevation of about 7600 feet, we were now ascending to greater elevations, including going through one 16,000-foot pass. So it wasn’t surprising that some in our group who live at sea level began to experience some of the distressing effects of altitude sickness at this point. Having come from the Mile-Hi City originally, Joe and I did pretty well with that and it wasn’t a problem as long as we stayed hydrated and didn’t over-exert on hikes.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the overlook to Chivay, where we saw our first glimpse of the famous terraces first created in pre-Inca times by the ancestors of the Collagua and Cabana people who inhabit the Colca Canyon area now.

After settling in our hotel, those of us who felt up to it set out for La Calera hot springs to have a dip in the healing mineral water. You’ll be glad to know that none of us entered “the pool stage of alcoholism,” but we did “rub in the shower before entering the pool.”

Feeling appropriately refreshed, we then went back to the town to do some exploring. Chivay is a lovely small town, but they do have some very odd statues.

November 5th, 2012|Travel|2 Comments

Peru, part 2 – Arequipa

Our 6:00 am flight from Lima got us into Arequipa early in the morning. Looking out of the plane window during the landing, I was struck by how much the area near the airport reminded me of Albuquerque.

Arequipa is Peru’s second-largest city and is known as “La Ciudad Blanca” (the White City) because so many of the buildings are constructed from a local white volcanic rock. Snow-capped mountains and the famous El Misti volcano are visible from many points within the city.

View from the 2nd floor balcony of a restaurant on the Plaza de Armas.

When we arrived in Peru, we were told that strikes by both doctors and teachers were going on. The doctors’ strike ended a few days after our arrival, but as far as I know, the teachers’ strike is still going on, and there was also a transportation strike in Lima this week. We witnessed a small peaceful demonstration and march in Arequipa, but our guide didn’t seem to know any details (or didn’t want to discuss it).

We saw two of the most popular attractions in Arequipa. The first was the Santa Catalina Monastery, a huge complex almost like a city within a city built in 1580. The architecture is quite interesting, and the vivid blue and red walls are a visual feast. A guided tour of the grounds provides a wealth of historical details, including the fact that most of the nuns came from wealthy families and had to pay a dowry of 2500 silver coins upon admission. But the most surprising thing to me was to learn that some of these nuns had slaves up until about 1871, when they were set free during a period of reform. There are still about 20 nuns living at Santa Catalina, only a small fraction of the number living there during its peak.

Also of interest is the Juanita mummy at the Catholic University’s Museum of Andean Sanctuaries (Museo Santuarios Andinos). “Juanita” is the name given to the girl whose frozen body was found in 1995 on a high mountain top after the eruption of a nearby volcano caused ice around her tomb to melt and her body fell out into the open. She was an Inca “princess” who at age 12-14 was sacrificed sometime around 1440-1450 as an offering to the gods. Although it seems they have no way of knowing this for sure, the film presented at the beginning of the tour suggests that this young girl would have have felt it a great honor to be chosen for the sacrifice. PBS has some interesting details on the topic of mummies and sacrifice.