A History Lost in Ruins

…But a Story Born Exploring Ancient Sites.  Home to many great cultures and civilizations, Perú is full of archeological sites with gems hiding in ruins scattered across the land.  The last week and a half were an opportunity for me to travel to visit a few of the ruins, learn more about the country’s rich history and relax before this next semester gets back into full swing. 

Cajamarca, a city surrounded by mountains and the site where the last Incan king, Atahualpa, lost his life to the Spaniards in 1532, was my first destination.  From a high point on one side of the city, Santa Palonia, the city looks tiny, but when down below, it seems to sprawl throughout the valley and up the mountains that surround its population of 250,000. I was able to see the “Seat of the Inca,” to wake up very early…4:45a.m. to go to the Baños del Inca (natural thermal baths), to see a botanical garden, visit several artisan shops, see the niches known as the Ventanas de Otuzco and to hike a Cumbemayo. 

Although there are a ton of things to see and enjoy in Cajamarca including numerous ornate cathedrals, Cumbemayo was by far my favourite site.   Outside the city and several hundred feet higher in elevation, Cumbemayo is like a real live version of the stone garden out of the Chronicles of Narnia.  The rock formations bear shapes of animals including a fish, elephants and an enormous rat as well as include a giant face and a giant pirate’s face.  Incredible and peaceful!  We saw many women and children spinning wool or weaving in the grass as we hiked along.  Unfortunately, Cajamarca is impoverished and to help some children or women out, I shared some food or gave them a tip for doing a small favor for me. 

Chachapoyas was my other destination.  As a city in the ceja de selva (aka literally translated as the “eyebrow of the jungle”) it has jungle-like conditions at high altitudes.  Tranquil and clean the city seems orderly and unlike the abnoxious bell that is rung when a truck comes to collect garbage in Chiclayo, the trucks of Chachapoyas play calm lovely melodies when they pass by. 

This visit allowed me to see Kuelap (a huge historical site of ruins) that was originally built by the Chachapoya, later conquered by the Inca and eventually destroyed when many refused to bend to the will of the Spanish missionaries. 

The Chachapoya are said to have valued the after life perhaps more than life itself.  They buried their dead in sarcophaguses built high up into stone cliffs where no one would be able to reach them as well as in villages of the dead on rock faces.  It remains a mystery today as to how the sarcophaguses got to where they are.

The following day was filled by a long and gorgeous hike that wound its way up some mountains to one of the world’s 5 tallest waterfalls, Gocta!  The effort to get there was well worth the view and the spray of mist blowing off of the Fall.  Unfortunately it rained terribly on us, but afterwards we were able to see an amazing rainbow. 

Our world is full of mysteries, waiting for us to follow our curiosity and sharing some of its stories with us, while leaving others up to our imaginations that we might create our own stories.