Marian Johns' Journal of the Desert
Explorers trip to Peru in 2002
Images by John Page unless otherwise noted
Day 19, September
22, Sunday
Chavín de Huántar to Caraz See
Map
Sept. 22, Sunday – The archaeological site of Chavín de Huántar is back at the edge of town the way we came in last evening. It is estimated to be 3,200 years old. This culture had a well-developed art form that focused on a feline motif showing large, menacing fangs. These creatures are quite similar to early Chinese representations, so some scholars have suggested there may be a connection.
We walked around a large sunken court surrounded by stairs and mounds. Part of the complex has underground chambers which are lighted with electric bulbs so that tourists can explore them. Inside one of these is a lance-shaped stele called the Lanzon de Chavín. The Stele Raimondi, originally found here, has been removed to the Museo de la Nación in Lima where we saw it earlier when we visited that museum. Returning to the hotel, we packed up the trucks to make the long trip back over the mountains.
On the western side of the Andes again, we followed the main road down the Callejon de Huaylas, between the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera Negra. The highway here is paved. It was a beautiful drive – high, snowy peaks off to our right and lower, snowless ones on the left. We drove through Recuay, one of the cleanest little towns we’ve been in and then continued down the valley through Huaraz and on to Caraz where we stayed at the Hostal Perla de los Andes which is right on the main plaza. We were running short of time so had to skip the Monterrey Hot Springs and the waterfall that is supposed to be somewhere near it.
Had dinner at a restaurant a few doors down the street – up on the second floor. They didn’t have enough help, so meals were served in an on-going fashion - those who were served first were done long before the last people got their food.
As we were leaving to return to the hotel, noise and commotion caught our attention. We had the pleasure of watching a celebration in honor of the spring (our fall) solstice. We enjoyed a bird’s-eye view from the second floor of the hotel. Local people were celebrating with a parade around the plaza. There were dancers and musicians in colorful costumes, a couple of floats – one with a queen, and people carrying critters made of paper such as cats and butterflies. It seemed the most of the town citizens were in the parade. The first time around the plaza they evidently were just getting warmed up, because they went around a second time. It was dark, but I took lots of photos with the flash.
