tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46287220441317051412024-02-06T19:03:09.213-08:00The Lima Peru LDS Temple MissionOur adventures as senior missionaries for friends and familyGeorgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-6825732431431635222012-07-26T16:07:00.002-07:002012-07-28T04:43:55.395-07:00The Face of an Incan GirlWith only <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-size: large;">2</span> days more in Peru we are looking forward to the rest of the summer with family and friends in Utah. In some ways it has been a long twenty two months missing kids and grandkids. In other ways the weeks have gone by quickly. There are still more topics I would like to write about, updates from Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley where we were earlier this week. We have been traveling again with friends from Utah as well as making our farewells.<br />
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With Austin and Raul at Machu Picchu this week. It was another beautiful</div>
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day in one of the most beautiful places in the world. </div>
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Last week we visited Arequipa for the first time and enjoyed several days with Brother and Sister Ramos. They too were missionaries in the Lima Temple with us. She is an outstanding cook and we enjoyed so much the wonderful flavors of Arequipa she prepared. The region is known for its excellent food in addition to the incredible scenery of a nearby (presently dormant) volcano and other mountain peaks surrounding the city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebDiBVjzbxDWYs6TtFzlCSRImLSZ3Q5goKeCLQ3zbHzWp2Y8rSFEFUAxyYUoMU1Py7bfAPR23NB170z1qEANVTeo6SIMq9agvRIJ4Xrtv5a8f0xzESttLepw8yju97E1a_TrZXVCP6ZOS/s1600/Ramos+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebDiBVjzbxDWYs6TtFzlCSRImLSZ3Q5goKeCLQ3zbHzWp2Y8rSFEFUAxyYUoMU1Py7bfAPR23NB170z1qEANVTeo6SIMq9agvRIJ4Xrtv5a8f0xzESttLepw8yju97E1a_TrZXVCP6ZOS/s400/Ramos+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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In the cocina of the Ramos. We enjoyed rocoto rellenos, chupes de </div>
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camerones, chicharones, pastel de papas and a few more dishes. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPMSQzdG4KM8vVeuRj9Uc3AmNHYALSjmnh0vBhDqOwKF1pnJpglUK_tPbIUe3Qq0DvwU7zdcBrfnjT0-r0hSCHxQTUnuocYKSdi_JpphpO6sGRD4e0F_8UzpNBHrJX2hTxt1TsVdOl8Pw/s1600/Misti+with+Bell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZPMSQzdG4KM8vVeuRj9Uc3AmNHYALSjmnh0vBhDqOwKF1pnJpglUK_tPbIUe3Qq0DvwU7zdcBrfnjT0-r0hSCHxQTUnuocYKSdi_JpphpO6sGRD4e0F_8UzpNBHrJX2hTxt1TsVdOl8Pw/s400/Misti+with+Bell.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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El Misti towers in the background of Arequipa. We were allowed to climb</div>
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to the roof of the main cathedral and take this photo near the bell tower. El </div>
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Misti is almost 20,000 feet in elevation. Its last eruption was in 1985</div>
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Arequipa is known as the Ciudad de Blanco or the "white city" because of the beautiful white volcanic stone so many of the buildings are constructed from. The Main Cathedral of Arequipa is constructed of this stone known as "sillar." The craftsmanship is superb and represents the best from the colonial period.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8qqvTjsn4yBaB_LwTSFdGdTMfbG7Z9CMbTHoOjx2L9PKwCkB7EIbC-Zan3A-EeK1FSaPARRKp4gr1Ouj6_GIjJTjResC3UQXCbqRPjOFxgy8jbHx_T75w4iBItzMu5PJme6B-I-3LswF/s1600/cathedral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8qqvTjsn4yBaB_LwTSFdGdTMfbG7Z9CMbTHoOjx2L9PKwCkB7EIbC-Zan3A-EeK1FSaPARRKp4gr1Ouj6_GIjJTjResC3UQXCbqRPjOFxgy8jbHx_T75w4iBItzMu5PJme6B-I-3LswF/s400/cathedral.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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The Main Cathedral of Arequipa. Construction started </div>
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when the city was founded in1540 and has been ongoing </div>
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as earthquakes as recent as 2001 destroyed portions of the </div>
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bell towers and damaged the building. </div>
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Without a doubt the highlight of trip, in terms of Peruvian history, was visiting the<a href="http://www.ucsm.edu.pe/catolica/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=635&Itemid=233"> Catholic University's Museum</a>. Commonly it is known as "Juanita's Museum." It stirred my interest in high altitude archaeology. Upon downloading the discoverer <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Maiden-Mummies-Mountain-ebook/dp/B004Y1Q6UY/ref=sr_1_3_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343331900&sr=1-3&keywords=johan+reinhard">Johan Reinhard's account</a>, I had the Kindle version of his book read in a few days. He and his climbing teams have discovered, throughout the Andes, the remains of some 20 Incan sacrificial victims. Most of them were young girls, but also a few boys. For the first time intact human remains have been recovered for preservation and scientific study. None of these remains of Inca children were artificially preserved. Burial in high altitude remote frozen landscapes preserved them naturally. Several sites his team had visited saw evidence of grave robbers and even the use of dynamite to open these frozen burials to find the gold and silver statues accompanying the victims.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4q0Ec2tCBdQsig4JLrYZ6Tk2XFK4CHR_Apip6qaQ-HOweUwEQmSp4feMJ_5B1hqq9J9yctF31UPIbz46RLmpf0vDa2rcWjUZINUX1FrRp1zPO3gWg0eHhi3g3m6K3h9hUw3k7OGWjyNg/s1600/Juanita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4q0Ec2tCBdQsig4JLrYZ6Tk2XFK4CHR_Apip6qaQ-HOweUwEQmSp4feMJ_5B1hqq9J9yctF31UPIbz46RLmpf0vDa2rcWjUZINUX1FrRp1zPO3gWg0eHhi3g3m6K3h9hUw3k7OGWjyNg/s400/Juanita.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Known as the "Momia Juanita" to Peruvians, she was discovered on Mt.</div>
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Ampato in 1995. She was between 11 and 15 years of age when sacrificed.</div>
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Time Magazine named her as one of the ten most important scientific </div>
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discoveries in the world.</div>
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Preliminary DNA studies most closely linked her to an indian tribe in Panama but subsequent additional data suggests she was from the Andes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwQmnuqqTKwlRyJXvKHhDiZ2VhQKX5-xJnuGtPVjC43gwvzfqgHVLeEVl_cOv0iQZfrUHOfdtRFq9bTHlZzdRBAvn6NIC-kpBm3QtXI9yZxwIkX8EAJi7iQbsC4DA7Rfpxq8-rKA2SAPZ/s1600/Johan+R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwQmnuqqTKwlRyJXvKHhDiZ2VhQKX5-xJnuGtPVjC43gwvzfqgHVLeEVl_cOv0iQZfrUHOfdtRFq9bTHlZzdRBAvn6NIC-kpBm3QtXI9yZxwIkX8EAJi7iQbsC4DA7Rfpxq8-rKA2SAPZ/s400/Johan+R.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
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National Geographic Explorer in residence Dr. Johan </div>
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Reinhard on the summit of Mt. Llullaillaco in the </div>
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Argentine Andes. From this location the very best and</div>
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most intact mummies were recovered. </div>
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The most remarkable find of <a href="http://www.johanreinhard.net/">Dr. Reinhard</a> were mummies found subsequently to the Ice Maiden Juanita, across the Chilean border in the Argentine Andes. These mummies had their internal organs intact with blood still in the heart and lungs. Skin and facial features were undamaged and for the first time we can know what an Inca girl looked like from 500 years ago. The Inca sacrificed their unblemished children to the gods of the mountains not to propitiate their anger but to enter the realm of the gods and live with them carrying messages. It was deemed to be a great honor for the victim and her family. These sacrifices, according to the Spanish chroniclers, were generally associated with specific events in the life of the Incan emperor. Human sacrifice seems to be something practiced world wide in antiquity and not limited to the Inca or their predecessors. In terms of comparison to the Maya and the Aztec the Inca were far more restrained with their human sacrifice. Llamas and alpacas being the more common sacrifice. The meat afterword consumed in the day's festivities, not unlike temple activities in ancient Israel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokHpSHBrxlD7cQYzdto0mF2G1LfmF-ApsVOf7AtiSX1K87EGItqnsgFkQtJgq0ROs4UCPfGex9Oymw8OBcEIMuRlMgbvvqEA6EdVXDc-tU3BO4e3JN40j1GgaBMnkd85rSVlH167B3TiX/s1600/maiden-with-scientist-mummy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokHpSHBrxlD7cQYzdto0mF2G1LfmF-ApsVOf7AtiSX1K87EGItqnsgFkQtJgq0ROs4UCPfGex9Oymw8OBcEIMuRlMgbvvqEA6EdVXDc-tU3BO4e3JN40j1GgaBMnkd85rSVlH167B3TiX/s400/maiden-with-scientist-mummy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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The ice maiden of Argentine Andes, known as "La Doncella" appears to be<br />
only asleep. She is the best preserved of any mummified remains recovered<br />
anywhere in the world. </div>
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The bodies of two other children were found near the summit of Mt. Llullaillaco in addition to La Doncella in 1999 by Dr. Reinhard and his assistants. Because of her elaborate clothing and headdress, not shown, she was probably an "aclla" or Sun Virgin. She was chosen, as was Juanita, as a toddler to live with other girls and women who could become royal wives, priestesses, and sacrifice victims. In order to assure compliance the sacrifice victims were drugged with fermented corn beer and coca. Juanita suffered massive blunt force trauma to the forehead. The cause of death of La Doncella remains somewhat a mystery,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0041244"> though results published only this week</a> suggest she had a major pulmonary infection. Coupled with the shock or trauma associated the event and with the elevation of more than 22,000 feet it may have spelled her doom. Having been in Cusco for several days at 1l,000 feet I am uncertain how anyone navigates at twice that level. She also had several white hairs in her neatly braided hair. At her young age scientists speculate they were the result of stress in her life. Incan families willingly though gave their children to the emperor as it was esteemed to be a great honor to the family. Her DNA was so well preserved it was the equivalent of testing that of a living person. Studies confirm she was from somewhere near the Colca Canyon not far from where Juanita was found on Mt. Ampoto in Arequipa region.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDiRzCRPGoLH4BKaEmdmpVUzjBPE0PQXJqOsSgol0jaLNAlVj1tvdnlQkfORDDVfCQKkF6UUwxpSELPr9ctsyLLX22AElI3dq4CDyTH_7EYlPGSqZAkhrzhUaSv5q2JCNl9RQ-z9JMyvH/s1600/Aclla+qtrs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDiRzCRPGoLH4BKaEmdmpVUzjBPE0PQXJqOsSgol0jaLNAlVj1tvdnlQkfORDDVfCQKkF6UUwxpSELPr9ctsyLLX22AElI3dq4CDyTH_7EYlPGSqZAkhrzhUaSv5q2JCNl9RQ-z9JMyvH/s400/Aclla+qtrs.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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The double jammed doorway leads from a very special</div>
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location in Machu Picchu, likely it was used by the Sun </div>
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Virgins or Aclla. They would learn the skills of making</div>
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textiles, cooking, weaving clothing for the emperor, and<br />
serving in the temples. </div>
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Hair samples studied from La Doncella show the presence of cocaine and its heavy use among the select children of the Inca suggesting it was an important part of their rituals, certainly for those involved in human sacrifice. The levels of cocaine in her system were three times as high as any of 350 other samples taken from Andean mummies. Artificial mummification was practiced widely throughout the reign of the Inca and their predecessors. Mummies were worshiped and cared for as though they were still present and active members of the Incan society.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Reinhard and the Ice Maiden Juanita atop Mt. Ampato</td></tr>
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The high altitude archaeological work performed by Dr. Reinhard and his associates has been invaluable and ranks, rightfully so, among the greatest discoveries of the modern era. We know what an Incan girl looked like from 500 years ago and now a good deal more about her life and her culture. For the indigenous peoples of the Andes these discoveries are important, much more so than for a few grave robbers to cash in on the artifact market. As museums have been constructed and visitors pay to see these cultural exhibits everyone benefits. Local artisans now exhibit and sell their crafts where once they were ignored being too far from the beaten tourist trail. Cultural exhibitions including dance, fairs, and ritual ceremonies have been organized and held for promoting a rebirth of ancient Andean culture. The unique information gathered from these mummies serves to educate the world about a most remarkable ancient civilization. To summarize Dr. Reinhard, "In the imaginations of children, mummies are second only to dinosaurs and their educational potential appears to be unlimited. A mummy is a magnet and can be used as a teaching tool on many subjects, including archaeology, geography, human biology, conservation, and the environment. These are true time capsules that allow, a view into the past that cannot be be obtained by any other means." My personal thanks to Dr. Reinhard and others like him who have worked so tirelessly to preserve the past. Through his efforts a new branch of high altitude archaeology has emerged and knowledge of the Incan past is now much better understood. Largely, his work and understanding of the role and importance of mountains and mountain deities explains the function and place of Machu Picchu to the Inca. <a href="http://www.johanreinhard.net/">His web site</a> has numerous PDF's of articles he and his associates have published. I am also interested in his study and interpretation of the famous lines of Nazca. It is on the schedule of things to read, but it won't be here in Peru.<br />
<br />
<br />Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-5706545062800147232012-07-04T03:49:00.002-07:002012-07-05T13:38:49.270-07:00Inca Religion and Myths<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Huaina Pichu shrouded in the background above Machu</div>
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Picchu. The myths of the past of Peru are equally shrouded. </div>
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We had a recent FHE assignment here amongst the North Americans. We meet twice a month and wanted to do something special. RA prepared 19 varieties of native fruits that are available right now in our local grocery store. They included mango, guanabana, pineapple, pepino melon, biscocho bananas, yakon, guava, lucuma, mamey, tuna rojo, aguaymanto, tamarindo, kaki, star fruit, chirimoya, maracuya, granadilla, and cocona, and albaricoque. I thought a few could have benefited by the addition of a little vanilla ice cream, but I was overruled. Since the fruit refreshments were not my portion of the evening's entertainment I could not say anymore.<br />
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Kaki fruit as they are known here and in Japan. In the US we call them</div>
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persimmons. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4geMIQTPS3erlaYIenD2zZCVhpjGfip-JSEqtsLZq-g80-eq6_r6xb2C5ARvL-ide8RaRXkQ5OjLjvUd5LjgHYZytlAozCts8mQRRSnq8bsSkXevazB-LHWnwxdVRCpXUYOLfCEH7Fiuj/s1600/maracuya+granadilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4geMIQTPS3erlaYIenD2zZCVhpjGfip-JSEqtsLZq-g80-eq6_r6xb2C5ARvL-ide8RaRXkQ5OjLjvUd5LjgHYZytlAozCts8mQRRSnq8bsSkXevazB-LHWnwxdVRCpXUYOLfCEH7Fiuj/s400/maracuya+granadilla.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maracuya and Granadilla. Everyone's favorite, at least ours are the mangos.<br />
The season is over this year and we will pass them. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It has been fascinating to study Inca and Pre-Inca traditions and myths going back 5,000 years. Some themes are consistent with other ancient traditions from the Middle East and Asia. Joseph Campbell would suggest the similarities in these worldwide myths would be the consequence of what Carl Jung called the "collective unconscious" mind, something on the order of Freud's "archaic remnants." Brother Nibley would be at odds with Campbell and Freud as to the origins of the universal myths and the similarities of myth throughout all ancient civilizations. To quote Brother Nibley, <i>"It already appears that he ancient myths, wherever they turn up, have a tendency to fit together into the same picture, confirming and supporting each other due to the solid ground on which they stand... This leads us to conclude here is a serious historical reality behind the myths as a whole, in spite of the adjusting and romancing that sometimes effaces them beyond recognition."</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrTGbAA3xFZir1wOIzqvINZ75oJ4ln0OAvMz-4kWjl6EP4OMLYjA3OHG35LfNXYpwG5bslrwZXr78UqmvjW7GHhOtuqKn_-o45_axXAExOyreM-PeF4VRzOpQEGEdbrLKPagPZMNzk6DM/s1600/Khipu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrTGbAA3xFZir1wOIzqvINZ75oJ4ln0OAvMz-4kWjl6EP4OMLYjA3OHG35LfNXYpwG5bslrwZXr78UqmvjW7GHhOtuqKn_-o45_axXAExOyreM-PeF4VRzOpQEGEdbrLKPagPZMNzk6DM/s400/Khipu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Less than a thousand khipu survive today. Most are thought to have</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
been used for accounting as they are organized into the decimal system.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
More complex khipu may contain words but that is yet to be determined. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sorting out the past Pre-Spanish and even Pre-Inca with respect to myths and religious traditions is difficult. It was estimated when the conquistadores arrived in the North of Peru there were approximately 700 different languages and cultures here, all under Incan rule. Three languages remain today, Aymara, Quechua and of course Spanish. The Inca like any victorious conqueror rewrote the history books and adapted the past to fit their world view and support their dynastic rule. A major problem in all of the Andean past is there was never a written language. History most likely was preserved through the telling of oral traditions. Khipu, the strange knotted cords of the Inca and earlier peoples served as nemonic helps to recall these events of the past. A team of Harvard scholars may prove otherwise. Using very large and fast computers some progress has been made in deciphering the khipu. At least one numerical address, akin to a zip code of a city or district, has been deciphered. In Central America the written languages of several groups including the Maya have been successfully translated. Unraveling the history especially the religious beliefs proves very difficult as there was no written language and both the Inca and the Spanish adjusted and changed the past to justify their rule. Particularly the Spanish were the more egregious as they committed what amounted to cultural genocide upon the indigenous peoples of the New World.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpuiE_7hpXIBzzn6B3HvjBu1ylhDCkQkHailzbW1mTqlEENSXHjZnw9YtB83xeyljWR1nfnitt8m_LoilzlTQ51yI-xYQVbSd2f_6CfUUhWLrAVUfuu3zZLlk-We08flb4aDcBqQ7ikoO/s1600/chuno_0310_0599-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpuiE_7hpXIBzzn6B3HvjBu1ylhDCkQkHailzbW1mTqlEENSXHjZnw9YtB83xeyljWR1nfnitt8m_LoilzlTQ51yI-xYQVbSd2f_6CfUUhWLrAVUfuu3zZLlk-We08flb4aDcBqQ7ikoO/s400/chuno_0310_0599-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Dried potatoes or chuño. They are also called papa seca or dried potatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Climate change and freeze dried potatoes, called papas secas, or chuño, according to a few scholars, explains why the Inca armies were able to sweep over and conquer the western Andean regions of South America in such a short period of time, approximately 100 years. Potatoes are still freeze dried much in the same way they have been done for many millennia. These freeze dried potatoes are relatively high in nutrition and have a shelf life of up to three years without further refrigeration. Their light weight allowed them to be carried on the backs of soldiers and llamas as the armies were moving through their empire. Climate conditions weakened the economies of coastal communities but the higher elevation of the Inca with ample rainfall and moisture gave them sufficient foodstuffs to conquer the areas suffering famine. The Inca were astute enough bargainers to offer food to any peoples who would accept their rule. One scholar estimates that Inca had five years worth of food storage at any one time for all of the inhabitants of the empire. Even today, many fields - estimated between 25% and 50% of those that were once used by the Inca - remain unused.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7RXBgskekqBDyMARUbYav5rAVYU0eAOV44bCX8Nt20YXtOY8mOvhv5FtnIW9TY6AwwJJpsXZWurD2zMZM0ybr0dDEuA33gIzJqMLagWInaBH_IIHvDVnvoBykeJAxoTR_3cf8Mi7RI_f/s1600/Ollantaytambo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ7RXBgskekqBDyMARUbYav5rAVYU0eAOV44bCX8Nt20YXtOY8mOvhv5FtnIW9TY6AwwJJpsXZWurD2zMZM0ybr0dDEuA33gIzJqMLagWInaBH_IIHvDVnvoBykeJAxoTR_3cf8Mi7RI_f/s400/Ollantaytambo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The terraces of Ollantaytambo, a royal Inca city, once grew corn and many</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
other crops. This site was abandoned before the conquistadores ever set foot in</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Peru. Smallpox and other European diseases decimated the Inca population<br />
ahead of them.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Wherever the Inca took control of another society the local gods and myths were recognized and maintained along with the official state Incan religion of sun worship. To legitimize the rule of the Inca, the Sapa Inca, or head Inca, was advanced as the direct descendant of the Sun God Inti. Viracocha was acknowledged as the creator god, though Inti would take preeminence in time. It did get complicated with the addition of many local gods to the pantheon by the time the Inca were extending their rule.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HA16V5JmL4BTffNRtsyNv8_pq5rWpcjvBL1fJ69FWQrsDfcrB4OJvG4QQxPMEkZZ7I6VWIHX2qetm6jozU5kjfYsVBB6EqpA7su8Kxqyjmwg-XXujYF7kCpUTetgJuLADi9rb0Q22ozV/s1600/Viracocha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HA16V5JmL4BTffNRtsyNv8_pq5rWpcjvBL1fJ69FWQrsDfcrB4OJvG4QQxPMEkZZ7I6VWIHX2qetm6jozU5kjfYsVBB6EqpA7su8Kxqyjmwg-XXujYF7kCpUTetgJuLADi9rb0Q22ozV/s400/Viracocha.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Viracocha the chief God of a number of Pre-Inca societies.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In his right hand he caries a serpent. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The near universal myths of creation, deluge, and the hero's journey are to be found amongst the Inca and their predecessors. According to the various versions of Inca legends Viracocha came forth from a cave on the Isla del Sol in Lake Titicaca with his two sons and began the creative process. He breathed on large stones and turned them into giants who first populated the land. Because they were sometimes disobedient in the days of Noah, (as the OT story goes,) he sent forth a flood and drowned them all. He started afresh with the current race of humans and the first Incas emerged. Traveling north he created other peoples and taught them. He wore robes, was bearded, and carried a staff. Among the earliest cultures are representations of this god carrying a staff. A shard of dried inscribed squash portrays the staff god, among the Norte Chico of Caral, approximately 3,000 B.C.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH-xwoKQ06RwZX4MQp-8oPUFrbuBjPNijqpewPpS_YPilJt8rvJERVPRd7tYk2gU3JvRFwa7SHlAUizog0CXU4GbY8RxyPiWZtQ6w7Xlzju546kj7YPs-XHtZ21pMOzXopKOv2wIWxhW_/s1600/Tiawanaku+giants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH-xwoKQ06RwZX4MQp-8oPUFrbuBjPNijqpewPpS_YPilJt8rvJERVPRd7tYk2gU3JvRFwa7SHlAUizog0CXU4GbY8RxyPiWZtQ6w7Xlzju546kj7YPs-XHtZ21pMOzXopKOv2wIWxhW_/s400/Tiawanaku+giants.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The stone giants at Tiawanaku. This site was one of the five most important</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
for the Inca even though it was created before the rise of their empire. It is </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. We had permission to visit it but ran<br />
out of time. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Serpientes, or serpents were an important symbol utilized universally among the Inca and their predecessors. As Moses had fashioned a brass serpent to raise and allow the children of Israel to be healed, so the serpent is associated with divine events and religious practice. I asked my good friend Cesar if the serpent had any positive meanings in Inca history and he said that it did not. The Inca have nothing equivalent to the Caduceus of the medical establishment in our culture. The serpent represented the underworld of departed dead, though it is featured prominently as part of the decoration and representation of the various gods. Moses and Pharaoh's magicians used serpents to represent the power of their gods.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAJF2uhbnU0G2128rgaE82cXCNj_Kk2bs_JMIYSL9vecrin7_9w1OcMhUPaRxQQReks1MfjT9MmbrycRS7JLxJlpjObd13eym3GSKk_pj01N7idNzspX9RJeJZo_u0Uh8Rh1AoBZpj3Ca/s1600/Pachacamac+totem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfAJF2uhbnU0G2128rgaE82cXCNj_Kk2bs_JMIYSL9vecrin7_9w1OcMhUPaRxQQReks1MfjT9MmbrycRS7JLxJlpjObd13eym3GSKk_pj01N7idNzspX9RJeJZo_u0Uh8Rh1AoBZpj3Ca/s400/Pachacamac+totem.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The male side of the Pachacamac Totem. The </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Spanish came to this site looking for gold and</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
found nothing of value to them. They toppled</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the totem and set fire to his temple. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Throughout all of the ruins we have visited in Peru the theme of duality or opposites, has been symbolized in stone or carving. The creator god Pachacamac of the Lurin area, south of Lima, is both male and female. Other civilizations illustrated their gods with both female and male organs. The concept of a feminine deity is not foreign to ancient Hebrew and middle eastern cultures. Mormons early in this dispensation were taught about a mother in heaven though orthodoxy struggles with that concept. All are familiar with Eliza Snow's lines, penned in Nauvoo, and set to music. One of the Hebrew names for god is El Shaddai, which means "breasted one." In Genesis 17:1, 28:3, and 48:3 the name El Shaddai is used in association with descriptions of God as a nourisher or supplier of good things. Female and male representations are more common than not in the stones and carvings of ancient Peru.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8wZRf_3IiK2H3yVhkoloD84nDXSzu_NM15C7rwpq01BtQ2kJR8rXgBWY3YeaAobhSaVEodmC8gJDRFvg58_Ck1myrAAGl7vy3VakRMzQWah_3uGieVQ58MtwgG9BX6QHIlRBESLPvGIE/s1600/Pachacamac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8wZRf_3IiK2H3yVhkoloD84nDXSzu_NM15C7rwpq01BtQ2kJR8rXgBWY3YeaAobhSaVEodmC8gJDRFvg58_Ck1myrAAGl7vy3VakRMzQWah_3uGieVQ58MtwgG9BX6QHIlRBESLPvGIE/s400/Pachacamac.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
RA and I at the Pachacamac site. It is mostly of stone and some adobe. The </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Inca added additional temples and structures to it. Even today travelers still</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
come especially in August and leave offerings such as chicha and coca leaves. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A Swedish scholar who has studies the religious and cosmological themes of the Pre-Colombian Peru notes: <i>A fundamental principle in Andean cultures is that of duality. The principle of dualism permeates the lives of indigenous Andeans; it is a world view according to which people, society, the cosmos and other aspects of life are divided into complementary parts. the harmon of the universe depends on the controlled inter-relationship between the halves."</i> (Professor Daniel Rosengren, University of Gothenberg, Sweden)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CMRpEhtmHNmzzanLt9GYD_OIbGi2UqUiM0KUQ538U-RQiLhHntIsSGGm7EArqVrrMIK4sNAIPGN9ntABWW0A4D0P8B4hzkmSIyGag-YVL2ItESstv-cCzXaJ2T-nAtsdsluIka7Gh_Zv/s1600/Staff+god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CMRpEhtmHNmzzanLt9GYD_OIbGi2UqUiM0KUQ538U-RQiLhHntIsSGGm7EArqVrrMIK4sNAIPGN9ntABWW0A4D0P8B4hzkmSIyGag-YVL2ItESstv-cCzXaJ2T-nAtsdsluIka7Gh_Zv/s400/Staff+god.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The image of the staff god incised on a dried squash gourd. The color of</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
the inset was changed to highlight his features. His right terminates in the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
head of a snake. </div>
</td></tr>
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The Quechua words for this duality of harmony and opposites are "yanantin and masintin." The Spanish made every effort to remove this concept from the Inca and other indigenous peoples. Due to the religious taboo, these words are discouraged from use even today in rural Quechua speaking Peru.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m3jRP6DE5Tb5rwu9fFCz6OIY49PqGXbfMN7ixMxVThHRGtTufFuNrO4SwN5OE8TMaqWb7I0E6imaWONzuwRcfTrzORYr-zUzvt5WE8InLLnAk97tUd4Ggt8AiQVbYsO4hhsiqR3rlP6p/s1600/sechin+alto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5m3jRP6DE5Tb5rwu9fFCz6OIY49PqGXbfMN7ixMxVThHRGtTufFuNrO4SwN5OE8TMaqWb7I0E6imaWONzuwRcfTrzORYr-zUzvt5WE8InLLnAk97tUd4Ggt8AiQVbYsO4hhsiqR3rlP6p/s400/sechin+alto.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Sechin Alto Temple Complex with the two staircases and light and dark</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
stones at the entrance. The site dates to approximately 2000 BCE and is</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
near Chimbote about 200 miles north of Lima</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
With regard to this duality, I am reminded from the Book of Mormon of Lehi's words to his son Jacob: <i>"And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents. and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should at for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was entice by the one or the other." </i>2 Nephi 2:15-16<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-4kiGf9OdE0b85iCL3riTOJEDja2lVMofAUBb8iY2O4HVk1rgPWvz3V6ksQ1EpusLxSd-wHlDhImIo7XOMysx35zEXYWOom5fPt6zSIeSgbOKgzxdx3qbadn6du5JsFSSoC7y8wBEwbT/s1600/Caral+Pyramid+opp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-4kiGf9OdE0b85iCL3riTOJEDja2lVMofAUBb8iY2O4HVk1rgPWvz3V6ksQ1EpusLxSd-wHlDhImIo7XOMysx35zEXYWOom5fPt6zSIeSgbOKgzxdx3qbadn6du5JsFSSoC7y8wBEwbT/s400/Caral+Pyramid+opp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Pyramide Mayor at Caral is one of the oldest temple sites in all of the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Americas. Note the dark and lighter stones uncovered by the archaeologists</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
at the entrance of the second level of stairs. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had never before thought of this concept of the two trees of knowledge with its forbidden fruit and the tree of life being emblematic illustrating the Inca/Quechua concept of opposites and harmony.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg2F5YKt0R0FezVYHH-Dzz9cMLRJzOwaAU446EvZFcR8q0hm4LpntFmIIyOznPNdb5Pd1Rhxd88dCPKfc5CNN7vifgC4udJqc5LhygIRfHS9E2h7d4NJ8fX3uyZOYCcvp3TOBXzGGneLm/s1600/clayton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg2F5YKt0R0FezVYHH-Dzz9cMLRJzOwaAU446EvZFcR8q0hm4LpntFmIIyOznPNdb5Pd1Rhxd88dCPKfc5CNN7vifgC4udJqc5LhygIRfHS9E2h7d4NJ8fX3uyZOYCcvp3TOBXzGGneLm/s400/clayton.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Cancer survivor and a stroke victim both, Dr. Christensen teaches about</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
life's riches experiences involving opposites in his new book. We heard him </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
lecture in NYC at a business conference on his business theories. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I was interested recently reading the reviews of a Harvard business professor's new book, <u>How Will You Measure Your Life?</u> His work is recognized worldwide. The fact that he is a friend of Mitt Romney should not be held against him. Andy Grove and Intel, because of his influence, developed the Celeron family of microprocessors. RA and I heard him lecture a few years ago in New York. He too understands as did the ancients the nature of duality and opposites. He said. <i>"In the scriptures, we are told you can't really understand happiness unless you understand sadness. You don't know pleasure if you don't know pain. It's part of lie. So can you learn something from somebody who has gone from success to success to success? I don't think so. It has to be somebody who has failed and failed and succeeded and succeeded." </i>Dr. Clayton Christensen<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5WtmzVydV7wM_y14CpAkw9truESz_bKsujBPG7jvKKfBmvJf5dgvxmIZtMANQbvHfaP3uRbgfrqnoc_aS2bsVM7g2RrYaCr6M8_UuqAQlPsYFn0tXhj4uobkRnzjbrEQiWoTTu2I0ITg/s1600/Indiana+and+Mrs.+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5WtmzVydV7wM_y14CpAkw9truESz_bKsujBPG7jvKKfBmvJf5dgvxmIZtMANQbvHfaP3uRbgfrqnoc_aS2bsVM7g2RrYaCr6M8_UuqAQlPsYFn0tXhj4uobkRnzjbrEQiWoTTu2I0ITg/s400/Indiana+and+Mrs.+Jones.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The entrance to the Temple of the Sun in Ollantaytambo.</div>
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Some of the granite used on this site is porphyry and very</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
old being thrust up with the Andes Mountains. </div>
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There is much more to write about other than to repeat again how much we are going to miss Peru. One practice or belief must be noted in closing. For the Inca, babies that are born with handicaps or birth defects were treated as special messengers from the Gods. As such they were given a special and elevated status in Inca society and treated well. Other than perhaps human sacrifice, life under the Inca was probably better than most contemporary cultures and certainly better than the colonial period that would follow under the Viceroy of Peru and the King of Spain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVmbqaR3j7gi8bI38jZlJMKFsSCc7iK_lDHvQ_m0143wn8afHe0IgzxhLvWob1nNJkQxxyIDLnhs7_lYmLcLq3giibb3NGToMau-lvYd3v7-v3EwrmCzbZg-r6NtmI437EwvmNZTjk-Za/s1600/cuy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVmbqaR3j7gi8bI38jZlJMKFsSCc7iK_lDHvQ_m0143wn8afHe0IgzxhLvWob1nNJkQxxyIDLnhs7_lYmLcLq3giibb3NGToMau-lvYd3v7-v3EwrmCzbZg-r6NtmI437EwvmNZTjk-Za/s400/cuy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where else in the world could you dine on barbecued cuy? </td></tr>
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I am not sure we could have gone anywhere else in the world where we could have had the experiences that we have enjoyed in thus land of 10,000 temples, huacas, or religious sites. We have been very fortunate to have worked in the Lima Peru Temple with people we dearly love, respect and admire. They are largely a group without great wealth by any worldy measure, but as a whole they are among the wealthiest and happiest of people.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-34866725437725597982012-05-26T10:30:00.002-07:002012-05-28T19:51:45.475-07:00Happy 62 RuthAnn!To celebrate RuthAnn's birthday I thought I would post some of our favorite photos and a few personal comments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo2dKxepRGUaEOJ804wstm6x75tW2xQeMipzKt7Z19a_YBVQpTU8h5luBeP1Ei18gQpPPot5t_46rGiSCUb90P4I-5uka8JpXh1zG1-ImPvNo5lt9ex7RsBjPFKh34VyVaIAPX3Do2xFu/s1600/RA+62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuo2dKxepRGUaEOJ804wstm6x75tW2xQeMipzKt7Z19a_YBVQpTU8h5luBeP1Ei18gQpPPot5t_46rGiSCUb90P4I-5uka8JpXh1zG1-ImPvNo5lt9ex7RsBjPFKh34VyVaIAPX3Do2xFu/s400/RA+62.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Remembering Hna. Sense, (pronouced Sensay), at her little stall in La Parada</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
She wanted to give us some mangos.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSbObW8SDshEGtynteknGTBphqgIes23RT2x7Kgs6zYeIdgFOUbxaeai_Rw0jY2xthQKowW5myOSQ7-tbej7uPx_djkgtsVb-xKi1lGjc5zuCBfc_v41IUL-TqPVIj9ybvuSgz4MjBX_V/s1600/RA+Aspero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSbObW8SDshEGtynteknGTBphqgIes23RT2x7Kgs6zYeIdgFOUbxaeai_Rw0jY2xthQKowW5myOSQ7-tbej7uPx_djkgtsVb-xKi1lGjc5zuCBfc_v41IUL-TqPVIj9ybvuSgz4MjBX_V/s400/RA+Aspero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
At the archaeological site known as Aspero. It dates to 3200 BC. It is the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
oldest urban center and temple complex found to date in Peru and all of the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Americas</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpXJoION1A_yVW5B5U0otLUf7FXag0N98MjbOU7B0p_YHjZ_xfJzK7l65R-5xr2uyJvTUKJGecOFWJ3857d3ATulRB5xcvcrIj3Gzvp1hyXpErsOSi8pHqf0BbyC4BhD59bBYAmW9xibq/s1600/RA+Tucume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpXJoION1A_yVW5B5U0otLUf7FXag0N98MjbOU7B0p_YHjZ_xfJzK7l65R-5xr2uyJvTUKJGecOFWJ3857d3ATulRB5xcvcrIj3Gzvp1hyXpErsOSi8pHqf0BbyC4BhD59bBYAmW9xibq/s400/RA+Tucume.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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We are at a gift shop in Tucume. This was part of a complex of ruins known'</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
as the Sican Lambayeque, dating between 800 and 1300 CE. The lady</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
with RA made this small tea dispenser and box. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9tBA107vH77-ZgZ5c9kLa204ecqAUnA7a1Gp05dZNaNkZyfVYy5aAoy9sqn59CGVJpOC3SezDWdhhd5b_5B0q0nX8lUa1Tt_o19XgWafczEZxqRPTQv9jGKHfXMsxPWHeYDbvvIn774E/s1600/RA+Tucume+kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9tBA107vH77-ZgZ5c9kLa204ecqAUnA7a1Gp05dZNaNkZyfVYy5aAoy9sqn59CGVJpOC3SezDWdhhd5b_5B0q0nX8lUa1Tt_o19XgWafczEZxqRPTQv9jGKHfXMsxPWHeYDbvvIn774E/s400/RA+Tucume+kids.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Accompanied by some school kids we stopped and enjoyed the shade of </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
this algorobo forest. It was a beautiful oasis. Carob beans grow on these trees. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoU19UwX87y2o03G18qOyGhEvEeFQ6gIyJAEO1xGm83lzTyNClUvVWsFYW6-IdE1VhWIYf1l3UcIGvtiId3iLeilv0_Hw8cdXnlJFuZJ9BaencQObNBrvx0rhIIneTc1KQWYtowGDbqQY/s1600/RA+Kids+smoothies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoU19UwX87y2o03G18qOyGhEvEeFQ6gIyJAEO1xGm83lzTyNClUvVWsFYW6-IdE1VhWIYf1l3UcIGvtiId3iLeilv0_Hw8cdXnlJFuZJ9BaencQObNBrvx0rhIIneTc1KQWYtowGDbqQY/s400/RA+Kids+smoothies.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was time to treat them to fruit smoothies when we were finished with our tour. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDf20Iw-KWlbBeFYxtKg_-PGeGMKmw752WkZzGgzva5EwbafTKM7ThTVJ_bjZwmxaNKXJhbCwP-IOIGfA2sMjTvopBfPerypEZ3Gn38VXGNYr7z0QuGTT_QzveAq_TOMbuDYQNz3mAcrtA/s1600/RA+Walter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDf20Iw-KWlbBeFYxtKg_-PGeGMKmw752WkZzGgzva5EwbafTKM7ThTVJ_bjZwmxaNKXJhbCwP-IOIGfA2sMjTvopBfPerypEZ3Gn38VXGNYr7z0QuGTT_QzveAq_TOMbuDYQNz3mAcrtA/s400/RA+Walter.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having lunch with Walter one of our several favorite taxi drivers. The food<br />
north of Lima is very very good. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMFDx7XclM0w7nIR1uiyi2_gT0VoTUFcnGxb1tmA7Y30I1oUUUNgXTqFpuADH2AHRGlZFFzSA8kIMS7Gij_0ao7hyRIl-_s6QTykf5w8fXjUszV9MVYseeQp1mgr_7cj-YhbKkg-yUAP6/s1600/RA+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMFDx7XclM0w7nIR1uiyi2_gT0VoTUFcnGxb1tmA7Y30I1oUUUNgXTqFpuADH2AHRGlZFFzSA8kIMS7Gij_0ao7hyRIl-_s6QTykf5w8fXjUszV9MVYseeQp1mgr_7cj-YhbKkg-yUAP6/s400/RA+closeup.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
We visited a Pre-Inca site south of Lima known as Pachacamac. Can I say </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I think I take good photos? Maybe it has to do with someone being very</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
happy here in Lima Peru. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdZ0GeCwFhuiu8TEhocWLK7ldcbXHyVGLYjSwvJy8_ShZQNC0q2QDc0QKgzlpaH6xCb-vuph-41A290HFs78JGimFlGXuf48Kp8s36so8pu71PJWaZOaZFWYDyeUE1vuDeuMnHt60_gia/s1600/RA+above+cusco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdZ0GeCwFhuiu8TEhocWLK7ldcbXHyVGLYjSwvJy8_ShZQNC0q2QDc0QKgzlpaH6xCb-vuph-41A290HFs78JGimFlGXuf48Kp8s36so8pu71PJWaZOaZFWYDyeUE1vuDeuMnHt60_gia/s400/RA+above+cusco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above Cusco. It will be hard to leave all of this behind. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZF-80Ldad-tMYJN3nRk3RxexV2uEbbHtbbeazD70W_Dg6nYEiO6r68ie4eJYJKuElSJxnCY20rKRjtpOts9EJYkiabnyVQKeo9exSRUmsZO9zMe6HuO8nf6G2teXlAqwsx1EvNGFolpd/s1600/RA+Machu+Picchu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZF-80Ldad-tMYJN3nRk3RxexV2uEbbHtbbeazD70W_Dg6nYEiO6r68ie4eJYJKuElSJxnCY20rKRjtpOts9EJYkiabnyVQKeo9exSRUmsZO9zMe6HuO8nf6G2teXlAqwsx1EvNGFolpd/s400/RA+Machu+Picchu.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huayna Picchu in the background. It is family that will bring us back to Utah.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNPrGUIw7hYHPcAStEZq-Ye6me6sVbRT7Zy9nUlSvIXUusyWSSbi7-F37iS5QBm2Zf8cwXMwYY4An2caAeitJuVg8M53x-cqZm-hJeEIyShw2B30jzpP6OEUA8k8-nIusopggH6BDNYbx/s1600/Abel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNPrGUIw7hYHPcAStEZq-Ye6me6sVbRT7Zy9nUlSvIXUusyWSSbi7-F37iS5QBm2Zf8cwXMwYY4An2caAeitJuVg8M53x-cqZm-hJeEIyShw2B30jzpP6OEUA8k8-nIusopggH6BDNYbx/s400/Abel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
At Abel's baptism last week. Meeting the familia Palma has been one of our</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
special experiences in Peru. We are very happy for him. </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
JT, James Taylor, is one of our favorite writers and performers. There are not any more JT concerts scheduled after our arrival home, at least at the present. This verse is for you on your birthday.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">I feel fine anytime she's around me now,<br />She's around me now<br />Almost all the time.<br />If I'm well you can tell that she's been with me now,<br />And she's been with me now<br />Quite a long, long time -<br />Yes, and I feel fine. Happy Birthday RuthAnn!</span></div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-27205409618483483292012-04-30T14:03:00.001-07:002012-04-30T22:52:39.255-07:00The Southern Cross and Life in Peru<div style="text-align: left;">
"When you see the Southern Cross
for the first time. You understand now why you came this way."
So goes the lyric from the song of the same name by Crosby,
Stills and Nash.*<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3j5yFU0NTLPNWlpnhc3e819eXxv6qpnB_rEt-yVhJkw4Woh2qzasixkKShbfXsviMeAaCPM2QDgI_RRV1mdqyo4PwaJqAqDKOl-ZeNaHLk3DvpR6KOxgIS0PiV__LM_JMQimfysdOFtV/s1600/Southern+Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3j5yFU0NTLPNWlpnhc3e819eXxv6qpnB_rEt-yVhJkw4Woh2qzasixkKShbfXsviMeAaCPM2QDgI_RRV1mdqyo4PwaJqAqDKOl-ZeNaHLk3DvpR6KOxgIS0PiV__LM_JMQimfysdOFtV/s400/Southern+Cross.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Souther Cross. It is displayed on a number of flags of nations</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of the Southern Hemisphere even a soccer club in Brasil. </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We only recently saw the Southern Cross for
the first time in Lima. Some are disappointed when they see it. We were not. I thought about many peoples over the millennia who have looked into the sky and wondered about it as I. Of course I was not on a raft or a boat using it for navigation purposes. From one astronomy site the host paraphrased the
German poet Rainer Maria Rilke this way: "If you are bored by
the constellation Crux, you are not yet poet enough to call forth its
riches." Astronomical alignments and stargazing were one of the
preeminent pastimes of the Andeans and ancient peoples everywhere. Other than my friend Watson I know few who look into the night time sky with direction and purpose. Farmers in the mountains of Peru still gaze into the heavens to determine coming weather cycles for planting their crops. They do so with an accuracy equal to or better than KSL's Weatherbank meteorologists. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tVkzo8a7JmNAYII2tzFbQ0MnLo72TKeoHx2efND3nZQor5hjDTefXvFFH2zlWwdFb-1g0u32gsiFGaxskVkOX5ym3kNcWUPa7s6Iii0S_3N_jK9CpbYKTLON7ZEVw_DL6rRvn1OEd1Mf/s1600/Chakana+jewelry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tVkzo8a7JmNAYII2tzFbQ0MnLo72TKeoHx2efND3nZQor5hjDTefXvFFH2zlWwdFb-1g0u32gsiFGaxskVkOX5ym3kNcWUPa7s6Iii0S_3N_jK9CpbYKTLON7ZEVw_DL6rRvn1OEd1Mf/s400/Chakana+jewelry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chakana as it is crafted by Peruvian artisans in silver and precious stones</td></tr>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Stargazing was important enough for God to take Moses to a high mountain and
show him the handiwork of his creation, heavens without number or
end... from Moses Chapter 1:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>37 And the Lord God spake unto
Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be
numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are
mine. </i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens
thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to
my works, neither to my words. </i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>39 For behold, this is
my work and my glory—to bring to pass
the immortality and eternal life of man.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Crux, as it is generally called,
was captured by the Inca as an important symbol in their religious
life in the symbol known as the Chakana. At sunset the Chakana stone in Machu Picchu casts a
shadow completing the Crux or cross. This symbol represented to the Inca, the current world in which we live, the underworld, and the heavenly world where the gods dwell. The Chakana symbolizes, with its 12 sides among other things, the ethics of the Inca. They were: "I live, I work, I love," as well as "Don't lie, don't steal, and don't be lazy." They had in many respects an enviable world prior to the coming of the Europeans. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aUWUi68YAc4PV6yYHd2DIcpeppitXndsfiQINl_k3b4xptDNecnmE8tBMEBSN4oYCechREtAcWSmGN2MpxY5kaXfv9UEN9u2LWdbj7vObtXJ24X-Ybu8dbXIk3_9k_kZ2jCo9hav3N5s/s1600/chakana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aUWUi68YAc4PV6yYHd2DIcpeppitXndsfiQINl_k3b4xptDNecnmE8tBMEBSN4oYCechREtAcWSmGN2MpxY5kaXfv9UEN9u2LWdbj7vObtXJ24X-Ybu8dbXIk3_9k_kZ2jCo9hav3N5s/s400/chakana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chakana stone at Machu Picchu. When the shadow is correct at sunset the <br />
cross is complete. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The weather of Lima has been unusual
and on the warm side this fall. Typically the city is enveloped in a
foggy mist known as garua. This occurs during the six cooler months
of any year. No rainfall occurs generally this time though we have
experienced unusual rains and heavy on several occasions. We had
contemplated getting into the mountains above Lima to do some
stargazing. At last we were able to see the Crux here and on multiple
nights. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlhOJb8BddcvJ3rzXABjBzZ5_5qRO_NmCOK1NBLJ9LgBI_hjqCANKupM0zk7jSSgHtVnTI2IWUNU7E5K1X0Bqd6WPWXLC4wgsvjcAGxZcwN6G_IOiruHQXw0K48O4gQi61q8sBi-rd5NO/s1600/View+from+the+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlhOJb8BddcvJ3rzXABjBzZ5_5qRO_NmCOK1NBLJ9LgBI_hjqCANKupM0zk7jSSgHtVnTI2IWUNU7E5K1X0Bqd6WPWXLC4wgsvjcAGxZcwN6G_IOiruHQXw0K48O4gQi61q8sBi-rd5NO/s400/View+from+the+window.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from our apartment window</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We don't know with a certainty why we
came this way to Peru for these past 19 months.
The experience has been a profound one. We have learned a great
deal about the early history of this incredible land. I have learned about life and love. We
have gained a much deeper appreciation and respect for Peruvians. Yes, two
attempts have been made, only recently, to snatch my IPhone, but even
those episodes were carefully choreographed and almost executed with
success. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqXEwqtSUS-IwGiVZ-q6nDfN4YmcYqt_-cS0mFww6mfEzqe0p6ov29jDAZWXD5GE3t_ZaIodgGdXKwlt8oVXUc1NYTLR2s_FRftTD3S0Ldu8UbT0uRpMTR_gFpMeOt27_PG7G7RU8cL0l/s1600/rosita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqXEwqtSUS-IwGiVZ-q6nDfN4YmcYqt_-cS0mFww6mfEzqe0p6ov29jDAZWXD5GE3t_ZaIodgGdXKwlt8oVXUc1NYTLR2s_FRftTD3S0Ldu8UbT0uRpMTR_gFpMeOt27_PG7G7RU8cL0l/s400/rosita.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Our dear friend Sister Rosa. Her diligence for and joy of</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
working in the temple is an example for all of us. Her life</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
is a very simple and humble one. She makes do with very</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
little but she is one of the richest people we know.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We have seen beautiful sites and shared
them with family and friends. We have been touched and affected by the poverty
and sacrifice of Peruvian members of the Church with whom we work daily.
We know of folks who put health and security at risk to ride long
distances on noisy and uncomfortable buses to come to the
temple to work or to participate. In doing so they sometimes go
without food, lunch, or supper for a day to be here. We see some of
these folks in the worker's cafeteria enjoying their simple fare, a cup of water, maybe a piece of fruit, or a hard roll</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LWb3KKRvrN03aIDafPClcorJzwS3syh09XuVjcxf1mu1kx9TQO2cq6cMUyAAbHYNokYxOHRooxOmMaZwPS3QU-50qZPAQPEFwkNYRjGyLno5ibXgoNueLvfYnSpURDj2FzLlEza2LtM/s1600/Jeff+and+connie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8LWb3KKRvrN03aIDafPClcorJzwS3syh09XuVjcxf1mu1kx9TQO2cq6cMUyAAbHYNokYxOHRooxOmMaZwPS3QU-50qZPAQPEFwkNYRjGyLno5ibXgoNueLvfYnSpURDj2FzLlEza2LtM/s400/Jeff+and+connie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends the Cooks at Machu Picchu, February of 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0czCQkN9GAk0Llqj74T_bkNvCMR9LtIJJ663iVeWKFDY59OT55iJFoELXQFUY7HqRJphzIqfPrZp-nYQqeORKeP3IMOZXsmvkKbjpWR_ITglPmLQOrq4S5bAcArSuv0_GNn5hvEcGKTe/s1600/Pachmanca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0czCQkN9GAk0Llqj74T_bkNvCMR9LtIJJ663iVeWKFDY59OT55iJFoELXQFUY7HqRJphzIqfPrZp-nYQqeORKeP3IMOZXsmvkKbjpWR_ITglPmLQOrq4S5bAcArSuv0_GNn5hvEcGKTe/s400/Pachmanca.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
With la familia Espinosa. They prepared a special feast for us. It probably </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
broke their budget for groceries for a month. The pachamanca as it is<br />
known included several varieties of meat, tamales, potatoes, beans,<br />
humitas, and choclo or corn. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Without any question the highlight of our experience here has been the friends we have made. We seem to
have an affinity for taxi drivers, their families, in addition to our
friends in the temple. It is with some hope that in 3 or 4 years when
the next temple is opened in Trujillo Peru, health and other
considerations allowing, we can return. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70LlYwwJpVv248SJP_SlL7eSgqGRZKay8Ort15OA0aZZDhikxJxZ521mXGtHHgMLT2VLiKow2_RTYO_sz9hhXaWia0fedyg5KbDUJ4QE7mXqeg6NfToxxRibgk0SAj3nnNmrxm58HNn9V/s1600/Cesar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70LlYwwJpVv248SJP_SlL7eSgqGRZKay8Ort15OA0aZZDhikxJxZ521mXGtHHgMLT2VLiKow2_RTYO_sz9hhXaWia0fedyg5KbDUJ4QE7mXqeg6NfToxxRibgk0SAj3nnNmrxm58HNn9V/s400/Cesar.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend and my brother Cesar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1OMa9568BlVPRNKwzv2OuAyoVLvVp05hESccyspqnBuaWdeg70QQlM3Diet85vTQgQfVVu7R0m4z_KfPEAxOv0xANTDCpQp4oAFhuqnhXr2Ac9pZhAguw8BhhW50R6giu1pB3S2iDgl0/s1600/Ramos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT1OMa9568BlVPRNKwzv2OuAyoVLvVp05hESccyspqnBuaWdeg70QQlM3Diet85vTQgQfVVu7R0m4z_KfPEAxOv0xANTDCpQp4oAFhuqnhXr2Ac9pZhAguw8BhhW50R6giu1pB3S2iDgl0/s400/Ramos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Elder and Sister Ramos standing between President and Sister Lees. We</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
celebrated the Ramos 50th Wedding Anniversary and a few birthdays as </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
well this past january. They soon leave for home in Arequipa completing </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
their mission to the Lima Temple. Somos Arequipeños tambien. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We miss everyone at home, kids,
grandkids, family, and friends. Were it not for all of you, as I have
suggested to RA on more than one occasion, I could spend the rest of
my days in Peru. Likely, it would be in Cusco, Trujillo, or
Arequipa rather than Lima however. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjvhqHJoqC9RrWuwTZS9UfJQppt0PQQ8wdoOb3UlsDaMkCTGJ75Ansso4-o1YW25bitZdYoPuGhMsui6v531uWs3GUQIdtEReyAE81FacyNdMIS_qBgbjKpQnelKEGeygcybLOMIZjPsj/s1600/kyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjvhqHJoqC9RrWuwTZS9UfJQppt0PQQ8wdoOb3UlsDaMkCTGJ75Ansso4-o1YW25bitZdYoPuGhMsui6v531uWs3GUQIdtEReyAE81FacyNdMIS_qBgbjKpQnelKEGeygcybLOMIZjPsj/s400/kyle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Kyle for introducing Peru into our family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSU4X1luXK8X3p3nXsOkkKR3onixiKmzXt6AsuOYLXK0jn_DF83oLjcFKryP318DyHbtlqqcuRG9gHE47r6kfSNn1lQL0wwLLUQsxp5fxr_Vw5oYuMIFgc-M11UN85WWekj56aFZZ4N3v/s1600/family+in+mp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQSU4X1luXK8X3p3nXsOkkKR3onixiKmzXt6AsuOYLXK0jn_DF83oLjcFKryP318DyHbtlqqcuRG9gHE47r6kfSNn1lQL0wwLLUQsxp5fxr_Vw5oYuMIFgc-M11UN85WWekj56aFZZ4N3v/s400/family+in+mp.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few tired touristas in Machu Picchu August 2011</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Maybe one day we will understand why we came this way... *Thanks Em for the connection to the
song by Crosby Stills and Nash.</div>
</div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-43920898749120403682012-03-11T17:50:00.001-07:002012-03-22T09:37:26.661-07:00What if the Inca had Conquered Europe?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLevGC76_OjNQ-rq8FCjj_pQ0XCcTTS1OBPGrFiqAutPF63_Y8FkOVf52BTe-3pODsMaH-WH6zI5qDmbYW97fQjxMBWrDDWPDlBw-hhhdbDBKaNEaqKKwNnJnmURgvEDEQHo9SVPqkZSwQ/s1600/Bandurria+G&RA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLevGC76_OjNQ-rq8FCjj_pQ0XCcTTS1OBPGrFiqAutPF63_Y8FkOVf52BTe-3pODsMaH-WH6zI5qDmbYW97fQjxMBWrDDWPDlBw-hhhdbDBKaNEaqKKwNnJnmURgvEDEQHo9SVPqkZSwQ/s400/Bandurria+G&RA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
We are at the late pre-ceramic site of Bandurria. The proximity to the rich</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
waters of the Pacific fueled the rise of this site some 3200 years BCE.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week on our day off we visited an ancient pre-ceramic site called Bandurria. It is part of the Caral Supe complex of ruins of the Norte Chico civilization along the north coast of Peru. These are among the oldest urban centers in the world and compete with another site further north as the very oldest in the Americas. The pyramids at Bandurria and the older community at Aspero predate the construction of the Great Pyramid of the Egyptians at Giza by five hundred and one thousand years respectively. To date the competition of radiocarbon dating has put the <a href="http://www.forosperu.net/showthread.php?t=34823">ceremonial center near Casma Peru, called Sechin Bajo</a> as the very oldest. We also have visited that site, though there is very little to see since the work is only recently underway. One of the scholars investigating Sechin Bajo observed the construction was done by a people who had a "very good knowledge of architecture and construction." That suggests to me there are older sites that have not yet been uncovered, investigated, and carbon dated. The Norte Chico Civilization, dating to approximately 9500 BCE, is the very oldest of Peru. Likely, older sites will be discovered and forthcoming as funding becomes available.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKClcVkZG4rg_WAUtGsmXR4sVtpP0JOiz7Z-DMif2A0omqSCLD3Gm4aIjUhUDBJMUvK9j7oEFWwcofVH6RLSM-FzbknKIU0K0AQhTu3yGY2kgoNV9_UXvhSGi1J01zRIYu1mOUwPItaiW/s1600/sechin+bajo***.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKClcVkZG4rg_WAUtGsmXR4sVtpP0JOiz7Z-DMif2A0omqSCLD3Gm4aIjUhUDBJMUvK9j7oEFWwcofVH6RLSM-FzbknKIU0K0AQhTu3yGY2kgoNV9_UXvhSGi1J01zRIYu1mOUwPItaiW/s400/sechin+bajo***.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pyramid structure of Sechin Bajo</td></tr>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIdLFySLu5ZlEeXwm4WSHhweUuITk20rhgchpzu8Gak3Hu3eXX9Kb4WpBFH53Yz9JU0bZzZXIubfmSktkKzU6pqakexzrSzYF3YIflNkQnC2DscRVfCvyeC_FTR_EKuvT4VUHj7S9iNjv/s1600/Bandurria+RA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIdLFySLu5ZlEeXwm4WSHhweUuITk20rhgchpzu8Gak3Hu3eXX9Kb4WpBFH53Yz9JU0bZzZXIubfmSktkKzU6pqakexzrSzYF3YIflNkQnC2DscRVfCvyeC_FTR_EKuvT4VUHj7S9iNjv/s400/Bandurria+RA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RuthAnn in front of one of the pyramids at Bandurria.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiouIUnpAgGrL0oXBwc1la_Lw4Vi2pc9910Z59jwGAL42ITuH4c89mCKI4FOjE9yQbhLraMAVeBg0N4YGcgPKQY1TSkKnxtkwDFIZmSUMJn6KKwM1b0hWYBNCP1aYpZtOUaLzOsDYh4-X-/s1600/Bandurria+Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiouIUnpAgGrL0oXBwc1la_Lw4Vi2pc9910Z59jwGAL42ITuH4c89mCKI4FOjE9yQbhLraMAVeBg0N4YGcgPKQY1TSkKnxtkwDFIZmSUMJn6KKwM1b0hWYBNCP1aYpZtOUaLzOsDYh4-X-/s400/Bandurria+Temple.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The major temple at Bandurria. Our guide Miriam confirmed the themes</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of duality and opposites are symbolized in the complex including a clay</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
image of the god they worshiped with both male and female representations. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9k5_sp3dC2wknIvhexukASQcWemgVsY5EsUGiQxPclvGnJFl4B44RvNDwvr3J5izyJyaryKHUQIlMk7F6qLXiDG16noKR3Bnmi1oaUX0MtkkhOKmTgx_GhQ-r_lpOQZ_49zpsvxgv1a3/s1600/Bandurria+shells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9k5_sp3dC2wknIvhexukASQcWemgVsY5EsUGiQxPclvGnJFl4B44RvNDwvr3J5izyJyaryKHUQIlMk7F6qLXiDG16noKR3Bnmi1oaUX0MtkkhOKmTgx_GhQ-r_lpOQZ_49zpsvxgv1a3/s400/Bandurria+shells.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Contrary to traditional theories for the rise of civilization a few scholars </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
suggest it was not agriculture that fueled the rise of these earliest urban </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
centers, but the utilization of marine resources. The ground is full of the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
remnants of shells and bones. Maybe they enjoyed oysters and sushi. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Most scholars believe that following the retreat of the last ice age some 15,000 years ago the coast of present day Peru became inhabited by neolithic peoples migrating over the Andes from the Amazon. These seacoast locations allowed for sufficient caloric intake from the rich waters of the Pacific to allow for community development and cooperation giving rise to these earliest centers of worship and urban organization. Bandurria is one of approximately thirty such sites of the Norte Chico civilization though they reached their height and flourished 3,000 to 1800 BCE.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh9egOpDLFZD5K4cd0TbiFvpQ4wfqxdijY6sR7AxskCaEDEaENiWdsLVl8W_whEDeGvK5FWLwlRQTLK5rfvYnxNCNOge8xZZUdJrtAWBNtZk1i3MmUSyrRB-cbW7kl0h4_tmv0yfNqiGv/s1600/RA+at+Sechin+Bajo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFh9egOpDLFZD5K4cd0TbiFvpQ4wfqxdijY6sR7AxskCaEDEaENiWdsLVl8W_whEDeGvK5FWLwlRQTLK5rfvYnxNCNOge8xZZUdJrtAWBNtZk1i3MmUSyrRB-cbW7kl0h4_tmv0yfNqiGv/s400/RA+at+Sechin+Bajo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The troops were starting to complain as we reached the top of this pyramid. </td></tr>
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Our guide suggested it was a sustained El Niño weather change that ended the Norte Chico culture and forced them into the hills perhaps becoming and giving rise to the Chavin Civilization. This culture existed, as near as scholars can determine, from 900 to 200 BCE. They began the first metal working and refining of gold and firing their pottery in kilns. One of the Chavin sites at <a href="http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/march-2012/article/ancient-builders-created-monumental-structures-that-altered-sound-and-mind-say-researchers">Huantar</a> was just in the news as archaeologists have determined that it like other ancient temples and sites in Malta and Turkey had the ability to alter the human voice as well as certain notes made by horms. To get to Chavin Huantar is at best a 10 hour drive and can be tiring given bad roads and the desert coast of Peru before you start inland toward the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOAtVwxNnEWfuaf5TZnrbPq7l4QFyxm6u_xA7bFUFQ_kdG8kT94Digx3nR95qnf855oyxFj-gMMtattGDz3MV3QUpJcQCe8xpl47Nn3uQzkJWzdPP3GrdnagEe6bD_YuOdEPXgRlw9ZGL/s1600/Aspero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOAtVwxNnEWfuaf5TZnrbPq7l4QFyxm6u_xA7bFUFQ_kdG8kT94Digx3nR95qnf855oyxFj-gMMtattGDz3MV3QUpJcQCe8xpl47Nn3uQzkJWzdPP3GrdnagEe6bD_YuOdEPXgRlw9ZGL/s400/Aspero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The major pyramid at Aspero, dating 3600 BCE. This site too existed</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
on the maritime diet afforded by the Pacific.</div>
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We yet hope to visit several sites in Peru and one in Arequipa, but our time now is limited. With the next temple maintenance closing in August, we expect to be with family on the northern coast of California. A site we would yet like to visit is in Colca Canyon of Peru and a site of one of the earliest human habitations known as Mollepunko Cave. Petroglyphs of tamed llamas are on the walls of the cave. These date to 6,000 BCE.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6bllzpmCwaROupBvZ-opZmk865tnfFpYadfeKdC3URv9PY9V_c9wxz8Sq16HxOURQb8UYEsrMJU1HeP_wmpFv-HbNijjdbGYcbU7HC8cd-cyzLT5U4axgH1wbZihwlBzDKos1gHMvvI1/s1600/Mollepunco+Cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6bllzpmCwaROupBvZ-opZmk865tnfFpYadfeKdC3URv9PY9V_c9wxz8Sq16HxOURQb8UYEsrMJU1HeP_wmpFv-HbNijjdbGYcbU7HC8cd-cyzLT5U4axgH1wbZihwlBzDKos1gHMvvI1/s400/Mollepunco+Cave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Several llamas have been inscribed on the cave walls and one image shows</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a cord tied around the neck of the animal. About the same time as the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
domestication of llama, guinea pigs or cuy were also domesticated. </div>
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In Jared Diamond's epoch and Pulitzer Prize winning view of world history in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel">"Guns, Germs and Steel," </a>he asks why world history should be like an onion? He tries to answer that question in his book peeling back the layers and offers theories that go beyond simple Darwinist or racial stereotyping. I find his theories and conclusions to be nearly as informative and thought provoking as the writings of Joseph Campbell who teaches us about the rise of common myths and traditions throughout all of human history. Both of these authors have helped me understand Peru's history and its people. I am better able to understand, though I admit I am still coming to terms how a group of 168 organized thugs, otherwise known as the Conquistadores, could defeat the armies of the Incan empire, some quarter of a million men strong. It was about 'guns, germs, and steel,' though mostly it was germs, since most of the ruling elites of the Inca had succumbed to a virgin soil epidemic of smallpox two years before the arrival of the Spanish. At the time of Christopher Columbus' landing in the West Indies scholars estimate the combined indigenous population of the Americas were greater than that of Europe. So, why didn't the Inca or the Aztec or Maya invade Europe? With a little help from Photoshop I have put a descendent of Atahualpa on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. No longer are they the Royal Family, but the Imperial Incan Family. God save the Emperor!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2pU4H4ylWYrhGxhI-azfyRrfY3sFncVPGZK06KXaYkcNYoETI2KG3ksGxw97KaZCOgTwTVMI5BdPvuMPEq2OPvZZ3Bq2S36lItarcif1RA9GKFpakYCommSs9cL7T-QMx8IksYJZMjFd/s1600/Royal+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2pU4H4ylWYrhGxhI-azfyRrfY3sFncVPGZK06KXaYkcNYoETI2KG3ksGxw97KaZCOgTwTVMI5BdPvuMPEq2OPvZZ3Bq2S36lItarcif1RA9GKFpakYCommSs9cL7T-QMx8IksYJZMjFd/s400/Royal+family.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Emperor Huascar XIV shown with members of the Imperial Family at</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a recent June 22 Solstice Celebration marking the Incan New Year.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;">Evolutionary biologist Diamond spent more than 30 years researching and studying in New Guinea becoming familiar with the people and their environment. Of these and other peoples he asks, "Why did wealth and power become distributed as they now are, rather than in some other way? For instance, why weren't Native Americans, Africans, and Aboriginal Australians the ones who decimated, subjugated, or exterminated Europeans and Asians?" I have asked those questions as many others who have traveled through Peru and begun to understand its history. Travelers though Mexico and Central America would also ask those same questions. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP4S13RVSzMuQDjcW6LEQVrV8rbfDtjuMfAq0oA4GgO9EievTBA5RLAEpRKHcPYff5MX2tB8ZVX5xz6q54erQXRRMtfRg1DIxX8NYQZStUuqxk8n2SvS56sWVxj2wpiRHu_mwdCqxIHV7/s1600/slaveship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP4S13RVSzMuQDjcW6LEQVrV8rbfDtjuMfAq0oA4GgO9EievTBA5RLAEpRKHcPYff5MX2tB8ZVX5xz6q54erQXRRMtfRg1DIxX8NYQZStUuqxk8n2SvS56sWVxj2wpiRHu_mwdCqxIHV7/s400/slaveship.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Drawing of an 18th Century Slave Ship. Indigenous peoples around the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
world who were subjugated, annihilated, and exterminated were viewed </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
by the Europeans as evolutionary vestiges of earlier more primitive life </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
forms, perhaps without human souls. </div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The Europeans embraced the technology of iron and gunpowder, working metals and materials, to the subjugation of others. Among the Inca and others in the Americas metal working was for decorative and religious purposes. Their weapons remained fashioned from wood and stone. As the room in Cajamarca was being filled with gold and silver to pay the ransom for Atahualpa's release the Inca could not understand the unquenchable and insatiable desire the Spanish had for gold and precious metals. Though there are ancient iron mines in Peru, as far as any scholar can confirm, there was no working of iron or steel. The iron ore was used for cosmetics and the dyeing of textiles. An oxide for of iron called hematite/magnetite was used extensively by the Inca and other peoples. Evidence also suggests that meteoric iron and nickel were used in pre-Colombian America. Hematite and its magnetic cousin magnetite are much harder than iron or granite and were used in the shaping of the beautiful construction stones of the Inca Imperial era found in Machu Picchu, Cusco and other sites. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuNjoX9S5SUEQrN7XLtN4v4-3qLTZTvcw376c3hyphenhyphenMgkHyh8peI58M9yv8KzYNemnkKI7SL4q8PDtTpEesOdtLroYX4IF4IhxBxSATXgL3odQiQ1iPD5n2Nw7kcX1KjslL5-Cq3kWtYamS/s1600/Gold+necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuNjoX9S5SUEQrN7XLtN4v4-3qLTZTvcw376c3hyphenhyphenMgkHyh8peI58M9yv8KzYNemnkKI7SL4q8PDtTpEesOdtLroYX4IF4IhxBxSATXgL3odQiQ1iPD5n2Nw7kcX1KjslL5-Cq3kWtYamS/s400/Gold+necklace.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The caption reads a "Necklace of gold with beads of LapisLazuli and Cacao."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This type of decorative use of precious stones and gold was typical of a </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a people known as the Lambayeque who preceded the Inca by centuries. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N7YLFXM2zsgusLjXkozk1eKPYw_F1tv8Jos5NrbXqvHl6JbeZffEsKvSTuWBwiw5Z5jZ-94n86yGOR4axA92unOCFSPq9SCpIyfmDZVCy4UwaNL_j9TFk8AOJwx-UCzU0z1vtwCi50uT/s1600/Mochica+Spider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9N7YLFXM2zsgusLjXkozk1eKPYw_F1tv8Jos5NrbXqvHl6JbeZffEsKvSTuWBwiw5Z5jZ-94n86yGOR4axA92unOCFSPq9SCpIyfmDZVCy4UwaNL_j9TFk8AOJwx-UCzU0z1vtwCi50uT/s400/Mochica+Spider.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The image of the Lord of Sipan of the Moche Culture is shown in this </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
gold spider medallion. The Moche or Mochica preceded the Inca by</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
five hundred years. The medallion is not just evidence of their art but also</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of soldering and metal alloying. The gold is hardened with copper but</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
worked to preserve the luster and beauty of the gold. The ability to do this</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
type of gold alloying was not discovered in Europe until centuries later. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LbYk1IOareewEStvuN1oV3ljf2uJXee9YAmGycU-kWAoO3xNlH8woN8EDVg2Fp8SqfWk4PWdoEGUUCKUXK7oCQi4xtMozvIuQaI8I9p9jX370b5ZTa3mpFN7TtXtid3G5qwGtTuDDaQ6/s1600/The+Lord+of+Sipan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LbYk1IOareewEStvuN1oV3ljf2uJXee9YAmGycU-kWAoO3xNlH8woN8EDVg2Fp8SqfWk4PWdoEGUUCKUXK7oCQi4xtMozvIuQaI8I9p9jX370b5ZTa3mpFN7TtXtid3G5qwGtTuDDaQ6/s400/The+Lord+of+Sipan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The jewelry of the Lord of Sipan, a Moche ruler from the most spectacular</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
tomb uncovered in the Americas, illustrates the decorative uses of gold and<br />
metal working of the indigenous peoples of Peru. </div>
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The question arises, and historians will grapple with it for a very long time -- why did the Europeans embrace metal working and iron for the advancement of weaponry and domination in their quest for guns, manufactured items, and steel, while the Inca and others thought of it only in decorative terms?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2r6rvig68pro1fTbHu5X-2dBeDAgHSdh19-44lSgQ8V69gnigc-MUH2loNHdnl8qchzloqrB2Wwkk1gOc6FRN_5BjobtgAxMgpRq3cowerrthfgUFwShA9ih3IOKF1UAfWnZ4sL0rP2_/s1600/The+ransom+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2r6rvig68pro1fTbHu5X-2dBeDAgHSdh19-44lSgQ8V69gnigc-MUH2loNHdnl8qchzloqrB2Wwkk1gOc6FRN_5BjobtgAxMgpRq3cowerrthfgUFwShA9ih3IOKF1UAfWnZ4sL0rP2_/s400/The+ransom+room.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The so called 'ransom room' where the Inca filled the room once with gold</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to a height of 8' and twice with silver to secure the release of the emperor.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He was sentenced to death anyway and was garroted rather than being</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
burned at the stake for being a heretic. </div>
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At the time that Pizarro began his search for more empire to conquer for God, King and his personal fortune he did encounter a heavily laden Incan ship off the coast of Ecuador. It was the discovery of that ship and the captives that he took back to Panama wherein he would learn of the riches of the Inca. Scholars suggest this Incan craft was the size of a Spanish caravelle. I am uncertain what size of ship that is, but certainly more than the reed boats used on the coasts for fishing. Might they have made Atlantic and Pacific crossings? The historical evidence suggests such and had been happening for many centuries even thousands of years before the Inca. Peruvian cocaine and tobacco were found in Egyptian mummies dating to 1100 BC. Certainly such transoceanic crossings were made by at least several early peoples.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvj52MhNcGF5oZBexQbecGrjfLhlYdqMsrzoa2V7U-BsKVE7uTteY4QK4FAyTEd3bH8IVV0f971OXi56F1K1JKJZjYGvH6Vkj0RFmGUBnckh1JHah0kxVijuNGxRlJOxmtc0z8hYHfAfY/s1600/guns-germs-and-steel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvj52MhNcGF5oZBexQbecGrjfLhlYdqMsrzoa2V7U-BsKVE7uTteY4QK4FAyTEd3bH8IVV0f971OXi56F1K1JKJZjYGvH6Vkj0RFmGUBnckh1JHah0kxVijuNGxRlJOxmtc0z8hYHfAfY/s400/guns-germs-and-steel.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Astonishing, so much so, even the Spanish troops</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
wet themselves as they waited for the command</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to attack the Inca in the square at Cajamarca. </div>
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Professor Diamond suggests the immediate factors that enabled the Europeans to kill and conquer other peoples were indeed guns, infectious diseases, steel tools, and their manufactured products, but they do not provide a complete understanding and do not explain why Native Americans or Africans were the ones not to end up with guns, the nastiest germs and steel? Our trips around Peru to various archaeological sites and accompanying museums define and illustrate the intelligence, creativity, and abilities of the numerous civilizations and cultures here. Cotton was domesticated here and used by the inhabitants of Bandurria and Aspero in weaving textiles and fishing nets more than 5,000 years ago. The museums are loaded with precious metals skillfully and beautifully made, but never done in the context of the Europeans. Iron was used by at least one group of pre-Hispanic people in Central America, the Olmecs, but did not continue to their successor states.<br />
<br />
Also, on my Kindle library waiting to be read is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rise-West-History-Human-Community/dp/0226561437/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1331511028&sr=1-3-catcorr">William McNeil's "The Rise of the West."</a> Perhaps Professor McNeil will explain why the West/Europe was able to succeed the earlier states of China, India, the Mongols, and Islam. Therein lies the answer, in the relationship of one state to another as civilization moved from east to west, one building upon the other. In the Americas there was a largely independent development from the retreat of the last ice age to the arrival of the Europeans. Left alone to develop they would have neither the benefit of Greek thought, Islamic algebra and philosophy and Chinese gunpowder, nor iron from Anatolia post the Bronze Age.<br />
<br />
If the Spanish had not arrived when they did would those in the Americas have entered at some point an age of iron and manufacturing? Atahualpa had in mind to capture the Spanish, geld a few to guard his harem, kill the rest of them, but to breed their horses. No one can say if he had any interest in their guns and steel.<br />
<br />
Jared Diamond sums up his book with one sentence: "History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." Such are the quandaries and questions of an idle mind on a warm Lima Sunday afternoon. The fans are on and the windows are open.<br />
<br />Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-30289805393103573162012-02-27T17:36:00.003-08:002012-03-22T09:38:18.746-07:00Inca Temples, Joseph Campbell, and the Chartres Cathedral<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMqbvjLwN4xM4PCsEu55diADkWkLtn3YwUsAsO8tTp-RRs2pleR7pGzV_lXHLQJ4OQyj0iv-wJU8EnU6tcd_75AiRTjWA-sscCDDonbhLdMVsilJ2C-r4LCZbKVpghE0T_W4ot4yq40Zt/s1600/Utah+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIMqbvjLwN4xM4PCsEu55diADkWkLtn3YwUsAsO8tTp-RRs2pleR7pGzV_lXHLQJ4OQyj0iv-wJU8EnU6tcd_75AiRTjWA-sscCDDonbhLdMVsilJ2C-r4LCZbKVpghE0T_W4ot4yq40Zt/s400/Utah+stone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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The party of tourists at the "Utah Rock" in Sacsayhuaman an Inca</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
religious site and fortress above Cusco. Utah does have good rocks<br />
that we miss. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our time is drawing into the last months of our mission in Peru. We continue to travel given the opportunity. In a week we will travel north to <a href="http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=wGAafA+K3GA=">Bandurria</a>. It holds the most recent claim as the oldest urban center in the Americas and is part of the Norte Chico/Caral Supe civilization. It features more pre-ceramic, and monumental architecture, as well as sunken circular plazas that seems to be a part of all of the sacred sites in Peru we have visited.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT_NjpeGLw8r5JksiiZvWo3S8KoW9hG7VgC1YHNqXwB-zbbvC_EHbwEPQo2Tm76pNvz13bW8VYolO4tohUyLpKga-Zga9vcY5XIR1hRmbZZUanH0ZVs1eX-svclsDL227dgQNDkJtmI26/s1600/Alice+Kyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGT_NjpeGLw8r5JksiiZvWo3S8KoW9hG7VgC1YHNqXwB-zbbvC_EHbwEPQo2Tm76pNvz13bW8VYolO4tohUyLpKga-Zga9vcY5XIR1hRmbZZUanH0ZVs1eX-svclsDL227dgQNDkJtmI26/s400/Alice+Kyle.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Alice and Kyle. He was a missionary in Peru a dozen<br />
years ago, as was his father before him. Grandson<br />
Jack indicates he would like to be a missionary here one<br />
day too. </div>
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During the two week February temple closing we visited several familiar sites with family. We added a new one. It also seemed to be the consensus favorite of those we saw and experienced. It outranked, only slightly, my favorite of Machu Picchu. This was Lake Titicaca. We arrived there after an enjoyable bus ride through the altiplano or high plains of the Andes from Cusco.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41UOJ6lYLUit8Lfc3oaCXulMudXB4XoBl41CwOeLPDwvv3VzlM3zSPbCqg70EquzmMHYNIm_PzVZe-h1iJx5JBZGjaA9Xvap3TSuZlI7h6cm1rL7AI0Qr0r00Ot_ziBe1kSVPqAjCGmqx/s1600/altiplano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41UOJ6lYLUit8Lfc3oaCXulMudXB4XoBl41CwOeLPDwvv3VzlM3zSPbCqg70EquzmMHYNIm_PzVZe-h1iJx5JBZGjaA9Xvap3TSuZlI7h6cm1rL7AI0Qr0r00Ot_ziBe1kSVPqAjCGmqx/s400/altiplano.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A stop on our bus ride to take a photo of a young Quechua girl in traditional</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
garb. The houses are very small and the winters very cold at 15,000 feet. Our </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
guide said the residents sleep with "blankets that have ears" to stay warm as </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
there is no heat or fireplaces at this elevation. No firewood or trees grow at<br />
this elevation either. Potatoes and llamas do, along with a few woolly sheep.</div>
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The floating islands of the Uros are usually the photos you are shown from any tours to Lake Titicaca. The people on the Uros Islands were fascinating, hospitable, gentle, and very friendly. In addition to tourist visits and dollars their whole life depends on and is built from the reeds called 'totora' that grow in the lake. The reeds are part their diet along with fish caught from the cold waters including transplanted Canadian trout. They provide the building material for their houses, transportation, and floating islands. Walking on these islands has something of a giant water bed feel. There are more than forty of them on the Lake. One island has LDS Church members on it, but ours was an Adventist Island, we think, since there were no Catholic iconography in sight. I did ask our Uros host where the 'Mormones' were and he pointed toward the horizon. The Uros are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the area and speak a different native language than Quechua and is known as Aymara. It has a few characteristics common to Mongolian, Turkish, and Korean, though no linguist or scientist would ever say so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQoWEg1hWmew3ixbP5Ta9y2d-kzzeQwQbQf0NXxdUNXsmgCrfidpMGpnyWggkDP-tyTn-toHm0KD_cuxltdau8lKCi1WDOvXxwqRYPWGEELObtPGGeUjnTeJkqeODfwCJihmuH9D8hDqk/s1600/Uros+Em+Al+Kyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQoWEg1hWmew3ixbP5Ta9y2d-kzzeQwQbQf0NXxdUNXsmgCrfidpMGpnyWggkDP-tyTn-toHm0KD_cuxltdau8lKCi1WDOvXxwqRYPWGEELObtPGGeUjnTeJkqeODfwCJihmuH9D8hDqk/s400/Uros+Em+Al+Kyle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Em, Alice and Kyle on a reed boat, Lake Titicaca Peru</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmISuqmJ3y6EAc46VYCMsYRmaTPGTZYMRiYcxwKCvQamCyQTeMXPd2ZJY633fXNJPmoPAMno-oLe6xBJ7omb90HWspMqmNHi5Xq4Dwu1nKpDl8IKLl3rCeX9Uyxr4Ni1jX-jPHefw3ErPo/s1600/uros+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmISuqmJ3y6EAc46VYCMsYRmaTPGTZYMRiYcxwKCvQamCyQTeMXPd2ZJY633fXNJPmoPAMno-oLe6xBJ7omb90HWspMqmNHi5Xq4Dwu1nKpDl8IKLl3rCeX9Uyxr4Ni1jX-jPHefw3ErPo/s400/uros+boat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">A view of a neighboring boat being rowed by several of the Uros</td></tr>
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While here during our free time and in addition to traveling to these important historical sites we are learning more of the early history. I am also enjoying the works of the preeminent scholar of comparative religious myth, Joseph Campbell. His commentary and characterizations about the myths of the ancient world fit and explain Peruvian traditions. In the television series on PBS with interviewer Bill Moyers Campbell is asked where are the sacred places in the world today. He responds, "They don't exist. There are a few hundred spots where people may go to think about something important that happened there. For example, we may go visit the Holy Land, because that is the land of our religious origins. But every land should be a holy land. One should find the symbol in the landscape itself of the energies of life there. That's what all early traditions do. They sanctify their own landscape." The architects, builders, and stone workers of ancient Peru did sanctify their landscape. There is so much here that is so beautiful.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMNbrgBnCWeV0Kp82Hb8UaSvcmXCdNbOIrdWuU3cnL7V-7HZK57cMTxDbJqmLP2JtnG-Pr3f3jdVGsLdglmyYj3RHxvctsUsnKIhIAxZygocFSWsP38fWk5QQxn9ydk94KRa_WG3c9jIw/s1600/Em+and+RA+viracocha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMNbrgBnCWeV0Kp82Hb8UaSvcmXCdNbOIrdWuU3cnL7V-7HZK57cMTxDbJqmLP2JtnG-Pr3f3jdVGsLdglmyYj3RHxvctsUsnKIhIAxZygocFSWsP38fWk5QQxn9ydk94KRa_WG3c9jIw/s400/Em+and+RA+viracocha.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
We stopped at Raqchi on our bus trip to Lake Titicaca.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It is a 15th century Inca temple of Viracocha. </div>
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J6vjV7JBIINpe6VJZbrBLgZO5PDtCbcByvR31MArWLt95eonUAo-k8mQbvPSct6u7OaCMKB8Z8VNLdikvCUB85wfCl4YyaLKCqRyw_qHc0CaSFs1rtoW9M-HZ3ptuB9k0irO6QZ87ZK3/s1600/Raqchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J6vjV7JBIINpe6VJZbrBLgZO5PDtCbcByvR31MArWLt95eonUAo-k8mQbvPSct6u7OaCMKB8Z8VNLdikvCUB85wfCl4YyaLKCqRyw_qHc0CaSFs1rtoW9M-HZ3ptuB9k0irO6QZ87ZK3/s400/Raqchi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The foundation stones of the Temple of Viracocha are carved in the Inca</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Empire style while above adobe bricks were used. It is impressive the </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
adobe walls have withstood earthquake and El Niño rains for 500 years.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A glue extracted from cactus added weather resistance to the adobe creating </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
a type of 'cement' or more weather proof plaster. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Scholars have suggested five of the most important and sacred sites for the Inca were the Temple of Koricancha in Cusco, nearby Machu Picchu, the Isla del Sol or the Island of the Sun in Lake Titicaca, the ruins of Tiwanaku, and the old ruins at Pachacamac near Lima. Of these we have visited or seen all but one. The ruins at Tiwanaku remain elusive to us as they are on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca and outside of the mission boundaries. Our allotted time too has dwindled to make such a visit. When our twenty two months are up, we will depart for home where our nearly two years older grandkids await. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoobWhXvW_rl41pf3bm0Mptu9zfdDKfAfNQua7HpObBuOdqy31GBa6DzihsJYHv_4r4SSslEPt86zAnjIERRwR9fg_ZWNIVnFFOMUN2b6LoabaNqcyAIV71C0OvV9ARL8L7drlUBnFEkP/s1600/tiwanaku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoobWhXvW_rl41pf3bm0Mptu9zfdDKfAfNQua7HpObBuOdqy31GBa6DzihsJYHv_4r4SSslEPt86zAnjIERRwR9fg_ZWNIVnFFOMUN2b6LoabaNqcyAIV71C0OvV9ARL8L7drlUBnFEkP/s400/tiwanaku.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
One of the Pre-Inca ruins at Tiwanaku known as the Temple of Kalasasaya. It<br />
was likely also a solar and stellar observatory. The figure in the distance is<br />
the staff god, inasmuch as he carries a staff in his right hand. We regret we<br />
will not see these ruins. Looks like it could be from an Indiana Jones movie<br />
set. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In addition to these aforementioned, we have in our travels observed, photographed, and climbed about literally hundreds of pyramids, huacas, or sacred sites, and shrines. There is no question about the importance of the role of religious ritual in the lives of the inhabitants of Peru, both present and past. It is not a secret for many anthropologists, and particularly for Campbell, that religion or myth is the force that motivated and compelled the sacrifice and cooperative human endeavor on such a grand scale to construct such places as Machu Picchu or these many mounds, earthworks, and pyramids. Campbell freely interchanges and uses the word myth to describe religion. Of course he says everyone else's religion is myth while your own is not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8trUNzf1NIGay0wljhabQBeDzqtrCQU6jM_AGqzC7x4ThAe25FdW5iJE05_sjYFuRjukFuXxn756YVrR-1-YJSzyHI_GbNnMovkAQEcMX4SSh70NjVPB3-JCzg3-S-Lvj-4vxX8sSSe9S/s1600/Templo+del+Sol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8trUNzf1NIGay0wljhabQBeDzqtrCQU6jM_AGqzC7x4ThAe25FdW5iJE05_sjYFuRjukFuXxn756YVrR-1-YJSzyHI_GbNnMovkAQEcMX4SSh70NjVPB3-JCzg3-S-Lvj-4vxX8sSSe9S/s400/Templo+del+Sol.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Templo del Sol or the Temple to the Sun built by the Inca at Pachacamac.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Incredibly huge pyramids were constructed by several methods either of </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
stone or adobe. Over the centuries or millennia they eroded into just natural</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
looking hills. Such was the case with these mounds or pyramids. Archaeologists</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
slowly and painstakingly uncover the original stone or adobe work in their </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
efforts to reveal the past. Literally millions of adobe bricks were made and used</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
to construct this temple and others. The work went on for generations, not<br />
unlike the construction of the LDS Salt Lake Temple. </div>
</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Earlier in the month we visited a site known as Pachacamac, about 40 km south of Lima along the PanAmerican Highway. Construction probably began on the site more than a thousand years before the Inca. In Pre-Inca myth Pachacamac was the creator god. Because he was an invisible god he had to be represented as a totem. One side was depicted as a male and the opposite a female figure. This duality is universal in Peru's history. Eventually a complex of some 17 temples or pyramids would be constructed on the site. When the Inca arrived early in the 1400's they allowed the locals to continue to practice their religion, but added their own Temple of the Sun or Inti as he was called. It was the New World equivalent of the Oracle of Delphi. There Pachacamac would intercede in the lives of the petitioners as well as give direction and instructions to the solicitous. Pachacamac was also the god of earthquakes and therefore required propitiation or sacrifice.</div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJlz_5VzJyNYNqPAtgqDgvhNsBaHtpAOZo3qAjmCc2gDYXDhWz-zPWHjvwcQLiiNFFp5S5hTF8n8-0juYhxq1omYL5aabg7_I21zIxR59gwlcyMFuaKRpuWK3M9V_rqg0bZl7mAj29Kw0/s1600/Pachacamac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJlz_5VzJyNYNqPAtgqDgvhNsBaHtpAOZo3qAjmCc2gDYXDhWz-zPWHjvwcQLiiNFFp5S5hTF8n8-0juYhxq1omYL5aabg7_I21zIxR59gwlcyMFuaKRpuWK3M9V_rqg0bZl7mAj29Kw0/s400/Pachacamac.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two of us at Pachacamac on one of the 17 temple mounds or pyramids</td></tr>
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The Spanish fathers and priests of course knew it was the devil who was deceiving the Inca and their predecessors. <a href="http://wwwguiaprivadadeturismomiriam.blogspot.com/2009/06/miriam-edelmira-lopez-aguilar.html">Our guide Miriam</a> informed us, even to this day near the first of October, coinciding with a national Catholic holiday, Peruvians make a trek to the site at Pachcamac. It is not uncommon here to have Christian holidays coincide with those of the Inca and others. After all we celebrate our December 25th Christmas day based on an ancient Roman pagan holiday of some sort. The solicitous still make the pilgrimage bringing a purple corn drink and coca leaves for Pachacamac. Those two things, along with a potent and a near hallucinogenic strength tobacco, were the items of choice as offerings to deities in Peru.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpDZTnKFJ4nxnr3UWoBUdllvgcMnIRvUMXzxHb-QuC2HLffAiJXgdljS3Y8TDK6M-UpnvQevos22IDp6XYhPFgyfknObF_fFlHBkOm19PWm0JVkX5TA198vDLiD4hKk6FquDxRi8s2bEw/s1600/Miriam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpDZTnKFJ4nxnr3UWoBUdllvgcMnIRvUMXzxHb-QuC2HLffAiJXgdljS3Y8TDK6M-UpnvQevos22IDp6XYhPFgyfknObF_fFlHBkOm19PWm0JVkX5TA198vDLiD4hKk6FquDxRi8s2bEw/s400/Miriam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
With our English speaking guide Miriam. She has a degree from the<br />
prestigious University of San Marcos in Lima. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A younger cousin of Francisco Pizarro named Pedro Pizarro, learning of the stories about this site and supposing the many sacrifices and offerings made there would be in the form of gold, silver, and fine textiles came to exploit the site in 1533. He found only the wooden idol of Pachacamac and maybe some wetted ground from the chicha drink. He and his men with some frustration pushed over the totem and then set fire to the temple.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWnso41lYGehyauUyelXji8dw0YzlVvRlSXMzqWhwa5zRb81wjawBCsUeSgFiKMnYk0E6RIQrjy6tFqIgpK_MTrfNYcyx8nDYri7hTPZXU1X5uSuvTGsPEtZI5gjp0Roji7Y0_V_ZN7IN/s1600/Isla+de+Santa+maria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWnso41lYGehyauUyelXji8dw0YzlVvRlSXMzqWhwa5zRb81wjawBCsUeSgFiKMnYk0E6RIQrjy6tFqIgpK_MTrfNYcyx8nDYri7hTPZXU1X5uSuvTGsPEtZI5gjp0Roji7Y0_V_ZN7IN/s400/Isla+de+Santa+maria.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The terracing of the island provides cultivatable garden space for several</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
varieties of potatoes, corn, beans, including fava beans or habas verdes, </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
onions, peppers and more. </div>
</td></tr>
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The consensus highpoint of our trip was the hike up la Isla Tequille in Lago Titicaca. We had majestic views of the surroundings and could see the Isla del Sol in the distance on the Bolivian side. According to Inca myth it is the point of origin where the creator god Viracocha and his two assistants emerged going forth and beginning the creation of the world and the first people on the planet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKztXSCuyB6_D_Mfaam1_APIPvlfKdh0q9h5MUELAmoVrhIbZ7oqTN9bV7-23vv6wAtFM6pZuCh_BXXe56taUR2COZ40bKoSjILqAr4W7ikaoqTB1s3JpekRMkJsil9lz9MxVRaq2iwnzK/s1600/Isla+del+Sol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKztXSCuyB6_D_Mfaam1_APIPvlfKdh0q9h5MUELAmoVrhIbZ7oqTN9bV7-23vv6wAtFM6pZuCh_BXXe56taUR2COZ40bKoSjILqAr4W7ikaoqTB1s3JpekRMkJsil9lz9MxVRaq2iwnzK/s400/Isla+del+Sol.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Island of the Sun or the Isla del Sol in the distance. Maybe on another<br />
trip we can visit this island and the accompanying ruins at Tiwanaku. </div>
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgNdrHth025wMVE_b3yDhZaSZXj3Nr6Ocxy-icJMWF3Og2CNpspLGzgEZs1Zl2dMfsXmjXONqH0jhnk3uP6txE3z1B4tyickY4qIKvBjmcYKfO4IybEN2vDYktXWrkC-CsgyaNudVNUEF/s1600/inca-stone-ruins-on-the-island-isla-del-sol-bolivia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgNdrHth025wMVE_b3yDhZaSZXj3Nr6Ocxy-icJMWF3Og2CNpspLGzgEZs1Zl2dMfsXmjXONqH0jhnk3uP6txE3z1B4tyickY4qIKvBjmcYKfO4IybEN2vDYktXWrkC-CsgyaNudVNUEF/s400/inca-stone-ruins-on-the-island-isla-del-sol-bolivia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Inca ruins on the Isla del Sol</td></tr>
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During our nearly 18 months here our interest in Peru's past has deepened significantly. It is tied in with our day jobs as we find so much of allied interest and comparable to the temple traditions we know so well. This has been enhanced of course by reading everything of Joseph Campbell's available on Kindle or listening to on Audible. Books have sent from Utah via UPS as well when I had an 'emergency' and could not get something of his electronically. In his book, "The Mythic Image" he writes, and it is confirmed from our travels around Peru, "The idea of a sacred place where the walls and laws of the temporal world may dissolve to reveal a wonder is apparently as old as the human race."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
One of our dear friends and fellow temple workers in the </div>
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Lima Temple Sister Rosa. </div>
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<div>
Our day jobs in Peru and our experience of working in a temple for a number of years elsewhere have us agreeing with the good professor about sacred places, places that were open to ritual, meditation and contemplation. From those who inhabited this land centuries ago their whole world was a sacred place. Our lives have become so economic and practical in their orientation that as we get older, the claims of the moment upon you are so great, you hardly know where the h+** you are, he says, and what it is you intended. We are always so busy doing something that is required of us. He asks, "Where is your bliss station? You have to try and find it...put on music that you really love, or get the book you like to read. In your sacred place you get the sense of the "thou," the sense of the awe of things Goethe wrote about. Continuing he urges us to "...follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are--if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time." </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaigsyvFfZz4SwUkqyAAzUZXHM2kZfdzaQTg7gbzXwGUA7jhED-MuMYjsUIuO5whJByivt78-Mh9tZp-Mile4wFCVYxkxp1BNxeihL__p1m2fmR22hCbbpyDoBMuhXU86uLyG-OcnEwn7w/s1600/Chartres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaigsyvFfZz4SwUkqyAAzUZXHM2kZfdzaQTg7gbzXwGUA7jhED-MuMYjsUIuO5whJByivt78-Mh9tZp-Mile4wFCVYxkxp1BNxeihL__p1m2fmR22hCbbpyDoBMuhXU86uLyG-OcnEwn7w/s400/Chartres.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
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The Chartres Cathedral built in the 12th Century has</div>
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survived with its original stain glass windows. Going </div>
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through a ritual day after day can keep us in touch with </div>
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our spiritual life and "keeps you on the line," according</div>
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to Campbell. </div>
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<div>
Joseph Campbell's favorite place of ritual, meditation, and contemplation was the Cathedral of Chartres in France. In the medieval towns of Europe they dominated the skyline and the surrounding countryside, much in the same manner of the pyramids and temples of the ancients here in Peru. He regrets the decline in the use and loss of such sites today, concluding with his observation, "Since about the year 1914 there has been evident in our progressive world an increasing disregard and even disdain for those ritual forms that once brought forth, and up to now have sustained, this infinitely rich and fruitfully developing civilization." We continue to enjoy what we do here in Lima and the people we work with each day. The meaning of what we experience is deepened as we have visited these impressive sites from ages past. It is ironic to me that in this land of 10,000 temples, huacas or sacred places, and pyramids, we work and are most appreciative to be doing so in the Lima Peru Temple. As President Hinckley observed, "The Temple is concerned with the things of immortality, a bridge between this life and the next. It is a symbol of and faith in the immortality of the human soul."</div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-32827247714154621482012-02-05T09:16:00.000-08:002012-02-05T10:15:20.508-08:00Lambayeque Ruins and Other DelightsWe continue to enjoy traveling to archaeological sites in Peru and with the temple closed for its semiannual maintenance closing, we made reservations and flew to Chiclayo, approximately 800 km north of Lima. Traveling to the north of Peru is also a special treat for us as the food is significantly more to our liking than in Lima. We enjoy the cabrito seco or goat cooked in wine sauce. The cebiche de pato or cooked duck, and the fresh cebiche de mero or corvina are to be enjoyed as well. Our friend, and college educated taxi driver, Walter knows where to find the best restaurants and about the sites we wanted to visit. His home base is in Trujillo, but he drove several hours up to Chiclayo to ferry us around for three days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxxxDajvMMmfM7aRQ6yPM-3ssX1VJYj_IwH-SuNFK_RsvEvDz43NrwscOMq0iM4MLd88Stb1q-0oqFXioDVrZa2mZ-JNTRoslsAewbBV7JxU0uCdjp8KE2TRICWcCJMRdftZ8qmnW8cjY/s1600/Walter+Lamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxxxDajvMMmfM7aRQ6yPM-3ssX1VJYj_IwH-SuNFK_RsvEvDz43NrwscOMq0iM4MLd88Stb1q-0oqFXioDVrZa2mZ-JNTRoslsAewbBV7JxU0uCdjp8KE2TRICWcCJMRdftZ8qmnW8cjY/s400/Walter+Lamb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Lunch with Walter in Lambayeque. He and I are having the goat cooked in</div>
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wine, 'cabrito seco', cooked without water. I have learned over the years never</div>
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to trust the recommendations of a skinny man and my rule of thumb holds </div>
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true for Walter. He is an accomplished cook and our friend as well. </div>
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Both Chiclayo and Lambayeque are not far from the ocean so cebiche is an important menu item of any restaurant and I enjoyed it several times. Even being a gringo Norte American I can discern the differences between cebiche prepared in Lima and that in the north of Peru. The peppers, for one thing, are a little hotter. The waiter asked how hot I wanted it, i.e. how much mochero pepper? I responded "muy picante, por favor." Typically, Peruvian food is never above the halapeño range so it is pretty safe asking for hot. I am slowly beginning to understand the subtleties of the many peppers in Peru. There is more to enjoying peppers than just just being hot. Each pepper has a unique flavor or 'sabor.' Reading the account of a 16-17th Century Spanish chronicler and Jesuit Priest, Bernabe Cobo, I learned about the religious fasting of the Inca and earlier peoples. When fasting was a religious requirement, the Inca and other indigenous people would give up their 'ajis' or peppers along with salt for a week or more. Peppers played that important of a role with the people here. I too, would find it difficult to give up peppers or ajis for 10 days, or so, in observing the typical holy days and festivals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHPtMrz_jKUv0mcQXG0FHeB3xUHF6E71WLoaDrtxhabTfhOJwpfvTLz4YYy2CwbN-h8gU2z0kFn6hQX5EfnuCXyZv6yU4A2YY5Krg-_VasqGZSWtDzpS3KxO7JIX7Gqf-MUoeSplNsfrF/s1600/Cebicche+in+Lambeyeque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBHPtMrz_jKUv0mcQXG0FHeB3xUHF6E71WLoaDrtxhabTfhOJwpfvTLz4YYy2CwbN-h8gU2z0kFn6hQX5EfnuCXyZv6yU4A2YY5Krg-_VasqGZSWtDzpS3KxO7JIX7Gqf-MUoeSplNsfrF/s400/Cebicche+in+Lambeyeque.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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About the best cebiche in recent memory. We are going to learn to prepare</div>
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this when we return home. It is admittedly an acquired taste but I really </div>
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enjoy it. This marinated and uncooked fish plate is accompanied by sweet </div>
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potatoes, yuca, corn or choclo and this time something akin to a deep fried</div>
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corn fritter. The fish is "chemically' cooked by the action of the lemon and<br />
vinegar marinade. </div>
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RA has a new cookbook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Peruvian-Cuisine-Tony-Custer/dp/9972920305/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328451594&sr=1-1">'The Art of Peruvian Cuisine'</a>, that we found at the airport on our way home. It has seven different recipes or 'recetas' for cebiche. We will ask some of our Peruvian friends in Utah for cooking lessons. There is an ongoing debate whether cebiche was brought to Peru by the Spanish as it has North African or Moorish roots or was it indigenous. Limes supposedly were brought to the New World by the Spanish. It is clear the Inca prepared it, though their marinade was likely chicha de jora rather than the Spanish lime and vinegar variety normally used today. I have yet to experience this type of cebiche, but may ask for it on our next trip to Cusco. Several of the young missionaries I have spoken to about Peruvian food have told me they are prohibited from eating this dish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpeTpm-Jg5gRroG72nxERUM8NkcWpQ4mOrhucN9_Vv0AAA7uhW_nEY_GP3FJi-N2-IhkwnpyjBaFhzT0EaeMRcRlK1bD63AfyyIGCnw14BmSLQC4JtDiqZ1SFJPngG-SLIdYL2I0HTbPs/s1600/Senor-de-Sipan-copia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpeTpm-Jg5gRroG72nxERUM8NkcWpQ4mOrhucN9_Vv0AAA7uhW_nEY_GP3FJi-N2-IhkwnpyjBaFhzT0EaeMRcRlK1bD63AfyyIGCnw14BmSLQC4JtDiqZ1SFJPngG-SLIdYL2I0HTbPs/s400/Senor-de-Sipan-copia.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Photography is not allowed within the museum so we have to rely on </div>
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images others have taken. This is the young Señor de Sipan. Local </div>
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residents were recruited to make the casts for the fiberglass mannequins.</div>
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Without any question the most significant archaeological find in Peru has been the grave of the Lord of Sipan. He was a Moche ruler whose people dominated the North of Peru from 100 AD to 800 AD. I also completed reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-History-Raiders-Smugglers-Looting/dp/B000KHXCGC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328452565&sr=8-1">Roger Atwood's account</a> of the grave robbers vs. the archaeologists as it played out over the 'discovery' and subsequent investigation of the royal tombs of Sipan. It reads like an Indiana Jones film script. One particular family of brothers or huaqueros actually found the site. They were able to loot one tomb and put the gold objects and other tresures into the murky world of artifact smuggling and dealing. Two other tombs were saved by archaeologists and the police. Regrettably, one of the brothers was shot and died from his wounds while a raid was occurring on their farm. The animosity of the locals toward the archaeologists and the government remains to this day. RA reminded me this sounds like the tale of Southern Utah's own Anasazi pot hunters and their battles with the Bureau of Land Management and the US Attorney's office.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAyfq8v3QrqkUrewqieGRdlVpbix8cXIe9xxU4blv5_LIFpSEOKOpegLR-cVwVIWqRthN-K9YGbeygp48TveVu_cfD9Q6l3qQ1A1Cz8qMJ3fFlP7RUQmra5DMnkUCUdmbIRXNiSid4pC5/s1600/sipan_medalla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXAyfq8v3QrqkUrewqieGRdlVpbix8cXIe9xxU4blv5_LIFpSEOKOpegLR-cVwVIWqRthN-K9YGbeygp48TveVu_cfD9Q6l3qQ1A1Cz8qMJ3fFlP7RUQmra5DMnkUCUdmbIRXNiSid4pC5/s400/sipan_medalla.jpg" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
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An incredible medallion illustrating the capabilities of the Moche in</div>
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working miniatures. This piece shows the care of their artisans in using</div>
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turquoise stone inlay, gold soldering and delicate fabrication.</div>
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DNA testing of the remains of the two principal occupants of the unmolested tombs confirmed them to be grandfather and grandson. Likely, the middle occupant was the father of the Lord of Sipan. Nothing remains of his tomb except the treasures that were spirited away. Some of the best pieces reside in the hands of private collectors or abroad in a few museums. No one knows the full extent of the lost pieces from this first tomb looted by the huaqueros.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0i1tW-KsVgLbW8s3uTPwTA_KtwhdDtcH-f_TwXoy1gsjO6t_ankslcO9SO8c-Wy8def8uf7J-YsZpbCFCp2JtzoZw4XTtxwK1hSu2t9usQbmGkgb-CadSFwkIHns5oI_3O41jEthhZRHl/s1600/Sipan+Museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0i1tW-KsVgLbW8s3uTPwTA_KtwhdDtcH-f_TwXoy1gsjO6t_ankslcO9SO8c-Wy8def8uf7J-YsZpbCFCp2JtzoZw4XTtxwK1hSu2t9usQbmGkgb-CadSFwkIHns5oI_3O41jEthhZRHl/s400/Sipan+Museum.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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A very unique and fitting museum for the Lords of Sipan. It is accessed by</div>
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a ramp on the right to the third floor. From there visitors descend two</div>
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floors to view all of the exhibits and even the remains of the Lords and</div>
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their retinue buried with them. </div>
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The preservation of the site at Sipan, its artifacts, and existence of a very incredible museum is due to the passion and energy of Walter Alva and his wife Susana Meneses. Unfortunately, she passed away some seven months before the museum would open. With permission, Dr. Alva was allowed to bury his wife in the grounds with a simple marble plaque noting her final resting place. When they began their archaeological careers they literally camped out on neighboring huacas without even a tent. They did not own a car, so they stayed for long weeks and months on sites they were studying in Lambayeque. Because of their efforts the greatest archaeological site discovered in the last 40 years (according to National Geographic) in all of the Americas is preserved for generations to study and appreciate. They did this with little help from the government of Peru. Most all of the money came to build the museum by showing the treasures in Europe, Japan and the USA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yjfv1X61mjvQQvn5Bc2rQYvILJVJYMw82Typkpl596O6o2WLMR-P56FFtOVtwQX_C7iqQ3_MgNQx-tK4YgS-x7f0JYVWbr9L_ksrUJrpO5jI56lo311AteKbl_vwsxLrdFoxxd85Etxx/s1600/Walter+y+Susana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6yjfv1X61mjvQQvn5Bc2rQYvILJVJYMw82Typkpl596O6o2WLMR-P56FFtOVtwQX_C7iqQ3_MgNQx-tK4YgS-x7f0JYVWbr9L_ksrUJrpO5jI56lo311AteKbl_vwsxLrdFoxxd85Etxx/s400/Walter+y+Susana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walter and Susana reviewing drawings of a site they were studying. </td></tr>
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The village of Sipan, on the other hand, has changed little since the discovery of the tombs. A few tourists and taxis drive through on the way to see the Huaca Rajada where the tombs with re-creations of the occupants are visible. The King and Queen of Spain were supposed to visit the site a few years ago. In anticipation the main street was graded be paved in preparation. Their visit was canceled and in the end the village received nothing, only the notoriety that it was the home of the Bernal brothers. It was their grave robbing activity that brought archaeologists to the site. Even the museum was located elsewhere and the villagers are mostly forgotten. Hopes were that they would at least get a new school for their children.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b6hI_3SPWQDg6JZWz2ar0zCkJ31qGTIVPbIuoEvaWAOupp0QQAaVxHvO28cFlxhRXqVqEJS2HZC11cxMYc_zns3j2E4aEY0XwOuBB6jD7esaj9WUXd9m8dzzwtwoK_BVj1ZDbvjEybUx/s1600/Sipan+Tombe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9b6hI_3SPWQDg6JZWz2ar0zCkJ31qGTIVPbIuoEvaWAOupp0QQAaVxHvO28cFlxhRXqVqEJS2HZC11cxMYc_zns3j2E4aEY0XwOuBB6jD7esaj9WUXd9m8dzzwtwoK_BVj1ZDbvjEybUx/s400/Sipan+Tombe.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are standing above the tomb of the Lord of Sipan. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZYpzh3h9XzkOQL2asNFRD5UW3qzdpW_v3Vvs_ud-sC1QcOFkJds0sgjj9QE7B3h1oBeVNNDrwBnL3X3rGE2mftvrg668OWCEJmP18BCwIT-t9lKSWCULfywRlOsqLmcGcXoplH8DhSn-/s1600/Huaca+Sipan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZYpzh3h9XzkOQL2asNFRD5UW3qzdpW_v3Vvs_ud-sC1QcOFkJds0sgjj9QE7B3h1oBeVNNDrwBnL3X3rGE2mftvrg668OWCEJmP18BCwIT-t9lKSWCULfywRlOsqLmcGcXoplH8DhSn-/s400/Huaca+Sipan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
These hills appear as though they are just the outcroppings of nature. </div>
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In fact they are the pyramids of the Moche people and were </div>
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painstakingly built from adobe bricks, millions of them. El Niño and</div>
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the rains it brings over the centuries has reduced these pyramids to </div>
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piles of mud and rubble. </div>
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Several theories have been proposed for the decline of the Mochica civilization. Ice cores taken from high in the glaciers of the Andes suggest weather patterns became very erratic. A long period of drought followed by an equal period of flooding brought to an end the Moche culture. These people had a sophisticated and complex society as evidenced in their metallurgy, agriculture, ceramic production, and temple building. They engaged in ritualized warfare with neighboring groups to obtain victims for human sacrifice. The speculation about the details of such are among the most gruesome and cruel of any I have read. However, the pottery of the Moche is our favorite and they present the most lifelike any of the Pre-Colombian peoples of the Americas. Their energy in building canals and irrigation projects is still evident after more than a thousand years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiixH_NwjH6iW5v_sfBJs9hJEl4ocrRH2UK6x7SXh6fRF4ygiR0D8K18ofCrMSkZRUvRee9i2PiJTKFvlSGQNZHtRa41dTYH_5EuL8l2lnarw9RMHTlMO0AC31se2FlA3wnv2Zmpg3q10/s1600/Moche+pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSiixH_NwjH6iW5v_sfBJs9hJEl4ocrRH2UK6x7SXh6fRF4ygiR0D8K18ofCrMSkZRUvRee9i2PiJTKFvlSGQNZHtRa41dTYH_5EuL8l2lnarw9RMHTlMO0AC31se2FlA3wnv2Zmpg3q10/s400/Moche+pot.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A Mochica ceramic stirrup pot from the Larco Museum</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
in Lima. It is one of the great museums in Peru and all</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of South America. It is our favorite of those in Lima. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Museum of the Lord of Sipan is the most</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
impressive of all that we have visited. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmL8k4IvKOFI_f7wkLRXuZZCTzRau4EhzCwRnFqfbVZolUkAXdGTjQVeAnkcxx5jG75Rvlx-bqhjSXTXhW4sG5ptRVYw0yOGWyVIFoJewuYsuzlsEyJThjsBIA3JNO7fQ1xecuPu9ylo7/s1600/Mochica+victim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmL8k4IvKOFI_f7wkLRXuZZCTzRau4EhzCwRnFqfbVZolUkAXdGTjQVeAnkcxx5jG75Rvlx-bqhjSXTXhW4sG5ptRVYw0yOGWyVIFoJewuYsuzlsEyJThjsBIA3JNO7fQ1xecuPu9ylo7/s400/Mochica+victim.jpg" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
A Mochica prisoner of war bound with a rope and hands</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
tied behind his back awaiting sacrifice. Note the facial</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
hair, something not common in other representations in</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
ceramics, glyphs, or paintings. A stiff belt of punch from<br />
the Peruvian Star cactus likely made the victim more<br />
compliant and manageable prior to torture and execution.<br />
Cannibalism was also practiced among the Moche according<br />
to scientists. </div>
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We visited several other sites in Lambayeque and their story deserves consideration in another post. There is no question about the upheaval, in terms of the political, social, and religious consequences climate change, brought to the societies of ancient Peru. Al Gore would confirm the link between climate change and societal upheaval. Except in this instance, the change was not anthropogenic.Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-65450925454740410042012-01-23T09:52:00.000-08:002012-01-26T01:20:21.960-08:00Machu Picchu for DummiesOnce again the semiannual maintenance closing for the Lima Temple will be happening next week. We are excited that more of our family are coming to visit us. We will spend a week touring in Cusco, Machu Picchu, and this time a new twist, a bus trip to Puno and Lake Titicaca. Since our last visit in August, seems like only last month, I have read a few more journal articles, and a couple books in collecting additional insights about Machu Picchu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhgX2pKhXdFTFMLBQZRpY7glySazcjovPEPQ4OjnJR098I80lD9laAGTmE3GKtasaE2HnTRn6lQMf4ZUso33Jw9HsSwVMTa3R79PG0RqciDL13LymnZti_TXbRkQ6dAvQt0yz67J1UhUO/s1600/MACHU+PICCHU+DUMMIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhgX2pKhXdFTFMLBQZRpY7glySazcjovPEPQ4OjnJR098I80lD9laAGTmE3GKtasaE2HnTRn6lQMf4ZUso33Jw9HsSwVMTa3R79PG0RqciDL13LymnZti_TXbRkQ6dAvQt0yz67J1UhUO/s400/MACHU+PICCHU+DUMMIES.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
Tonight we are giving a PowerPoint presentation to the Family Home Evening group. RA has been researching authentic Peruvian/Incan recipes for desert. She has prepared a quinoa pudding, topped with mango and a touch of lime zest. It was so good that I told her to look no further for any other recipes. Quinoa remains the food I enjoy and eat the most in Peru. I am happy to know it is available at Costco when we return.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The quinoa mango pudding RA made again this afternoon.</td></tr>
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Machu Picchu, according to National Geographic Explorer in Residence and scientist, Johan Reinhard, is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“One of the very few places in all of the world where reality can surpass one’s imagination.” Dr. Reinhard's theory for the 'why' of Machu Picchu is the most satisfying of the several I have read. Other questions come to mind about this one of seven current wonders of the world such as, why was it never completed, and why was it built in such an isolated location? </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Peruvian friend Miky looking over MP on our first trip there one year ago.</td></tr>
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The theories for the "why" of Machu Picchu range from it being an exclusive prison for royal Incan family members to be isolated from the current emperor to prevent any palace coups, to it being a summer residence for the founder and builder, the Emperor Pachacuti. Along the way other theories have been tossed on the table such as it being primarily a religious and ceremonial center. Lastly, it has been proposed as being a regional capital of the empire. During the rapid expansion of the Inca they were known for establishing outposts of governance. From these centers, soldiers would be barracksed, taxes would be collected, the pantheon of gods worshipped, food and supplies would be stored, and regional commerce controlled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNwxtmJfuyqYvh2hMvEJ6p-M26Pwq4GDpVxn-mOL7BA_W7Ahf_fUs_yM77qlvTIffhyGg2r7soVDL0nRftgTIaf36Fz5g6lqGgtoLlQe9uXcRrudvEa1AtSxvw4J7L2ccfFCfdrdL3HZI/s1600/Temple+of+the+Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNwxtmJfuyqYvh2hMvEJ6p-M26Pwq4GDpVxn-mOL7BA_W7Ahf_fUs_yM77qlvTIffhyGg2r7soVDL0nRftgTIaf36Fz5g6lqGgtoLlQe9uXcRrudvEa1AtSxvw4J7L2ccfFCfdrdL3HZI/s400/Temple+of+the+Sun.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu. It might have once held a solid</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
gold life size statue of the Emeperor Pachacuti. The windows align for</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
solar and astronomical alignments and observations such as the heliacal </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
rise of the constellation Pleiades or Collca as it is known and still observed<br />
by the Quechua. </div>
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This past July 24th marked the 100th anniversary of the "discovery" of Machu Picchu by a Yale history lecturer Hiram Bingham. George Lucas would neither confirm or deny that his character Indiana Jones was based on that of Hiram Bingham. Machu Picchu was never really "lost" and in need of discovery, though the conquistadores likely never visited it, or it might have been destroyed because of its deeply pagan and troublesome representations. The site was looted in the 1860's by a team of German treasure hunters with Peruvian government permission. By the time Bingham arrived with his Quechua guides there was little left to loot. What he did find was sent back to Yale for study and "safe keeping." Some but not all of the Yale artifacts have been returned to Peru and a new museum in Cusco is housing them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrG7mGwbw0j-65c21Fwc9nFCX_q4W76uZfPBdDhdMFkIqA4QcXBlpuYXgAzmICjhBUQw65svDUWxjvtJxdbVwHC7kvvzptPIQ92Q9L96G5ofNSr7KJPukky5W_BrX3KaRjw2N_fQgkl_S/s1600/Indy+and+Hy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTrG7mGwbw0j-65c21Fwc9nFCX_q4W76uZfPBdDhdMFkIqA4QcXBlpuYXgAzmICjhBUQw65svDUWxjvtJxdbVwHC7kvvzptPIQ92Q9L96G5ofNSr7KJPukky5W_BrX3KaRjw2N_fQgkl_S/s400/Indy+and+Hy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their style of hats were similar though Hiram could not afford the leather jacket</td></tr>
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Hiram had his own theories about Machu Picchu, but not being a trained archaeologist, he was wrong on almost every count. His adventures in the high Andes did bring the site to the attention of the world. It also propelled him to the governor's mansion and eventually to a US Senate seat. Peru's history has been one of continual foreign exploitation and Bingham was just another in a 500 year succession of foreigners capitalizing on the richness of Peru. He has been characterized as just an upper class grave robber or huaquero, as we know them down here.<br />
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The best theory for me and others as to the "why" of Machu Picchu is embodied in the work and research of Johan Reinhard. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Machu-Picchu-Exploring-HERITAGE-MONUMENT/dp/1931745447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327342217&sr=1-1">His book "Machu Picchu -- Exploring and Ancient Sacred Center"</a> seems to offer the best explanation for Machu Picchu and does not detract much from the other predominant theory that it was constructed as an estate for the Emperor Pachacuti. </div>
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Available on Amazon. If you buy a used copy be</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
certain it is the 4th Revised Edition. </div>
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<div>
Dr. Reinhard has proposed Machu Picchu should be understood in the context of the natural geographic features that surround the site. Its breathtakingly beautiful location must have struck the Inca in the same manner that draws a million tourists to the site annually. Venerating and reverencing mountains, rocks, caves, and rivers as sacred sites, (known as huacas), and even as gods, the location between the two mountain peaks of Machu and Huayna Picchu must have impressed Pachacuti, his priests, royal architects and engineers. Reinhard's explanation for MP is called the "Sacred Landscape" theory. The site's spectacular setting, design and construction are directly related to the significant mountains that surround it. In each of the cardinal directions is a significant mountain peak. Temple and site alignments within Machu Picchu are oriented to many and yet to be determined astronomical phenomenon including solar alignments of the solstices and equinox. The heliacal rising of the constellation Pleiades or Collca, as it was known among the Inca. was preeminent in the annual cycles of planting, weather prediction, and the harvesting of crops. The Inca worshipped and reverenced it as the guardian of seeds and planting. Americans and Japanese of course are very familiar with this constellation as it the logo for Subaru automobiles. (Thanks again Watson for your stellar education on the subject of Pleiades).<br />
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Due south from Machu Picchu is the mountain Salcantay which is important to Inca myth and lore. It was also venerated from the Inca capital of Cusco. At the Summer Solstice of December 22 the Southern Cross is directly above and at its highest above the peak of Salcantay as observed from the Intihuatana Stone, the highest point in Machu Picchu. All of the sites we have visited in Peru from the earliest at the Caral/Supe complex to Machu Picchu have important astronomical and solar alignments. Books have and will continue to be written on the subject or archaeoastronomy and the peoples of Pre-Colombian Peru. This next trip to MP we will have our GPS attachment for the Ipad and will be taking a few additional photos of alignments. </div>
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We have yet to observe the Southern Cross in the 14th months we have </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
here, maybe when we return to Cusco in two weeks. </div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the site and elsewhere in the lands of the Inca and their predecessors is found the symbol known as the Chacana or Inca Cross. From the June 22 Winter Solstice the rising sun illuminates the Temple of Three Windows and casts a shadow of the Chacana on the floor. I have seen this jewelry for sale and had not been interested, thinking it to possess provenance only from the Colonial or Spanish Period. Understanding the steps of the cross represent the three existences of the Inca, heaven, the current world in which we live, and the underworld of death I am now more interested in acquiring something to add to the wardrobe. The hole in the center represents Cusco, their capital of the empire. A young Peruvian friend also asked me, while walking by the Lima Temple recently, what the three steps signified in the steeple supporting the Angel Moroni? I had no answer for him. Who knows if it was coincidental or deliberate? The steps of three are significant in the iconography of Peru certainly. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkFafdx_JOGippSH2apT4jhujWKxJgBL3YzJs18T1tFg5OvfYxnbb9qP7NHG4zkB_ECo9Axz35t5zy14jED7LaVeDh_Jzl17uDIlEkpeI-pB_sbrvEcjCiG79XLUK7Ta60KvbltDmmcyY/s1600/Chacana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkFafdx_JOGippSH2apT4jhujWKxJgBL3YzJs18T1tFg5OvfYxnbb9qP7NHG4zkB_ECo9Axz35t5zy14jED7LaVeDh_Jzl17uDIlEkpeI-pB_sbrvEcjCiG79XLUK7Ta60KvbltDmmcyY/s400/Chacana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The three tiered step is found throughout Peru though maybe the spiral will </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
now be replacing it. </div>
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Because Machu Picchu was abandoned before the Spanish entered Cusco it escaped desecration and destruction, fortunately for the world. The question has to be asked, why was it never completed? Stones are left part way on their path toward installation. Important buildings were left uncompleted as were significant sites in nearby Ollantaytambo as well. The reasons for the abandonment of Machu Picchu also explain why it was possible that 168 conquistadores could defeat an empire of 12 to 25 million people and an army of up to a quarter million men.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTEFMu05aFz7iGv9UHON9s1rp09pGnOLNowX_a8_cvaoius5GbhDxHhIvw6WL1r9z4ta2GH1YR_hSJ2FoaCsxIBiZ4MYs42OSbIlBGl4EVF5Tu6HPdzuzi1yBqDNUuhSJWGT9qZxpgZBG/s1600/Quarry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTEFMu05aFz7iGv9UHON9s1rp09pGnOLNowX_a8_cvaoius5GbhDxHhIvw6WL1r9z4ta2GH1YR_hSJ2FoaCsxIBiZ4MYs42OSbIlBGl4EVF5Tu6HPdzuzi1yBqDNUuhSJWGT9qZxpgZBG/s400/Quarry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Stones left in the quarry showing evidence of recent work and others left</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
sitting awaiting installation in the Temple of Three Windows. </div>
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Two years before the Pizarro's army of thugs entered the land of the Inca, smallpox arrived there first. The Inca Emperor Huayna Capac, his son and successor, his generals and ministers were fatally infected while on a military campaign in Colombia. The internecine struggles that ensued as rival factions and other sons fought for the ascension to the royal throne created the 'perfect storm' of opportunity and circumstance for Pizarro and his men. Two sons were named by the pox ridden emperor with the names of Huascar and Atahualpa to divide the empire and succeed him. The Spanish were shrewd enough to use one against the other thus largely neutralizing the numerical superiority of the empire's forces and capitalizing on the discontent and resentment of subjugated peoples within the empire.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimanRKOdnGRa1FVpAtnUYiT08cFvEc3nFBEMk21gQA2YOLKytYmdr_owzn1s2hTlN9qSPvSZZbEVQ8JAEswWEohQdaW7TCBiCZeoQTlmWmxRSDNgraW2BtqnU8TaLkSj8n60uqaYaX-ySE/s1600/Pizarro11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimanRKOdnGRa1FVpAtnUYiT08cFvEc3nFBEMk21gQA2YOLKytYmdr_owzn1s2hTlN9qSPvSZZbEVQ8JAEswWEohQdaW7TCBiCZeoQTlmWmxRSDNgraW2BtqnU8TaLkSj8n60uqaYaX-ySE/s400/Pizarro11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Yes, guns, armor, and horses, carried the day at the Battle of Cajamarca </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
between Pizarro's 168 soldiers and six thousand Inca warriors but </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
ultimately it was germs that brought about the collapse of the</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
largest empire in the Americas. </div>
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Within two years of the arrival of smallpox, in what epidemiologists refer to as "virgin soil," roughly one half the population was sick or dead. Within 130 years of the arrival of Columbus estimates run as high as 95% of the indigenous population of the Americas was gone due to the European diseases of smallpox, typhus, measles, diphtheria and influenza. No natural immunity to any of these diseases existed among the peoples of the Americas. The best treatment on this topic and summary of the research is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327335806&sr=1-1">Charles Mann's: "1491, New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus."</a> The only gift in return to the Europeans was a particularly virulent form of syphilis which returned to Spain along with the stolen gold and treasures of the Inca.<br />
<br />
A long period of incubation for smallpox exists allowing for its rapid spread. At least 12 days from first contact with the virus until the signs or symptoms of the pox appear. During this period the infected host is highly contagious so the disease could spread, as they say, 'like a wildfire.' Some social scientists have pondered and weighed the near extinction of all the indigenous of the Americas as a high price to have paid for Christianity and the alphabet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTRiv5oeVrTqYcLqArhbBrRy_0rdkHRNa1zreBDfEds5sHU7pced89P7f_fQQa28CKpp_8ABmmxMXuOW0TKZ8hf2uUmWm9C_4Cnc4q6N7lUa3BkHr68AfTFkF1yH0elE5gvywrz94xddY/s1600/Cow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTRiv5oeVrTqYcLqArhbBrRy_0rdkHRNa1zreBDfEds5sHU7pced89P7f_fQQa28CKpp_8ABmmxMXuOW0TKZ8hf2uUmWm9C_4Cnc4q6N7lUa3BkHr68AfTFkF1yH0elE5gvywrz94xddY/s400/Cow.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
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Cows, horses, pigs, and camels did not exist in the Americas</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
at the time of the coming of the Europeans. Smallpox and</div>
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other diseases morphed, jumping from animals to humans. In </div>
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Europe natural immunities developed among the survivors</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of smallpox. </div>
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Smallpox strains only exist currently in the germ stockpiles of the US Army and the Russian Republic. In the future it could be a very lethal biological weapon as generations of earth's children are not being immunized since smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. Certainly one of the great achievements of science in the modern era. Reading about how this hellish disease brings about the sweet mercy of death, I have to agree it is one of the great achievements of medical science.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13BOWcaDoBELHH9KZEV-0Lo_xvzdhZhfzaBQdOjYLts2DefaB4Fo9P9it5BrLamoudgm4NKl7Ef9u_7sYXNKQ6fSn4RRALiQAsgzI-IJDV0avqtYElv52f2sU2r3aAYu9K5S48Vu7JWz6/s1600/smallpox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh13BOWcaDoBELHH9KZEV-0Lo_xvzdhZhfzaBQdOjYLts2DefaB4Fo9P9it5BrLamoudgm4NKl7Ef9u_7sYXNKQ6fSn4RRALiQAsgzI-IJDV0avqtYElv52f2sU2r3aAYu9K5S48Vu7JWz6/s400/smallpox.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Existing stocks of smallpox held in the US and Russia should be disposed</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
of, lest new strains be developed and pose a threat to humanity. Potentially </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
as devastating as any nuclear arsenal. </div>
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Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and other sites were never completed simply because of the European diseases which so quickly killed the inhabitants in advance of the conquistadores. Solutions were not to be found in star gazing and celestial alignments for Inca. Sacrifices to the gods availed nothing. In areas of the Americas where disease had not preceded the arrival of the conquistadores and other Europeans the indigenous peoples were never conquered. The Zapatista rebellion of Southern Mexico has it roots in the rebellion of the Maya some 500 years ago. Florida was invaded five times by the Spanish but the locals were never defeated by them. In Brazil the Portuguese brought colonists to 14 sites along the Pacific coast. In less than 10 years only two survived. Pedro Pizarro, a young cousin of Francisco, concluded in his memoirs without the Inca civil war between Huascar and Atahualpa the Spanish would never have been capable of defeating the Inca. Further he said, had the Emperor Huayna Capac been alive and at the head of his army in Colombia the Spanish would have been easily defeated, their horses captured for breeding purposes, and the surviving conquistadores would have been gelded to guard the emperor's wives. That was Atahualpa's plan.<br />
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One has to wonder what might have happened and turned in history if the Spanish had not brought disease to the Caribbean. I have also pondered several questions about the conquerors and vanquished. Specifically who was the worst? Were the Spanish any less bloodthirsty or driven less by conquest than the Inca? I am not sure I have an answer, but I do have an opinion. It would be<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> this<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444;">: </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>In the totality of comparison between the Inca vs. Conquistadores, in terms of brutality, and inhumanity to man, the Inca exceeded the Spanish with very little argument. Pertaining to the larger view of culture and civilization, the Spanish were guilty of cultural genocide and annihilation of the greatest magnitude and scale. </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Nothing in my study or knowledge of history compares to this so total and complete annihilation. Compounding the systematic and deliberate destruction of the icons of culture and religion of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, such as the temples, ceremonial centers, huacas, and shrines were the unforeseen consequences of biological warfare brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus and subsequent so called European “explorers.” </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v3Nywl-zgrYpoi6E7Q38w8PHEvXK1uzFc424VoBhz0mnmJ_LEoL-hlXTNCtuIkESovLKcOkOMJZ2jSCafZj9XX_21EM2m8lN96bqsmEw-aNSTW40eCiYs9ZoXwlxD0osAL1QwyYRks9s/s1600/MP**.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-v3Nywl-zgrYpoi6E7Q38w8PHEvXK1uzFc424VoBhz0mnmJ_LEoL-hlXTNCtuIkESovLKcOkOMJZ2jSCafZj9XX_21EM2m8lN96bqsmEw-aNSTW40eCiYs9ZoXwlxD0osAL1QwyYRks9s/s400/MP**.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Machu Picchu -- The most beautiful place I have ever visited</td></tr>
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Each time we have visited Machu Picchu we discover and learn something new. We continue to be impressed with its beauty. The Inca were far from the characterization of Spanish chronicler and priest, Father Bernabe Cobo, as being "simple minded and ignorant barbarians" under the spell of the devil. On the contrary, their achievements left in stone at Machu Picchu and elsewhere, rival anything this world has ever seen or has been created by man. </div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-18672326245649241942011-12-31T04:37:00.000-08:002012-01-01T06:08:40.579-08:00Milestones, the Lima Peru Temple, and Joseph SmithWe mark the end and passing of 2011 in Lima Peru as temple missionaries. We are more than a week now passed Christmas, the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, and about to enter 2012. The year has gone by quickly as we count down the remaining months until we will leave the work each day, the good friends, this beautiful and incredible land, and return home to Utah. The hardest part for both of us is missing friends, family, and especially the grandkids. Video chats via FaceTime and Skype bring them closer as compared to prior generations of missionaries using only a telephone or written letters. We are grateful for that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7-rAc699BihKS5H9TuAXmvPxg5SPrfHT9_4F2G9KQqAZrzmTDa3oY-FFna9rxFj9jF8mMTr-UjULwi2y0ACAPYLMsChqhZcDyPssw4dflQ36Oa1EOjN59CSfMvFZfMcdqBJrHhLxHCLQ/s1600/Lima+Temple+Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7-rAc699BihKS5H9TuAXmvPxg5SPrfHT9_4F2G9KQqAZrzmTDa3oY-FFna9rxFj9jF8mMTr-UjULwi2y0ACAPYLMsChqhZcDyPssw4dflQ36Oa1EOjN59CSfMvFZfMcdqBJrHhLxHCLQ/s400/Lima+Temple+Christmas.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2011 at the Lima Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This morning we are off to visit our friend Cesar going to a special market area in old Lima known as La Parada. Cesar has taken us there before and we have found it fascinating. No watches, wallets or cameras in sight are recommended and we don't go there in the evening either. It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from upscale Jockey Plaza filled with its stores and glitz that make it indistinguishable from any other mall in America or Europe. Our goal today is to find a number of fruits and vegetables that are grown in Peru and sold at this market, including a few different kinds of potatoes or papas that we have not enjoyed before. Also on the list are foods that originated in this hemisphere but have spread elsewhere throughout the world and remarkably did so Pre-Colombian or European. That is to say, quite an astonishing number of Andean and South American food stuffs and other items traversed both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans prior to the arrival of Spanish, Portuguese conquerers, and English explorers. Multiple tests with gas chromatographic spectroscopic analysis done in European labs have found <a href="http://www.springerlink.com/content/r45155796wlq5176/">Peruvian coca or cocaine as well as new world tobacco in the tissues and bones of 3,000 year old Egyptian mummies.</a> The list of goods and items both originating in Peru and arriving here from Asia is significant and merits a post for another day. We'll see how many items we can find in La Parada of things that traversed the ancient world prior to the coming of the Europeans.<br />
<br />
This blog site has reached a milestone in recent days in closing out the year having passed more than 10,000 visits since it was launched some 14 months ago. The topics have been, for the most part, narrowly focused on our travels, our life in Peru, and of course the food we enjoy. All of this being outside of the experiences of working in the Lima Temple. Properly so, the things that transpire that RuthAnn and I have shared in that special place remain there and are not to be published here. They remain private to us and are special. They are hidden away in the places of the heart and our souls.<br />
<br />
The most widely searched and visited post on the blog is about food. It is clearly the single most searched after topic of anything we have written about or experienced. It is about cebiche, that unique uncooked but processed with a marinade fish I have come to enjoy so very much. Cebiche is also on our weekend schedule to share with our friends the Ramos on Monday. They too are nearing a milestone in their two years as missionaries in the Lima Temple. When the temple closes again for maintenance in February they will return to their home in Arequipa. We will miss these very good and wonderful friends.<br />
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Absent from this blog in 14 months has been any statement or expression on my part about my feelings and thoughts concerning faith and the religious experience that ultimately is the basis and reason we are here and not home enjoying our family and grandchildren among other pursuits. It is therefore appropriate and overdue that I should write several lines to close out this blog for 2011. Joseph Smith, as much as any man in American history, has been investigated, written about, praised by those who admire him, and maligned by those who oppose him for what he did and has come to represent. I believe he deserves a few lines here based on my personal respect and admiration. No, he was not perfect. In so many ways he has been found wanting in the court of critical opinion in political or social correctness. But he was perfect, and I am eternally appreciative for him, in his giving it his all -- all that he had and cherished, for his sacrifice to the cause of faith and laying the foundation of this great Latter Day Saint work. I make no apology for him, as he needs none, and I make no apology for my love and belief in him and all that he did and accomplished. Few people I have associated with, on a non professional historian level at least, over the decades have read more or studied about our history in critical ways than I. Family traditions and stories have been handed down creating a personal link to him through a grandmother in Nauvoo. Some have left the Church over related issues such as ours and lesser matters. My personal court of opinion has weighed all of the information, good and ill. Everything that I have read from and about our history, both within and without, at year's end I raise my voice in respect, love, and 'Praise for the Man.'<br />
<br />
With love and affection too, for family and friends with whom we share these things -- We thank you for all that you mean to us, your support, and with anticipation look forward to renewing friendship and association once again.<br />
<br />
And here's to you Brother Joseph: <a href="http://youtu.be/k5id63Twddk">http://youtu.be/k5id63Twddk</a> -- a link to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square performing their "Praise to the Man."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgqvE0WehJFMiVrEsTtdAyuLdi40kNsbnhB6bL3PWeeKfuy_pyb8HiLlMT2blVvpxYpGztzKnK2zfKSzbiUU6Rt_ZHn4WbsSxClc6LUBKqIkppDyJqCrzvjJTH_hd_HhGwhVLmqkh0EyE/s1600/Joseph+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgqvE0WehJFMiVrEsTtdAyuLdi40kNsbnhB6bL3PWeeKfuy_pyb8HiLlMT2blVvpxYpGztzKnK2zfKSzbiUU6Rt_ZHn4WbsSxClc6LUBKqIkppDyJqCrzvjJTH_hd_HhGwhVLmqkh0EyE/s400/Joseph+Smith.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-13907487298726193032011-12-18T10:35:00.000-08:002011-12-27T07:34:37.254-08:00The Earliest Image of God in the Americas?We recently returned to Caral, the earliest urban center and civilization in the Americas, one of six cradles of civilizations in the world. We went armed with more information having had benefit of reading and studying about the site and the Norte Chico people who built it. The site is surrounded with controversy pitting archaeologists in Peru and America against each other. The acrimony, finger pointing, and public accusations are only equaled by the current deficit reduction talks between congress and the Obama administration. Claims of plagiarism, sloppy science, and personal aggrandizement have been tossed back and forth between scholars, casting a shadow on future joint projects. A Peruvian scholar by the name of Ruth Shady Solis is responsible for gathering all that we know and have about this important and earliest civilization in the Americas. Carbon 14 testing and the money to do so came from the USA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwVMWy5hItCmVAe9edkcLNSUf_Xr1UlKpJ4W2Drj2bjAbZIHl6RNvn-9JtgXOVX-yePpMKEYJzYeLf876ouMV0_5emzwQCAk_5704WipVzUsl4QXq1F7QyjEUBPv8QlqBtvlb-cgLPiAk/s1600/Caral+GF%2526RA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwVMWy5hItCmVAe9edkcLNSUf_Xr1UlKpJ4W2Drj2bjAbZIHl6RNvn-9JtgXOVX-yePpMKEYJzYeLf876ouMV0_5emzwQCAk_5704WipVzUsl4QXq1F7QyjEUBPv8QlqBtvlb-cgLPiAk/s400/Caral+GF%2526RA.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Turistas en Caral. The covered area behind us is a circular chamber </div><div style="text-align: left;">surrounded by a square retaining wall. Squares encompassing circles are </div><div style="text-align: left;">common motifs in Caral and elsewhere in the ruins and sites of pre-</div><div style="text-align: left;">Colombian Peru. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Though Caral was first visited by scientists early in the 20th century it has been largely ignored even by the grave robbers or huaceros as they are known, since no precious metals were to be found. The Norte Chico civilization built it some 5,000 years ago. Additional work, and carbon 14 dating is underway which may push the beginnings of Caral even further back. The people of Caral and other sites on the North coast of Peru were pre-ceramic, meaning they did not fire their pots, only sun dried clay. Without the lure of gold and other treasure to loot, it was left to sleep under the millennia of wind blown sand and El Niño rains and flooding. The site is not often visited by foreign tourists and no English speaking guides are provided. We have watched bus loads of Peruvian school children unload at the visitor's center. Caral lacks the appeal and beauty of Machu Picchu and other more well known ruins in Peru for foreign tourists, yet it is a fascinating and remarkable site nevertheless. We plan on returning again to the coastal site of Aspero as we ran out of time on our last two visits. There is a debate whether this nearby sea coast settlement of Aspero rose before Caral or came after. Traditional theory states that for a city to rise, the surrounding lands must be developed for agricultural production to support the division of labor with sufficient daily calorie intake to move or advance from bands of hunter gatherers to city building. Proponents of Aspero first, say it rose ahead of Caral due to the abundance of available marine protein for the diet such as shellfish and sardines. Each theory has its detractors and defenders. At best, all of this is to say that the science of archaeology is evolutionary and subject to change with notice. Theories are continually modified to accommodate the most recent discoveries. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OgZbtsZ1Bu0r73fkt1mEd6aTEmJmwDetd5idh-PepuNLjqnXYOIWuVY_fNhatU2w8xghYLlknMt4thTUrBrxn4Ulx4kqhdv4Ltwq0QnTrRPtBWljKW_I0MpEYNvOWV3i-LjbVjStDJ45/s1600/Caral+gringos+lr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OgZbtsZ1Bu0r73fkt1mEd6aTEmJmwDetd5idh-PepuNLjqnXYOIWuVY_fNhatU2w8xghYLlknMt4thTUrBrxn4Ulx4kqhdv4Ltwq0QnTrRPtBWljKW_I0MpEYNvOWV3i-LjbVjStDJ45/s400/Caral+gringos+lr.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group in front of the Pyramide Mayor in Caral</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>In order of priority I was impressed with Caral, not because it was as masterfully constructed or as beautiful as Machu Picchu, but because of its unique role and prominence in history. I was struck that there were no defensive structures, barriers, battlements, or walls in Caral. "Imagine all the people" in living for today, (actually for a thousand years), with "no countries, nothing to kill or die for... Scientists have found no weapons, no disfigured skeletons with broken skulls, no victims of war. Shields. body armor, and clubs, the weapons of a warrior class of any kind have been found in the excavations. It was a peaceful society. Flutes made from pelican bones as well as sunbaked clay versions have been recovered. In one temple cache 38 instruments believed to be bugles was excavated. This confirms music was a part of their society and religious worship. Have to wonder what their music might have been like. Without a warrior class scientists suggest the motivating factor for the monumental construction of Caral was religion. The religious priest class was supported by literally thousands in the construction of their pyramids and urban centers. In return the masses were assured the beneficence of the Gods bringing water in the Supe River for crop irrigation for adequate crops and harvests.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tEGp1WSgiZPTRECsJ4cWTiuUxzaWfIFy30bkAWRZkQTjDVchlM_-kEe7cc3iI-NMywvkmzyINQNtTZtGaXVxRzXiGrMjHLEKE4pElzdVIadKCVoFJyElecCUNtilShtPi5oxfHDCetgW/s1600/Caral+Flutes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tEGp1WSgiZPTRECsJ4cWTiuUxzaWfIFy30bkAWRZkQTjDVchlM_-kEe7cc3iI-NMywvkmzyINQNtTZtGaXVxRzXiGrMjHLEKE4pElzdVIadKCVoFJyElecCUNtilShtPi5oxfHDCetgW/s400/Caral+Flutes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These flutes were recovered from Caral along with pan flutes and rattles</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The earliest image of god recovered in the Americas was found in Caral. It was, or he was, carved into a gourd, and has been dubbed the "staff god" because he carries a staff in the right hand. His left arm terminates in the head of a snake. The experts suggest this early image of a god would be copied and used by successive cultures such as the Chavin and even to the Inca and their god Viracocha. This religious pattern began and emanating from Caral is called the Kotosh Religious Tradition. The serpent, among other icons including the puma/jaguar and condor, played a very important role in many early cultures in South America and throughout the world. These symbols would continue for thousands of years until the Inca were conquered by the Spanish. Moses raised a brass serpent on a staff for the Israelites to look upon to heal them from their encounter with poisonous snakes as found in Numbers 21:8-9. Peru and South America have a number of venomous snakes but most of them are found in the Amazon regions to the north and east. Coral snakes and vipers are the most common of the poisonous variety though in Caral the bite of any snake would have spread infection and likely resulted in death for its inhabitants. </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uirpn8LlEkL-yv_6OwOqPSc7t8wc1o-AYycIIoz-w8eKzVd_px8DA_lpgHTJ3QDo8bjtlQDw2nkk1ZsZZH4loAc2-a_ylI9smbpTrT6uzz988ImbfQnMtrkY5YWSwqA6VVv48nW1W8Et/s1600/Staff+God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uirpn8LlEkL-yv_6OwOqPSc7t8wc1o-AYycIIoz-w8eKzVd_px8DA_lpgHTJ3QDo8bjtlQDw2nkk1ZsZZH4loAc2-a_ylI9smbpTrT6uzz988ImbfQnMtrkY5YWSwqA6VVv48nW1W8Et/s400/Staff+God.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Photo Courtesy of Jonathon Haas and The Field Museum. Insert color </div><div style="text-align: left;">adjusted for clarity. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The first example of a written language in the Americas was also recovered in Caral, though it is still being debated and explored. Known as Khipu, these strange knotted and twisted cords of cotton string and other fibers were used at least to store data and were perhaps a system of writing. Professor Shady and her group found a cache of items in one of the pyramids of Caral including the khipu. A team at Harvard University has been using sophisticated computer software to try and decode khipu from the Inca but so far it has largely evaded their understanding. No Rosetta Stone has been found to assist in decoding it. It may have been just a binary system for recording the numbers of alpacas and llamas in the king's or ruler's stable or how much tax was collected during the previous season. Debate continues as to whether it was actually a written language. It is hard to imagine the Inca, who had an empire controlling some 12 million people, managed to do so without a written language, only khipu.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIEyaxGO5t7eEcapyU0XqzEqfj2jxDU7yi7FVa5CkX75ZEdZa3TKsioKqypB5bU10SPE5ka_wp4hpeUp8EsSccnuqmyOGVgI9DVr_3uytHh2ZprT1DUyULdgNPQYNoqQJ_St6k3UEYmDe/s1600/Caral+khipu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIEyaxGO5t7eEcapyU0XqzEqfj2jxDU7yi7FVa5CkX75ZEdZa3TKsioKqypB5bU10SPE5ka_wp4hpeUp8EsSccnuqmyOGVgI9DVr_3uytHh2ZprT1DUyULdgNPQYNoqQJ_St6k3UEYmDe/s400/Caral+khipu.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>The builders of the pyramids of Caral seemed to understand seismic design in building their structures. They used packaged rocks in bags called shicras made from reeds and or cotton to fill in between the walls of their pyramids. The incarceration of rocks within a restraining mesh or netting is called a gabion. Today instead of marsh reeds civil engineers use gabions to restrain earth movement and erosion along river banks, the seashore, and freeway overpasses.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismeCySZ4nd68-cXJpSM3WBE9lzG-itgjtEw2gTlf1A0shYAlC1Pvy4ZXhCZX_5stSZkbHNV6i4cG3RI2j2nOrTkw1DlXjjkzmN6k488vLiEPLRmf4CsrtOcGNQwjVYe_W2hI4cWWwSPU2/s1600/Gabions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismeCySZ4nd68-cXJpSM3WBE9lzG-itgjtEw2gTlf1A0shYAlC1Pvy4ZXhCZX_5stSZkbHNV6i4cG3RI2j2nOrTkw1DlXjjkzmN6k488vLiEPLRmf4CsrtOcGNQwjVYe_W2hI4cWWwSPU2/s400/Gabions.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Present day use of gabions</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uCPwzAAAWfqojpz4TdYs5LYUxfmw3c4-QgXXai6YIg6dsl2nNSu2TsXQ60-ApJgBo1rq1UhVTgwXmhyphenhyphen1EBLmCbWajIPoqLXD6jQwuZW6iRc0oI9Z6nu4VQ8FeI1wpCIcdhEASRjtc-qo/s1600/Caral+Shicra+bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2uCPwzAAAWfqojpz4TdYs5LYUxfmw3c4-QgXXai6YIg6dsl2nNSu2TsXQ60-ApJgBo1rq1UhVTgwXmhyphenhyphen1EBLmCbWajIPoqLXD6jQwuZW6iRc0oI9Z6nu4VQ8FeI1wpCIcdhEASRjtc-qo/s400/Caral+Shicra+bags.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Shicra bags were filled with rocks, dragged to the building site, and placed</div><div style="text-align: left;">between walls for seismic stability. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>While we were strolling around Caral I asked our guide Miriam if the duality we have seen represented in other early archaeological sites was present in the temples or huacas of Caral. She responded affirmatively that they are found everywhere. This just seems to be part of the cosmology and religion of many ancient peoples. The opposites, the dialectic, or duality of things akin to the yin yang of Asian philosophy was a part of pre-Colombian Peru. For awhile we actually had yin yang symbols as part of the decorative features of the Bountiful Temple until one president had them painted over during a semiannual maintenance closing. They are now lunar phases more in keeping with symbols found on the Salt Lake Temple.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN9_RYg8pnBWO_rPbyBsWtIt0HBcTgGt8eVblzFaFWo6IsnikKXMxdxq4gZMgt3CEnaijV3Th7rMLRdMl5lY6bKW6LUQEbF4pMlnslIC58LZYfB-5LocMn9FzVjsP6-jNfUvndql663Pv/s1600/Caral+Pyramid+opp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQN9_RYg8pnBWO_rPbyBsWtIt0HBcTgGt8eVblzFaFWo6IsnikKXMxdxq4gZMgt3CEnaijV3Th7rMLRdMl5lY6bKW6LUQEbF4pMlnslIC58LZYfB-5LocMn9FzVjsP6-jNfUvndql663Pv/s400/Caral+Pyramid+opp.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pyramide Mayor with symbolic stones representing duality.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our guide pointed to these stones on the first landing of the great pyramid of Caral. These are the light and dark stones on either side fronting the stairs. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZZ2ls-kjTGchd2WC-ks33516bairSmirEGyqG7MU9L6HytAX_NfFY8efyQLq38SLqyW53jPgvUeaLq6C01Ofmz0iQIN1DtlJ0XLbVHtVQL5vL8yUl6VOpalgrnUTQB3cqZA4jeuaXXcM/s1600/Huanca+stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZZ2ls-kjTGchd2WC-ks33516bairSmirEGyqG7MU9L6HytAX_NfFY8efyQLq38SLqyW53jPgvUeaLq6C01Ofmz0iQIN1DtlJ0XLbVHtVQL5vL8yUl6VOpalgrnUTQB3cqZA4jeuaXXcM/s400/Huanca+stone.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">My compass indicated the Huanca and the pyramid in the background would<br />
correspond to sunset of the Summer Solstice of December 22 in the Southern<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Hemisphere. </div><div><br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Caral was laid out to the cardinal directions of the compass. Solstices, both winter and summer, are observed from the two meter tall Huanca Stone. This stone aligns with the tops of the two adjacent pyramids. Other sites probably signaled astronomical events associated with life; planting, harvesting, and the cycle of life. The ever present spiral carved into stone in Caral and found throughout neolithic Europe and Celtic sites was part of Caral's mythic lore. Discussion continues and likely will not ever be resolved what it meant to early peoples throughout so much of the world.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN11vXk2vAy8dplc4WQCeIF7HFG2tcMrl0-k0_mWNyFt8j8w33MoPHpL1YwX3J8MpRI8usevyWZ2F66M3qptGNbOXM7VZ_XM8qo6-7JoUauS6VeOzvWOFbLeN64nrld1kpEXYzuovnwAh/s1600/Spiral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUN11vXk2vAy8dplc4WQCeIF7HFG2tcMrl0-k0_mWNyFt8j8w33MoPHpL1YwX3J8MpRI8usevyWZ2F66M3qptGNbOXM7VZ_XM8qo6-7JoUauS6VeOzvWOFbLeN64nrld1kpEXYzuovnwAh/s400/Spiral.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The spiral is found carved into stone in one of the steps<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">leading up a staircase of a pyramid. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Another stone was pointed out to us by our guide and maybe it is a star chart or map. It does not represent the location of the home world from which ancient astronauts came to carve the images of Nazca. Most likely it was a reference for astronomical observances relating to the seasons of planting and harvesting. I am waiting for my friend and knowledgeable astronomer Watson to shed light or confirm the stone is something more than a non skid surface. I am voting it illustrates the Pleiades, known as the Seven Sisters, also the emblem of Subaru automobiles.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3yY3LspAnuhs9was3OBgH8sSoAUim0xJNar2ZZZjaGqCnzEb9_PSbKcZYMKxILWQUAKrTmWBeW43I1A8mUD5d5rP-vBKeXguP2JnFVysCGMplHUepcHukaJ7sGb2oyo4FgPR2a0swbOV/s1600/caral+star+chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv3yY3LspAnuhs9was3OBgH8sSoAUim0xJNar2ZZZjaGqCnzEb9_PSbKcZYMKxILWQUAKrTmWBeW43I1A8mUD5d5rP-vBKeXguP2JnFVysCGMplHUepcHukaJ7sGb2oyo4FgPR2a0swbOV/s400/caral+star+chart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">About one half of the stone that our guide suggested was a star chart. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKYUK41uPRcc_IiipLQjaHtS3ZB71n7UyEMtP8lqwUGGG5KCMZLdPr43ojhdDJS0Iu1Jl3DUyWpEjr_EP6LEdf1hfJzzPDVK_UjLqEznAANQFru9cCCjic2tAu9YyzO5KRz6qjq4kQcbG/s1600/caral+pleiades1107a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKYUK41uPRcc_IiipLQjaHtS3ZB71n7UyEMtP8lqwUGGG5KCMZLdPr43ojhdDJS0Iu1Jl3DUyWpEjr_EP6LEdf1hfJzzPDVK_UjLqEznAANQFru9cCCjic2tAu9YyzO5KRz6qjq4kQcbG/s400/caral+pleiades1107a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Constellation Pleiades, M45, or the Seven Sisters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Eventually, as has been suggested by scholars, this earliest city of Caral would be abandoned for the more rich agricultural regions to the north. Altogether, the reasons for the rise of Caral in this relatively dry and desert like environment seem incongruous, supporting the validity of the claim for the maritime foundations of the first civilization at Aspero. For the present at least it lays claim to being the first city of the Americas and it is found here in Peru. </div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-73813983264799515862011-11-04T12:57:00.000-07:002011-11-15T02:21:43.368-08:00Peru Rocks...While giving some thought and starting to write this post last week we felt a 6.9 earthquake in the temple. The Peruvians just smiled knowingly as I must have had a bit of a surprised look on my face. We have had two very noticeable earthquakes in the last several months, both in the range 6.9 on the Moment Magnitude Scale. It has replaced the Richter Scale which suffered problems in representing both the accuracy of the power of a quake and quakes at distance from the seismograph station.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX__BO0Jw3Y9XU6sU-AVqZtOFR3wI9eQKUSy_lo8oVPev0fQw2sNWaWfXr7uSwmN0iO5rT1glUabavKO3HgEuoMkdw6jkgjv6R2HwovGJcOGffjmS0s9KhVFu7rBvsII48avHC_a1nI40k/s1600/stonework+incan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX__BO0Jw3Y9XU6sU-AVqZtOFR3wI9eQKUSy_lo8oVPev0fQw2sNWaWfXr7uSwmN0iO5rT1glUabavKO3HgEuoMkdw6jkgjv6R2HwovGJcOGffjmS0s9KhVFu7rBvsII48avHC_a1nI40k/s400/stonework+incan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonework of the Coricancha, the principal temple of the Inca in Cusco.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The earlier quake felt as though the temple were on jello. It kind of shook or jiggled whereas the more recent was pendulum-like. We could feel the building moving back and forth which was a peculiar sensation. Peru is a very active seismological area and a part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. The subduction of the Pacific or Nazca Plate under the SouthAmerican Continent has pushed up the Andes Mountains and is responsible for this seismic activity. The plates move together at the rate of slightly more than 3 inches a year. This could mean that Hawaii is getting closer to Peru accordingly.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChQIjdhyphenhyphenNyrDql-P3kNLkotqLFgeM3HHNAEVNkoE7-v-BiKgapXRnq1980DQIE7fU0b7VkRZkNdecLMi2fGigg9Lj14uMsxgUm3c_gnEXMa5y9zLJREM4nukQYDMsfuy00-L6XbxHfADu/s1600/Korikancha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChQIjdhyphenhyphenNyrDql-P3kNLkotqLFgeM3HHNAEVNkoE7-v-BiKgapXRnq1980DQIE7fU0b7VkRZkNdecLMi2fGigg9Lj14uMsxgUm3c_gnEXMa5y9zLJREM4nukQYDMsfuy00-L6XbxHfADu/s400/Korikancha.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Little remains of this once most magnificent Temple of the Sun in Cusco,</div><div style="text-align: left;">now the foundation for a monastery.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had previously read that no one was killed or injured in these latest quakes, though four years ago in roughly the same area 58,000 homes were destroyed. A report we read this morning notes 500 homes were damaged and another 250 were made uninhabitable. One person lost his life and there were a few injuries. The homes damaged in Pisco and Ica were constructed of adobe. Unreinforced brick and adobe easily collapse during a seismic event and account for the majority of the fatalities in Peru and other developing countries. Willow and mud construction, known as wattle and daub, retain enough flexibility to resist earthquake loads. We have observed home construction made in this fashion. Later this month we are returning to Caral, the oldest city in the Americas, and contemporary with the first cities to rise in Sumer and Egypt. We will learn more of their ability to construct earthquake resistant pyramids and structures. These structures have stood for 5,000 years but are entirely different than the stone work of the Inca. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoEQRN17O2vo1PcbiLx0FAYrmuG7XbGWUnEgZd_Bu1sYCbYln84TxEQWqWJ0IMMyMMxulv4PXLoYtr1HA3nNATXPps9LHyua_0RScY5SHw1a9eLxQYGTemXTk1eRU6LzgiJId4p4NloLE/s1600/Caral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoEQRN17O2vo1PcbiLx0FAYrmuG7XbGWUnEgZd_Bu1sYCbYln84TxEQWqWJ0IMMyMMxulv4PXLoYtr1HA3nNATXPps9LHyua_0RScY5SHw1a9eLxQYGTemXTk1eRU6LzgiJId4p4NloLE/s400/Caral.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The 5,000 year old Piramide Mayor or the Great Pyramid of Caral. Caral is</div><div style="text-align: left;">contemporary with the rise of cities in Sumer and Egypt.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Over the August temple closing we stayed in the resort village of Paracas. Our hotel was entirely destroyed four years ago and rebuilt. The nearby community of Pisco suffered the most damage. One hundred and fifty of its residents were killed in the city's center when the San Clemente Cathedral collapsed upon them. They were attending a memorial mass honoring one of their community in addition to observing the ascension of the Virgin Mary. More privation and hardship continued after the quake as government aid efforts were slow in coming. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-16-peru-quake_N.htm">The story reported at the time in USA Today is a very sad one.</a> Local officials were personally attacked by angry citizens looking for, but unable to find, missing loved ones. Reports continue that the displaced and homeless after four years are still existing in tents and temporary shelters.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLCOJslpQkk3qj0ovE5uFeGq7fzaNxOu8-3NIP8xdr6t5PjXIuFSanfz0Y4SfkAi3a8CH4FzEQ5e2TlqWsga6BfxX6BM8RiDEbHbKCs_1C2bw3JHpLMuqkyDCutFNCsHWbwwI7yOxpFwi/s1600/Pisco+quake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLCOJslpQkk3qj0ovE5uFeGq7fzaNxOu8-3NIP8xdr6t5PjXIuFSanfz0Y4SfkAi3a8CH4FzEQ5e2TlqWsga6BfxX6BM8RiDEbHbKCs_1C2bw3JHpLMuqkyDCutFNCsHWbwwI7yOxpFwi/s400/Pisco+quake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Cathedral of San Clemente in Pisco following the 2007 Earthquake.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Only the dome remained standing. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A very <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15573361">recent report from the BBC</a> notes earthquakes account for almost 60% of all disaster related deaths worldwide in the last decade. Sadly, the majority of the victims are the young, those least given the opportunity for life's experience.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZhbgtUDLLTVTlEkySNvCo7FV8E0tAPx5oeDfFijbWW_P7TqoXBblZcEbizvPKnfrM_pKggHnfLyjsYWBStUMH3elVG79G37NV3bFX3tqeYbc-knkQ7OCFMstl90NA22AsF6CJHAryAqD/s1600/Lintel+Mary+y+Josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixZhbgtUDLLTVTlEkySNvCo7FV8E0tAPx5oeDfFijbWW_P7TqoXBblZcEbizvPKnfrM_pKggHnfLyjsYWBStUMH3elVG79G37NV3bFX3tqeYbc-knkQ7OCFMstl90NA22AsF6CJHAryAqD/s400/Lintel+Mary+y+Josh.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the cornerstones and lintel surviving almost 600 years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Inca managed to build structures capable of resisting the earth's violent movements along the western portion of South America. Without any doubt they were the finest stone masons the world has ever seen and seismically knowledgeable. As we have begun to learn more about their civilization, they borrowed heavily and depended on the peoples they subjugated for more than just tribute and taxes. Earthquake resistant knowledge predated them by 4,000 years. However, we have not yet found anyone previous to their civilization who worked stone so beautifully. Recreating their building practices and techniques in order to safeguard the residents of Peru today is not feasible. In Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley there are Incan built residences which have been continuously occupied for 500 years. That is a world record.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfIUKwbx0GaznBXQKMhS_EXVYA5AXNLiRfPJvInKoQczf7qolxRzaPFC6tALBqmwWtI6uIB9omcs-mxXCjcgGR_L_Euu92a0cSd03DJw4SPV3Bd0hEt80OcBStOK3bzUEV3cs7uiYzZOz/s1600/Ollan+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfIUKwbx0GaznBXQKMhS_EXVYA5AXNLiRfPJvInKoQczf7qolxRzaPFC6tALBqmwWtI6uIB9omcs-mxXCjcgGR_L_Euu92a0cSd03DJw4SPV3Bd0hEt80OcBStOK3bzUEV3cs7uiYzZOz/s400/Ollan+door.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lintel and doorway of the Incan Imperial Period</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The Spanish marveled at the beauty of Incan cities and noted their earthquake resistance. In a seismic event they watched the stones move or dance. In Spanish it is called "el baile de las piedras," the dance of the stones. At the end of the quaking the stones would return to their set position without damage to the structure. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUoEAoBXq_yA2TnhkRmg8bg5qRxYVNXRiqQHRQiMSthu1MHoME6HAuAUInhEnoJvD_ZXVw7uOiZoeS8bM76F808EMQHV8kx49JaRh9eAD6zAm4ndVsT0ACI3C_8rhBXY9PDQ8Jxw5n7So/s1600/Chan+Chan+stores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUoEAoBXq_yA2TnhkRmg8bg5qRxYVNXRiqQHRQiMSthu1MHoME6HAuAUInhEnoJvD_ZXVw7uOiZoeS8bM76F808EMQHV8kx49JaRh9eAD6zAm4ndVsT0ACI3C_8rhBXY9PDQ8Jxw5n7So/s400/Chan+Chan+stores.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adobe mud walls are being washed away at Chan Chan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>What earthquake or conquering conquistador has not destroyed, government and private greed remains a significant threat to Peru's archaeological sites, especially Machu Picchu. Repeatedly, plans are pushed by developers to build heliports, cable car lifts, luxury hotels complete with boutiques and restaurants at Machu Picchu to exploit the majesty and beauty of Peru's most visited tourist site. UNESCO is considering adding it to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_in_Danger">List of World Heritage Sites in Danger</a>. We will visit it one more time in February with family coming. Peru has one other site already listed, the Chimor city of Chan Chan, near Trujillo. It was the largest of any city in the Americas prior to the coming of the Europeans. Estimates range from thirty to sixty thousand inhabitants at its peak. Changing weather patterns bringing rain, in addition to the huaceros or looters, and Peru's earthquakes continue to put it at risk.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2AKCPrhyphenhyphen9Ejt10rX6Fw0a2JaQr0WW7EnqLs-hCYOSi5DsLzsytoJcl5gEC8CSSD8julI2TVVjBIKkSlUNDzOMxsIO9JFmFT5Y79YI6L2JoxILqqd6_6Y-PflErHa8HRotr1Cu_6QXE3F/s1600/chan+chan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2AKCPrhyphenhyphen9Ejt10rX6Fw0a2JaQr0WW7EnqLs-hCYOSi5DsLzsytoJcl5gEC8CSSD8julI2TVVjBIKkSlUNDzOMxsIO9JFmFT5Y79YI6L2JoxILqqd6_6Y-PflErHa8HRotr1Cu_6QXE3F/s400/chan+chan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A few areas have been rebuilt by archaeologists and under tents to prevent </div><div style="text-align: left;">further erosion. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcnZmyPaduw6ISBLXtEud61TVdlG5pKpHfryz1iuavtdkGRenSWIRCcv7kry0blQbnEEP0LcnohlIyYmoxeIi8-XpuvIIWG5rilv3sEEXJWSVQV-2Ko4k-ADb9j3PqNsz8QNFL3sorFGc/s1600/Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMcnZmyPaduw6ISBLXtEud61TVdlG5pKpHfryz1iuavtdkGRenSWIRCcv7kry0blQbnEEP0LcnohlIyYmoxeIi8-XpuvIIWG5rilv3sEEXJWSVQV-2Ko4k-ADb9j3PqNsz8QNFL3sorFGc/s400/Rocks.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Clockwise, beginning from the Mochica warrior are two</div><div style="text-align: left;">samples of stromatolite fossil. One polished into a sphere.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Basalt from our trip to Chanquillo. It might have been used</div><div style="text-align: left;">to lob down the hill on an attacking enemy. A number of </div><div style="text-align: left;">these nicely sized rocks exist at the bottom of the hill below</div><div style="text-align: left;">the fortress. Next are porphyry granite polished in an egg </div><div style="text-align: left;">and carved into the god Aiapaec. Fools gold and a nice</div><div style="text-align: left;">size chunk of volcanic pumice from our visit to Huanchaco</div><div style="text-align: left;">near Trujillo. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>I have collected and purchased a few rocks and specimens as we have traveled. RA wonders how we will get them home. Among them of special interest to me and maybe a grandson or two at some point are stromatolites, porphyry granite, hematite, and fool's gold. A rendering of the principal deity of the Mochica culture Aiapaec carved from porphyry granite is part of the collection. This distinctive red granite is rich in copper and molybdenum. It is found from the seacoasts of Peru to the height of the Andes. It polishes very nicely and was prized in other parts of world including ancient Egypt. Napoleon sent an unsuccessful expedition searching for an Egyptian outcropping of porphyry granite. It is also found in the Hagia Sofia of Istanbul being fashioned by the Byzantine Greeks a thousand years before Napolean. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2LapfTln8nX25_tXp-Bu6hE4yt7ztPW-cuaJhYngyJb20H-brP0rpGKK7w1w-Gj3OQLT2CX0WCAifrdNR1IfJUU2LbsnVGSWEN1_jJQDvMSsnIUByXEh1oa4yzGU19J2MTjrmAjvBRdZ/s1600/Ollantaytambo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2LapfTln8nX25_tXp-Bu6hE4yt7ztPW-cuaJhYngyJb20H-brP0rpGKK7w1w-Gj3OQLT2CX0WCAifrdNR1IfJUU2LbsnVGSWEN1_jJQDvMSsnIUByXEh1oa4yzGU19J2MTjrmAjvBRdZ/s400/Ollantaytambo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Monoliths from the unfinished Temple of the Sun in Ollantaytambo. These</div><div style="text-align: left;">and other stones were carved from porphyry granite. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLv85CKNGLpRMOltx_tfMMtpApowAnHvBcTLHGuvNxFOFRqv2cOzL2KHGERXfrm89d4DP9Smqf2HxejyRZlUCB8aaLlYi2aiKkCkmfCCIuvfxnc635PN8u2xN638opF3XJIc3GyLY0eYql/s1600/Indiana+and+Mrs.+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLv85CKNGLpRMOltx_tfMMtpApowAnHvBcTLHGuvNxFOFRqv2cOzL2KHGERXfrm89d4DP9Smqf2HxejyRZlUCB8aaLlYi2aiKkCkmfCCIuvfxnc635PN8u2xN638opF3XJIc3GyLY0eYql/s400/Indiana+and+Mrs.+Jones.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Entrance way to the Temple of the Sun. The stone work is<br />
magnificent. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>The Inca carved this very hard stone and had begun construction with it for this temple. The quarry was some distance from their final resting place. Scholars are unsure why the temple was abandoned. Maybe it was due to the arrival of the conquistadores, the civil war between Huascar and his brother Atahualpa, or the diseases which preceded the physical arrival of the Spanish in the Andes. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QKlk42cSAD1NlNZNsxzeRnV4hoQyi7laiwPWsh_mlz84tVNN71bVSbwWNWLUUWEYRVRqZRrQdYzVWdG58QI5Lxr_42Qn_-Z-fp-PaZ75cJHtszkJNk8CJocoH6iE6hrnw1XscxVhUYrp/s1600/Ollan+dec+solstice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QKlk42cSAD1NlNZNsxzeRnV4hoQyi7laiwPWsh_mlz84tVNN71bVSbwWNWLUUWEYRVRqZRrQdYzVWdG58QI5Lxr_42Qn_-Z-fp-PaZ75cJHtszkJNk8CJocoH6iE6hrnw1XscxVhUYrp/s400/Ollan+dec+solstice.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Not exactly a transit but my compass reads 58° NE, pointing toward the </div><div style="text-align: left;">solstice sunrise. It rests upon porphyry granite. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I placed my IPhone digital compass on maybe an altar in the temple. It is aimed toward the face carved high in the cliff. It marks the sunrise of the Summer Solstice on December 22 in Ollantaytambo.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8Rrh_ciVsa2ctHyYzAeR-S82bp61ifuGv_jZwsjj4jrJ5Krl0SIkzOcTNKFC6_pyi4S6hNxOu9l33hlcPI20lDum8TvOaciArcghDuQr96_KFFWGikmkPhp_-lwCg6df8_Gxojw3E-Ah/s1600/Ollan+inca+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8Rrh_ciVsa2ctHyYzAeR-S82bp61ifuGv_jZwsjj4jrJ5Krl0SIkzOcTNKFC6_pyi4S6hNxOu9l33hlcPI20lDum8TvOaciArcghDuQr96_KFFWGikmkPhp_-lwCg6df8_Gxojw3E-Ah/s400/Ollan+inca+face.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Inca carved a face of their emperor circled in this image to which my</div><div style="text-align: left;">digital compass in pointed. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz_XPxHCYDG_jkbpSKaUHjQLG_aIIijL59NfwQDLo0FOgZ_VQFAc39Frmd4oGcrt8gIPPVyR5oas8aZEysb5vAacYbuFBmad-GWKntsMVkA-jg5IuMhyLsfqICn3jmavZovAwxdzLJ24K/s1600/Ollan+inca+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBz_XPxHCYDG_jkbpSKaUHjQLG_aIIijL59NfwQDLo0FOgZ_VQFAc39Frmd4oGcrt8gIPPVyR5oas8aZEysb5vAacYbuFBmad-GWKntsMVkA-jg5IuMhyLsfqICn3jmavZovAwxdzLJ24K/s400/Ollan+inca+face.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Inca face carved into the cliff wall. Archaeoastronomy, solar or</div><div style="text-align: left;">celestial alignments are prevalent in every site we have visited in Peru.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44RTXMvyOEesom_JMGpF78LFVn89bgBVbjmRDvJRbmFQakmq9wYdQFGmrmNTFGKSTVgBA9YygykSjByTuG1wZ3hyCYXm94bV077E7xzs-lXXgz4DkNkkIREwacMw1zWULWQhowO0WMhsZ/s1600/OllanMary+and+Josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44RTXMvyOEesom_JMGpF78LFVn89bgBVbjmRDvJRbmFQakmq9wYdQFGmrmNTFGKSTVgBA9YygykSjByTuG1wZ3hyCYXm94bV077E7xzs-lXXgz4DkNkkIREwacMw1zWULWQhowO0WMhsZ/s400/OllanMary+and+Josh.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh and Mary enjoying the view from the Temple of the Sun</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>Porphyry granite dates to the proterozoic age of nearly two and a half billion years ago. Maybe this was during the third day of creation as the waters separated from the dry land. Also on the third day were the grasses, the herb yielding seed and tree bearing fruit. On the fourth day, in order to give rise to the creatures of the sea and subsequent mammals, small multi cell cyanobacteria or blue green algae had to do the heavy lifting of converting the earth's carbon dioxide rich atmosphere into breathable oxygen. These fossilized remains known as stromatolites are perhaps the earliest of all living things. They date to this same proterozoic era beginning about 2.5 billion years ago. These fossils are found on the Chilean border in the district of Tacna, not far from the world famous Nazca Lines. I found mine at a rock shop in downtown Lima on a previous trip with our friend Cesar. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtPNyCIbqvsPbK80zZWDEG5GleulvNnphl4tJ3ESI_rryGN1jWE-3ypEsJeskcN3IZWMD2g42-IiQzD5CA2uv9BjZXzlFqqtWUxqSyaLZoqWezlQswPr9NicTXnFAa0Zin1NBqZvfWj_-/s1600/Porphyry+Paracas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtPNyCIbqvsPbK80zZWDEG5GleulvNnphl4tJ3ESI_rryGN1jWE-3ypEsJeskcN3IZWMD2g42-IiQzD5CA2uv9BjZXzlFqqtWUxqSyaLZoqWezlQswPr9NicTXnFAa0Zin1NBqZvfWj_-/s400/Porphyry+Paracas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">More porphyry and basalt on the Islas Ballestas near Paracas. These islands are<br />
known as Peru's equivalent of the Galapagos Islands. We did not see any iguanas</div><div style="text-align: left;">however, just thousands of birds, sea lions, and a few warm water penguins. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDPVBkHyDS7nwj0ha5qdQk_R8HPJjNHnGxUOUB_-9x50Pq21EZtmAzOY644eU3oCibgd5QwlW0BOjw0IxfSwkPbrI9hpuw9E4HpV6dtkZipVBVUqjzihLXLWU5y386dzX72m0O3pjXVRF/s1600/Porphyry+red+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyDPVBkHyDS7nwj0ha5qdQk_R8HPJjNHnGxUOUB_-9x50Pq21EZtmAzOY644eU3oCibgd5QwlW0BOjw0IxfSwkPbrI9hpuw9E4HpV6dtkZipVBVUqjzihLXLWU5y386dzX72m0O3pjXVRF/s400/Porphyry+red+beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red granite sands at a beach in Paracas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrWehigRS2A8i0HR5eO9kOL3ZuxNye3z9_CfJnS0cUuUmW2uSVdOFEtuJBuuoAvKF-kcIHmNNHf0T1FwoGB5IkGd7rLgOrfELpp58vhIgsl9IO7tjXBhY0H0GDhPBgUYsEOB5cQy0hGh9/s1600/Sacssayhuaman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrWehigRS2A8i0HR5eO9kOL3ZuxNye3z9_CfJnS0cUuUmW2uSVdOFEtuJBuuoAvKF-kcIHmNNHf0T1FwoGB5IkGd7rLgOrfELpp58vhIgsl9IO7tjXBhY0H0GDhPBgUYsEOB5cQy0hGh9/s400/Sacssayhuaman.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stones of Sacsayhuaman above Cusco.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Among the Inca and their antecedents rocks had special powers attached to them and were known as huacas. They might be the personage of an ancestor or other important cultural figure turned to stone by the gods. Mountain tops as well as man made structures were included as huacas. My rocks or huacas are reminders of our visits in this most incredible country. </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcfaLgif_MrttTQxG6o4kQZIo2mx_pdsllJ0xKLLD0ZxuURG8u_nNV2G_swbEZ9m0bFeKNTQRNLbGPixI76CyPNtHMaJ6XFcK-qD5H8-Dglnbb5YctFwpEY1nAV0NYacat6oXMtCfTjJA/s1600/intihuatana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitcfaLgif_MrttTQxG6o4kQZIo2mx_pdsllJ0xKLLD0ZxuURG8u_nNV2G_swbEZ9m0bFeKNTQRNLbGPixI76CyPNtHMaJ6XFcK-qD5H8-Dglnbb5YctFwpEY1nAV0NYacat6oXMtCfTjJA/s400/intihuatana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Intihuatana Stone, the most famous in all of Peru. It will cast no shadow</div><div style="text-align: left;">next week on on November 11 when the sun is at mid day. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div>With the Spanish conquest of Peru the stone work of the Inca ceased and in many cases the temples, buildings and shrines were torn down and or destroyed as they impeded religious conversion and change. The stones in these most beautiful in all of the world buildings, those that were not too large, were carried off by the Europeans to construct their New Spain. Sacsayhuaman, the magnificent fortress and religious site of the Inca above Cusco, is only a shadow of what is once was. The stones still in place are those simply too large and beyond the capacity of the colonists to haul away. Fortunately, as all can attest who have seen it, the world is grateful Machu Picchu was mostly left to the embrace of encroaching vegetation and overgrowth for 500 years. Had it been found it too certainly would have been destroyed.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvkI6G-woTFw5P-1bU9MzYxiSAvrWFUytB8cjKpAm2VLwrgaY70QCP5A87J3gQpbSCUHw9s9l8dLooH4jZcY1IZlaabI9ETccpdm4sWQXOchVijEqRkk2vKy9vvJHeHkciTPiuVcbqLCT/s1600/No+mortar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvkI6G-woTFw5P-1bU9MzYxiSAvrWFUytB8cjKpAm2VLwrgaY70QCP5A87J3gQpbSCUHw9s9l8dLooH4jZcY1IZlaabI9ETccpdm4sWQXOchVijEqRkk2vKy9vvJHeHkciTPiuVcbqLCT/s400/No+mortar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu reminiscent of Coricancha in Cusco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>No mortar was ever used in these stone structures and personal inspection confirms not a knife blade or even a piece of paper can be inserted between the stones. All the more impressive since the largest stones at Sacsayhuaman weigh upwards of 200 tons. </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzr8V7a1xqErO6Ay13-ZL2aAchzykV4lqrR5ptfBVdp05qcr2nGRkcf9wvnLkkVz4uEG0MNAj2JHl9fTzhfIL9ewF0mGLSINs1eV7nXXdXLjaU82xjskNwq59KJCXN9lSvto6jY3rX9eRp/s1600/Josh+in+Sacsay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzr8V7a1xqErO6Ay13-ZL2aAchzykV4lqrR5ptfBVdp05qcr2nGRkcf9wvnLkkVz4uEG0MNAj2JHl9fTzhfIL9ewF0mGLSINs1eV7nXXdXLjaU82xjskNwq59KJCXN9lSvto6jY3rX9eRp/s400/Josh+in+Sacsay.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandson Josh at Sacsayhuaman in August of this year.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One has to wonder if the children and grandchildren of the Inca might have considered the subsequent tremblers as churches, colonial mansions, and viceroyalty offices were leveled in quakes. Major earthquakes occurred in 1586, 1604, 1619, 1687, 1725, 1746, 1865, 1868, and throughout the 20th century. A major quake above 7 on the MMS scale occurs in Peru every hundred years. Lima was last severely hit last in 1974. The accompanying tsunami and flooding in the Port of Callao caused significant property damage and death. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The young Prince Siddartha might well have made his observation about the Noble Truth of Suffering had he had visited Peru. The noble truth of suffering as I understand is: "Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair..." </div><div><br />
</div><div>We continue to admire the people we have met here, their past, the beauty of their country and this privilege of working amongst them. They have endured and accomplished so much. We look forward to February when additional family will visit. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4zGIqiBDd7Iy3ro71e8l6ZGEPFO2GndoEq-iM_kVvyUIO-mMWInMbuu9NdD5cpvf_SnaL0LGfbyH8C2CoZ2iWzaj8OJLqOEc_8iBnRzO01gnaIAD4W4YEAHMMpmxeylLR0EVKRelf3I1/s1600/Ashler+Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4zGIqiBDd7Iy3ro71e8l6ZGEPFO2GndoEq-iM_kVvyUIO-mMWInMbuu9NdD5cpvf_SnaL0LGfbyH8C2CoZ2iWzaj8OJLqOEc_8iBnRzO01gnaIAD4W4YEAHMMpmxeylLR0EVKRelf3I1/s400/Ashler+Stone.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another example of the magnificent stone work at Machu Picchu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDREPe6oDHYWD_DQRi6JbHIJ7Of6WNJGzwOjhvY-bdLov8FY-gzT7imdtWcYORxZ8Pcy60KiUxIYk_IgVwqQuchyphenhyphenTVkl0EC8PdPesvwMfdEjK3tSicbpKUZ04Xy1ijAgWjl3TzREqV49qV/s1600/Mary+Sungate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDREPe6oDHYWD_DQRi6JbHIJ7Of6WNJGzwOjhvY-bdLov8FY-gzT7imdtWcYORxZ8Pcy60KiUxIYk_IgVwqQuchyphenhyphenTVkl0EC8PdPesvwMfdEjK3tSicbpKUZ04Xy1ijAgWjl3TzREqV49qV/s400/Mary+Sungate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary at the Sungate along the Inca Trail. Machu Picchu in the distance.<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div>This post is for you Mary. We are happy we could share it and Peru with you.<br />
<br />
With much love!<br />
<br />
Dad</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helmet, Freesans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-89579794625722090562011-10-11T09:36:00.000-07:002011-10-14T02:56:18.343-07:00Human Sacrifice, Max Hall, 6,000 Years of Habitation, and Cuy Curing Cancer...Peru has its equivalent of the National Enquirer in this newspaper cover we photoed on our recent trip to Trujillo. The sub headline reads, "Medical Science in the United States has found that an Enzyme in Guinea Pig Meat Shrinks Tumors." We have enjoyed very good cuy in Peru and some pretty mediocre plates too. A number of variety of foods and beverages are promoted for their various health benefits just as they are stateside. In traditional medicine of the Andes cuy were used and still are in the diagnosis of ailments by shamanistic healers. We will continue to enjoy cuy from time to time, but not necessarily for its anti-cancer properties. Presently, we are arranging a 'cuy night' at our local favorite restaurant in La Molina for the other Norte Americanos who have never experienced it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkXmUIMkuaWSYDnLXpQFwoXgh-OV-QIEztTE8aVbzH6Ckbo4kjFP0dKmgFSAVsKv4bUqfpCwWJqDVkIsQ8HKm11uXoj5Lj2XtcVoxAXs1L9WD0GBSe8-T9-igWXp9mQ7W9eTy3JqwwQfm/s1600/Cuy+cures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpkXmUIMkuaWSYDnLXpQFwoXgh-OV-QIEztTE8aVbzH6Ckbo4kjFP0dKmgFSAVsKv4bUqfpCwWJqDVkIsQ8HKm11uXoj5Lj2XtcVoxAXs1L9WD0GBSe8-T9-igWXp9mQ7W9eTy3JqwwQfm/s400/Cuy+cures.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Do you suppose the Cuy Growers Association of Peru was<br />
behind this to get us all to eat more meat? </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>In our recent trip to Trujillo we visited the Huacas del Sol, de la Luna and El Brujo. In the distance from the Huaca del Brujo we could see the Huaca la Prieta. This is a very old site, pre-ceramic, but not open to tourists. The middens or garbage dumps at this earliest site of la Prieta have interesting clues as to what early life was like on the north coast of ancient Peru. Cotton, likely native to the area, had been woven into fishing nets with the use of gourds and rocks for floats and anchors. Remnants of crustaceans, marine creatures, and primitive stone tools have been recovered, but no projectile points. A number of new world archaeologists suggest these earliest coastal <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/279327?origin=JSTOR-pdf">inhabitants came from the Amazon basin</a>, crossing the Andes from the headwaters of the Amazon River.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhFqsZRFzDj7KduFDOyx-U96lGagaWPiCDor2qoFH0cTgvAj6AInZFyTLNm24TX9Wjtzzes2FzGX8eboh6NPk2i03Xqw5emC_OhxAlQsBHdFEdHFIVEJFf9HMzuEObbmMmj88UH7H1ajH/s1600/Yuca+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlhFqsZRFzDj7KduFDOyx-U96lGagaWPiCDor2qoFH0cTgvAj6AInZFyTLNm24TX9Wjtzzes2FzGX8eboh6NPk2i03Xqw5emC_OhxAlQsBHdFEdHFIVEJFf9HMzuEObbmMmj88UH7H1ajH/s400/Yuca+cookies.jpg" width="388" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">RA's recent efforts in producing wonderful yuca based cookies. On the </div><div style="text-align: left;">left are a cheese and butter containing variety. The others are a raisin</div><div style="text-align: left;">or oatmeal equivalent but without the oatmeal. They also contain </div><div style="text-align: left;">kiwicha which is a popcorn popped quinoa seed. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>It is also believed from the Amazon came the yuca so widely used throughout the world today. It is also known as manioc and cassava. It is third in the world in the supply of carbohydrates as a food source. I am guessing rice is first in the world and potatoes are second. Tapioca is extracted from this yuca tuber. The question now is can we grown this in our garden in Utah when we return home? Yuca is served with nearly every meal in Peru, though our upstairs neighbor, the first counselor in the temple presidency, refers to it as "yuck-a." The Brazilians may have the best recipe for yuca or tapioca, though RA's cookies are wonderful, both types especially as they are hot from baking in the oven. In my life I have discovered almost anything vegetable in form, swimming with real butter, a little salt and pepper is good. The Brasileros make a tortilla from the yuca flour, fry it and while cooking sprinkle on cocoanut, banana slices, and chocolate. We have found very good yuca which is softer, maybe due to its freshness and also yuca that has about the same texture as a tree branch. Our new friend Walter, a taxi driver we met in Trujillo sent us a care package with very fresh yuca along with aji and papas, (peppers and potatoes.) Walter is going to take us to Chiclayo and Cajamarca on our next trip to Trujillo. We would like to go back next month as soon as we know what our schedules will be in the Temple.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoEie9KkjqVO4wbRaLYW5XB0zFhkFtMho0W8SqvKjfp_uZyBR5in0oBxyEX3Vn1ry3hkbgDYCJ4Srdtk_VpwBOTfWxRL_JaYnzqo_Oc4om70OjBnWt3SUNAiNcaZZP1LVYXeP8fXSQAAc/s1600/yuca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoEie9KkjqVO4wbRaLYW5XB0zFhkFtMho0W8SqvKjfp_uZyBR5in0oBxyEX3Vn1ry3hkbgDYCJ4Srdtk_VpwBOTfWxRL_JaYnzqo_Oc4om70OjBnWt3SUNAiNcaZZP1LVYXeP8fXSQAAc/s400/yuca.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The very fresh yuca Walter sent is at the bottom of this</div><div style="text-align: left;">image. He also sent two kinds of peppers that we enjoy, </div><div style="text-align: left;">a new one called aji mochero and aji rocoto alsong with</div><div style="text-align: left;">new can chan potatoes.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Also found in these middens of the pre ceramic cultures of northern Peru have been the skins and remnants of the San Pedro cactus which grows abundantly in South America from Ecuador to Chile. It too plays and important role in traditional medicine by the shamans. The Cusco area of Peru receives a number of young American and European tourists seeking spiritual cures or just a good high and they will visit a shaman. In addition they want to experience the power emanating from the Intihuatana Stone or other huacas that were and are important to the Inca and their predecessors. Spiritual experiences with a shaman centers around a brew or soup made from the San Pedro Cactus. It contains among other things a mescaline hallucinogen. Traditional medicine has often been the source for genuine medical discovery and investigation. The San Pedro Cactus possesses a compound that inhibits growth and destroys a number of varieties of penicillin resistant staphylococcus.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdGf6KHaYC7KD50YfigLQCyR-X_iIInNJSh9cQz7fY4gIjoW7DuaF-FelHiJ2C0KUSeq26gMYnWHXgzyBLerrRMcShMWvm7qhp3FBz-x2IfpW1uoAClMtFqs0mnSCH-gt4dyu2C-6ZcJr/s1600/San+Pedro+cactus*.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdGf6KHaYC7KD50YfigLQCyR-X_iIInNJSh9cQz7fY4gIjoW7DuaF-FelHiJ2C0KUSeq26gMYnWHXgzyBLerrRMcShMWvm7qhp3FBz-x2IfpW1uoAClMtFqs0mnSCH-gt4dyu2C-6ZcJr/s400/San+Pedro+cactus*.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A San Pedro Cactus next to the table where we dined in</div><div style="text-align: left;">Huanchaco, the beach city of Trujillo. It gets its name</div><div style="text-align: left;">because Saint Peter holds the keys to heaven and the </div><div style="text-align: left;">extract of this cactus allows the shaman and his clientele</div><div style="text-align: left;">to visit heaven. </div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CD_PUFppLvb-GhQgHTYvbApaWlzH4eNZSrIR8vYWPapY5akkLfdWZQG4CqRS5y0L7XkPbJZKS3WmAaaaJNBk27PGGef0yeQvcqrIaGYm6Rsets_yMll-eqM2YfbUh8moOozeHvfTm0-p/s1600/5000+years.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CD_PUFppLvb-GhQgHTYvbApaWlzH4eNZSrIR8vYWPapY5akkLfdWZQG4CqRS5y0L7XkPbJZKS3WmAaaaJNBk27PGGef0yeQvcqrIaGYm6Rsets_yMll-eqM2YfbUh8moOozeHvfTm0-p/s400/5000+years.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Huaca al la Prieta is one of the earliest sites on the North Coast, dating to</div><div style="text-align: left;">about 3500 BCE. In the foreground is a field of sugar cane, not native to Peru. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The site at El Brujo and la Prieta encompass 6,000 years of archaeological history from the earliest cultures of the area who initiated settlements through the conquest of the Chimor civilization by the Inca. It is a huge if not impossible challenge for scientists to piece together these bits of flotsam and jetsam of the past to construct the lives and activities of the former inhabitants. A written language seems to have been absent for long stretches of pre-Spanish Peru so we don't have readily accessed accounts of events in the lives of its former inhabitants. Quipu or Khipu is the very strange and complicated system of recording and conveying information. Cotton cords and knots along with alpaca wool and other fibers of varying colors were twisted into yarns and tied together in sequences that still escape the best efforts of linguists aided by complex computer programs to unravel their secrets. Quipus were used by Andean peoples as early as these very first civilizations and found in Caral, about 3000 BCE, where we visited earlier this year. Quipu or knots tied in strings were also used by early Chinese chroniclers and other peoples as well. So far they have largely escaped decoding. A professor at Harvard, Gary Urton, is leading the effort to decode this strange record keeping medium. It is known as the <a href="http://khipukamayuq.fas.harvard.edu/">Khipu Database Project. </a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wD2PjikPwZXSa_42fQFOCGaPzV5jX0eAkWMMDQFQXaJu2cb7uLRlmJYNnit1aYHDZt1GDAXf4XmK1knjKp3Ndd79D6l-KDU2VxpZbX0NKj5Rs0EiUMEfL_ME9kYvIzIM2XkPBG1E-N4g/s1600/Kipu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wD2PjikPwZXSa_42fQFOCGaPzV5jX0eAkWMMDQFQXaJu2cb7uLRlmJYNnit1aYHDZt1GDAXf4XmK1knjKp3Ndd79D6l-KDU2VxpZbX0NKj5Rs0EiUMEfL_ME9kYvIzIM2XkPBG1E-N4g/s400/Kipu.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The knots and cords correspond to a binary system of numbers.</div><div style="text-align: left;">It is speculated that a sequence of knots and cords could be tied</div><div style="text-align: left;">together giving the number 84014, a zip code, which would mean</div><div style="text-align: left;">Centerville Utah, USA. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Following this earliest culture who built La Prieta were the Moche. They were the first to incorporate urban construction around ceremonial centers, huacas and temples. An important component in the fabric of their religious life and society was human sacrifice. A number of friezes have been uncovered being very well preserved showing captive after captive being lead to the place of sacrifice. Human bones found in areas adjacent to these huacas show signs of freshly broken bones that had begun to knit back together. Injuries consistent with armed combat and warfare. Skulls have been studied too with evidence of blunt force trauma, being bashed in with stone or metal club. From the friezes and studies by the archaeologists there seems to have been quite an elaborate ritual surrounding this ceremony of human sacrifice. It involved ritual or real combat in which the 'loser' or victim was a warrior who lost his hat or helmet in the combat. Imagine Max Hall, the despised former BYU QB playing at Utah. If someone knocked off his helmet instead of becoming a sacrificial victim the home team would be awarded an extra 10 points. It would have to be a one time in a game score as his head would be literally knocked off during the course of an entire game. His captured helmet could then be displayed in the trophy cabinet at the Huntsman Center.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTKmrSC3X_qfEdEW5Z9URZgy-bsYzcToHlitA7Yw92nnFqmg9VY8sAz4TMQLXv4rtXL6wbfexmrTB-ij7XVh8mLo3sfI8HdbMu5uD7I-egRVKR933k62Ed2nNF8qgTVaiwsDD9ty_4j8u/s1600/Max+Hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTKmrSC3X_qfEdEW5Z9URZgy-bsYzcToHlitA7Yw92nnFqmg9VY8sAz4TMQLXv4rtXL6wbfexmrTB-ij7XVh8mLo3sfI8HdbMu5uD7I-egRVKR933k62Ed2nNF8qgTVaiwsDD9ty_4j8u/s400/Max+Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Hall did have a cool helmet. Do the Coogs have better helmets than the Utes?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In Mochica society this unfortunate or fortunate victim, depending on whose perspective, would be treated royally and administered the San Pedro Cactus soup just prior to his ritualistic execution. Scientists have pieced together evidence from the friezes suggesting the victim would be bathed and given a drink of a hallucinogenic cactus. Today the shaman accompany their San Pedro cactus brew with tobacco smoking or a strong shot of tobacco and honey juice up the nose. Coca leaves were also part of the apothecary of ancient Peru. Remnants of coca plants have been found in these earliest sites through the Mochica period and to the Inca. By the time the sacrificial victim was lead or carried to the place of execution he was in a trance like and euphoric state. Whether he would be bopped on the head, have his throat cut or both, it was not clear from our guide. If his throat was cut his blood would be collected and presented to the chief Mochica sitting on his platform overseeing the entire ceremony. His body would be thrown over the side and tumble into a waiting grave area. A Peruvian archaeologist associated with a university in Lima, among others, <a href="http://www.lindakreft.com/pdf/ceremony.pdf">has written</a> about the role of sacrifice among the Moche. He observed: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana;">The sacrifice of warriors seems to have had as its objective to choose candidates for the sacrifice among the most productive members of society. From the viewpoint of society, the sacrifice is the offering of one of its most valuable goods, while it shows unmistakably to all the state's right to exert violence and govern human life. The Mochica drawings seemingly tell us that the gods, represented by the warrior priests in the ceremonies, give life and therefore can take it away."</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_WpWxbaDQz2XiG-KLPQZ5uRokfD8lEKVNRtXTM0lO902brYRJo1v_RRnQpdjDJAUzhpwllBKDSKXEapYExWjDCgjAD03IzWsdnDmi4JBU1y6IYF61YhP6MmCJduwnpuq3IKTqT4nomnu/s1600/Sacrifice+victims.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_WpWxbaDQz2XiG-KLPQZ5uRokfD8lEKVNRtXTM0lO902brYRJo1v_RRnQpdjDJAUzhpwllBKDSKXEapYExWjDCgjAD03IzWsdnDmi4JBU1y6IYF61YhP6MmCJduwnpuq3IKTqT4nomnu/s400/Sacrifice+victims.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Sacrificial victims tied together on their way to execution. The genitals</div><div style="text-align: left;"> received special emphasis in the friezes suggesting their importance as</div><div style="text-align: left;">sacrificial victims in terms of their virility and strength. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhor-0Aef1gmgR8wqoyCdghgJyv_sgEJvMwsXdiCyKbz1mnk88A5fUjB5J_xK0zQMpxmbB8YiWPjltu-lYLybTpHouCnsUaxWx6sIfeCipWraiw2jdEpuQGiWU6psYJX7iR4aGk-rXD6Hhq/s1600/Mochica+sacrifice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhor-0Aef1gmgR8wqoyCdghgJyv_sgEJvMwsXdiCyKbz1mnk88A5fUjB5J_xK0zQMpxmbB8YiWPjltu-lYLybTpHouCnsUaxWx6sIfeCipWraiw2jdEpuQGiWU6psYJX7iR4aGk-rXD6Hhq/s200/Mochica+sacrifice.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A fine line drawing taken from a Mochica ceramic pot. Naked victims</div><div style="text-align: left;">are being lead and carrying others to the stand where the chief sits</div><div style="text-align: left;">waiting to drink the blood of the victims. Below the line are the dead</div><div style="text-align: left;">in the underworld. Note the ever present serpent. This serpent was<br />
recently unearthed along with carved stone birds in Southern Turkey<br />
at a site known as <a href="http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=gobeklitepe-site-unveils-mystery-2011-10-13">Gobekle Tepe.</a> That site is at least 11,000 years old.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A quick review of the cultures of the world on Wiki suggests human sacrifice was an integral part of nearly everyone's history. None seem to have been immune from it. This notion of pleasing the gods, insuring a successful harvest, bringing much needed rains, or the scapegoating of societies' shortcomings by attaching them to one or more victims of sacrifice was a common practice. From the witch trials of Salem Massachusetts, one could argue that human sacrifice is a thread in the tapestry of American history. This is a thread that lingers with us today, some would say, in state sanctioned executions, and assassinations of Muslim American US citizens living in the Middle East.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXesF0tfxxWZf-ZqjkbWs3A9gZhSKVftvqbx_8OJDbQTrvf3pijOkQMo2iDBs4MKAgzfMkKbWtcXLu3gVMVC24Q55I0yVSe8Ygb8K1t8NsMT-nbfAyppRKEVgGa50mn0O4JaZU9sNKD7i/s1600/witch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXesF0tfxxWZf-ZqjkbWs3A9gZhSKVftvqbx_8OJDbQTrvf3pijOkQMo2iDBs4MKAgzfMkKbWtcXLu3gVMVC24Q55I0yVSe8Ygb8K1t8NsMT-nbfAyppRKEVgGa50mn0O4JaZU9sNKD7i/s400/witch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A painting of an examination of a witch from the Salem period. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We continue to be fascinated by the history, the past, and the present of Peru. We make new friends and we experience life here a little differently. The things we see are troubling, the past is uncomfortable, and the present is often challenging. We observe present day Peruvians and we see incredible persistence and perseverance in dealing with their obstacles in life. We observe their faithfulness in pursuing their religious beliefs and dreams, whether it is coming to the Lima Temple, celebrating the groundbreaking of the Trujillo Temple or petitioning a Saint for intercession in one of the beautiful downtown cathedrals. I have found it comfortable to be in a Shinto Shrine of Japan or an Ottoman era Mosque of Istanbul. Likewise, it was a pleasant experience recently observing a midday Mass at the Church of Merced in Lima.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJl3-S60wyRApCl4JkUDaeozgzbKkR7iu8Ehks20dcz7vxXgYeWHZuuG_6oSrMIHGYqqu94fn-SaNPjPyKXkjY5jG-ewznFGSR2koLnvZF3lotgUALP59gj6JdUvbVnphCCAGEqI13YI2/s1600/Mercedes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJl3-S60wyRApCl4JkUDaeozgzbKkR7iu8Ehks20dcz7vxXgYeWHZuuG_6oSrMIHGYqqu94fn-SaNPjPyKXkjY5jG-ewznFGSR2koLnvZF3lotgUALP59gj6JdUvbVnphCCAGEqI13YI2/s400/Mercedes.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Church of the Merced built in the early 17th Century of </div><div style="text-align: left;">imported granite from Panama. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We add our prayers to those supplicants who seek redress, relief from pain, the privation, and the hardship of present day Peru. We love the people we have met and serve here for a time. We respect and appreciate their past, so rich in accomplishment and sacrifice.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfVRIjrDgvauvOX4MY1s_ic6UjoeENs17YeLENkc8XZOgycE8HK1fD5u6bpZxFvG-wveUcWQ2EFEnJoGVLuxT8He71jZHCB3VxKm27yfaNZdDJUn5RNVH5OD1cEVgtYW781z-fUI2wx9Z/s1600/El+Brujo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfVRIjrDgvauvOX4MY1s_ic6UjoeENs17YeLENkc8XZOgycE8HK1fD5u6bpZxFvG-wveUcWQ2EFEnJoGVLuxT8He71jZHCB3VxKm27yfaNZdDJUn5RNVH5OD1cEVgtYW781z-fUI2wx9Z/s400/El+Brujo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Huaca El Brujo or the shaman. It is partially covered to protect recently</div><div style="text-align: left;">uncovered friezes from the sea air and scarce rains. This huaca and others</div><div style="text-align: left;">was still being used by local shamans until near recent times for its power, </div><div style="text-align: left;">both in healing and visionary potential. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGA4-wUOBBD9SSVGqx_XPX5H2tSCm6_MvfIh7TqV8quitku9NJNJEDfUU5bYv4PQrO8pBOrcPF_8A0dPHBHUR2kMmniJFTmiPVINjuF-LeGExWwp106_s5Vs9xWBHxIdtdk5WKTgx7vbSm/s1600/Ayepec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGA4-wUOBBD9SSVGqx_XPX5H2tSCm6_MvfIh7TqV8quitku9NJNJEDfUU5bYv4PQrO8pBOrcPF_8A0dPHBHUR2kMmniJFTmiPVINjuF-LeGExWwp106_s5Vs9xWBHxIdtdk5WKTgx7vbSm/s400/Ayepec.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A frieze depicting the Mochica god Ayepec. Serpents seem to play and</div><div style="text-align: left;">important iconographic role associated with deities in the Americas. Note </div><div style="text-align: left;">also the feline jaguar teeth. Both the serpent and the jaguar were important<br />
symbols for the Inca a thousand years after the Moche people.<br />
<br />
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-6358137135109804062011-10-02T18:08:00.000-07:002011-10-03T06:13:25.363-07:00The LDS Temple in Trujillo Peru<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Last weekend due to Women's Conference our Lima Temple was closed Saturday afternoon so we flew north, for less than a one hour flight, to Trujillo. We have been wanting to visit this part of Peru for some time. Prior or our leaving, and while making preparations in Utah for our mission, we were advised by several Peruvian friends to wait until the Trujillo Temple is done because the weather is better there and the food too. We found both to be the case. The food exceeded expectations and weather most pleasant. Its climate is referred to as being 'primavera eterna' or eternal spring. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAgRG2o3Wg9Dm9ytlnV5Qh1024njgTR4chEU_ghjBtsGmR_q3RScYC8tpvgDR_05OxO8mw_JjwZ0hZiE9ZKXy0GMzAuurR2PFwhHJvVKC8uEjfNc1pcqhwsNaxYSaOv8but6pI9NoYza-/s1600/Trujillo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyAgRG2o3Wg9Dm9ytlnV5Qh1024njgTR4chEU_ghjBtsGmR_q3RScYC8tpvgDR_05OxO8mw_JjwZ0hZiE9ZKXy0GMzAuurR2PFwhHJvVKC8uEjfNc1pcqhwsNaxYSaOv8but6pI9NoYza-/s400/Trujillo+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Currently a very ugly and tall red metal fence surrounds the Temple site.</div><div style="text-align: left;">ASPERSUD is the acronym of the legal name of the Church in Peru. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOX-mWif5mJDI5iWxGMgEFunYCywrWa96ByMvXEDk5vi3dorHOl1FnvfMcBgDkao-Oalek3y9oOgDcUHhOAavYl9dHn-rxXzgPjC_aJDOm0bY3R4xTzjObeYpRxpNOFHrWiGJ3ZEbzvefg/s1600/Trujillo+site+before+the+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOX-mWif5mJDI5iWxGMgEFunYCywrWa96ByMvXEDk5vi3dorHOl1FnvfMcBgDkao-Oalek3y9oOgDcUHhOAavYl9dHn-rxXzgPjC_aJDOm0bY3R4xTzjObeYpRxpNOFHrWiGJ3ZEbzvefg/s400/Trujillo+site+before+the+fence.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Before the fence went up it was a farmer's field on what was originally the</div><div style="text-align: left;">Chimor city of Chan Chan. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpICNfBh-84jpK8NXbTv9q2-PoiR8zx-M0OlKoaPSQ-92c-N5q6oIGuNTziRTAXsZKt8SPQkCPJhPYz5O4p-tTRMnJUrqVlAa4alOnAZF_PTmoJ_FzQOOlGWj3bpi0b_31OYfhTOf67Nw/s1600/trujillo-mormon-temple-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpICNfBh-84jpK8NXbTv9q2-PoiR8zx-M0OlKoaPSQ-92c-N5q6oIGuNTziRTAXsZKt8SPQkCPJhPYz5O4p-tTRMnJUrqVlAa4alOnAZF_PTmoJ_FzQOOlGWj3bpi0b_31OYfhTOf67Nw/s400/trujillo-mormon-temple-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The architect's rendering of the Trujillo Temple. It is expected to be completed<br />
in 2014. It will be a little larger than the Templo de Lima but with two<br />
larger ordinance rooms rather than the smaller four room arrangement of Lima. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>In addition, there are some outstanding archaeological sites close by. In fact, the site of the Trujillo Temple and the surrounding businesses and development sits on the pre-Inca and Colombian site known as Chan Chan. Peru is a land of 10,000 temples and now there will be two Templos de Mormones. We and our Peruvian member friends are all very happy. Chan Chan is recognized as the largest of all Pre-Colombian cities in the Americas with a population ranging between 30,000 on the low end to as high as 60,000 by some accounts. Our very well educated guide believes that number to have been closer to 35,000. According to the archaeological investigations, it was common that areas of a city be devoted to a particular craft, skill or goods to be exchanged or sold. That practice has carried through and is the norm in Peru today except where the modern shopping centers based on US designs have sprung up in recent years. Gamara is an example of that as is La Parada, where we have shopped respectively for clothes and fabrics, fresh fruits and vegetables. So much of Lima and the other cities are organized in this way with streets of specializing in one product or service. You can find a street with nothing but muffler and tailpipe shops. Another street will have exclusively furniture such as chairs, tables, and dressers. Not far from us in La Molina is a street with light fixtures and crystal chandeliers. The merchants seem to prefer this arrangement as it is carried on from their early history and we had this explained to us while touring the ruins of Chan Chan. Archaeologists have determined different parts of this very large city were dedicated to specific tasks, functions, and enterprise, as we find in modern day Lima, Trujillo and the other cities here.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtko71StcV962ShoI77p0IdNTy5nkuSEkDxc3rBLHpp0wgz8g2hcHDkir00eVbSSbzBbAgH_EHKNVoZHjbREC8y-gQQSJ2Twc9KQxmyaFWK7OyjiAuZxLDK1DWEjyMpmNB4a2dDAPRgg_/s1600/chan+chan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtko71StcV962ShoI77p0IdNTy5nkuSEkDxc3rBLHpp0wgz8g2hcHDkir00eVbSSbzBbAgH_EHKNVoZHjbREC8y-gQQSJ2Twc9KQxmyaFWK7OyjiAuZxLDK1DWEjyMpmNB4a2dDAPRgg_/s400/chan+chan2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portions of Chan have been restored by archaeologists. Sifting through the<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">debris they have determined specific functions and activities in individual </div><div style="text-align: left;">neighborhoods. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpbKPpVLi32y8sn-eTNxsTaq0r0lT9sgDUNvF1n0KC23FA4ZpzNgdAEweoL1hZusloZ4zcwHSCWPna7zcAOO2g6Ogj7JGsZ4fxr9vru4BOXKjdF8ZNHL_kNucJd0Xzrh82gHVz4iwHUHy/s1600/Chan+Chan+stores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpbKPpVLi32y8sn-eTNxsTaq0r0lT9sgDUNvF1n0KC23FA4ZpzNgdAEweoL1hZusloZ4zcwHSCWPna7zcAOO2g6Ogj7JGsZ4fxr9vru4BOXKjdF8ZNHL_kNucJd0Xzrh82gHVz4iwHUHy/s400/Chan+Chan+stores.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The rains brought by El Niño and the flooding of the river damaged </div><div style="text-align: left;">much of the adobe ruins of Chan Chan. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise7HvDZqnzEGC1-MuMoglUdSJEMHhV_ceWFbl52XjqL_KTDqbjKNIsVsIIKriHL9VBw_79a7a4KwzuL2_-ESrEXKV6oGoaijYE-d5D1MdxDbk_6PAnG0Tc4GhbieOLsBs1iDuoLvEa4MM/s1600/Chan+Chan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEise7HvDZqnzEGC1-MuMoglUdSJEMHhV_ceWFbl52XjqL_KTDqbjKNIsVsIIKriHL9VBw_79a7a4KwzuL2_-ESrEXKV6oGoaijYE-d5D1MdxDbk_6PAnG0Tc4GhbieOLsBs1iDuoLvEa4MM/s400/Chan+Chan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Within Chan Chan are numerous religious sites known as huacas. These<br />
are oriented and laid out like the streets of Salt Lake City and the orientation<br />
of most Mormon Temples. Brother Nibley wrote to the Brethren complaining<br />
the Provo Temple was not oriented to the cardinal directions of the compass<br />
when its foundations were being poured. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Additionally, we visited several other sites close by to Trujillo from an earlier civilization known as the Moche or Mochica. They flourished in the northern regions of Peru from 100 CE to 800 CE. We have been impressed with the ceramics and art of this culture from our earlier visits to what has become our favorite museum in Lima, the Museo de Larco. The ceramics of the Mochica are the most lifelike and illustrate facial hair which does not seem to be as common in other portrayals among the indigenous of Peru. Their language too seems to have been unique and resists classification with other Amerindian types, but shares something in common with the Turkic and Altaic languages, that of <a href="http://linguistlist.org/issues/15/15-1401.html">using ablative suffixes.</a> The Mochican language died out in its entirety early in the 20th Century. Perhaps it is not surprising that <a href="http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DNA+links+found+between+ancient+Peruvians+and+Japanese.-a0212309314">Asian DNA</a> was discovered in bones from a tomb found in this area of Northern Peru. This DNA was identified that of the Ainu of Northern Japan, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people">whose origins seem to be from present day Mongolia.</a> The rise of sophisticated ceramics known as Valdivia in South America seems to correspond with the time period and style of <a href="http://history-world.org/andean.htm">Japanese pottery known as Jomon.</a> I recall reading a Scientific American journal article in college about the likelihood of a Japanese settlement in present day Ecuador.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYuS1lWZPD9AtP6CBzrXMchyphenhyphenzHrf069h6_qQhmLUghglfAf6jacQRYEBMq2lB3gfuo8odxl37LEQvteIBvVP_4glWe2Lq5qCwNTcJtKJv0eF1yieDnne99570lsezN1aOhMRevAWLbgt8/s1600/mochica+pottery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYuS1lWZPD9AtP6CBzrXMchyphenhyphenzHrf069h6_qQhmLUghglfAf6jacQRYEBMq2lB3gfuo8odxl37LEQvteIBvVP_4glWe2Lq5qCwNTcJtKJv0eF1yieDnne99570lsezN1aOhMRevAWLbgt8/s400/mochica+pottery.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">A very good example of Moche ceramic pot or vase.<br />
Maybe it was used for storing and pouring chi cha the<br />
fresh or fermented purple corn drink. The Mochica are<br />
known for the very much life like features of their<br />
ceramics. Pots like this were formed from two part molds,<br />
a number of which have survived and are still used by<br />
craftsmen to create replicas of which we bought one. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We want to return to Trujillo and venture further north to Chiclayo where awaits the royal tomb of the Señor de Sipan or the Lord of Sipan. It remains the most valuable of any tomb discovered in the Americas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu97XmYauH3pLIoRN-UXGj6_e1KxG-BpjALEzKulHzoASMs86dYBxRwxCN0rq7zeED2JlGl3rljpeejsh1EO5KdhtRUYihINwooktwet_xkgXNmozDHVBRu1WZfJYPcJB-RM2TUDIaFkDY/s1600/Lord+of+Sipan*.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu97XmYauH3pLIoRN-UXGj6_e1KxG-BpjALEzKulHzoASMs86dYBxRwxCN0rq7zeED2JlGl3rljpeejsh1EO5KdhtRUYihINwooktwet_xkgXNmozDHVBRu1WZfJYPcJB-RM2TUDIaFkDY/s400/Lord+of+Sipan*.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A mannequin dressed in the gold finery found around</div><div style="text-align: left;">the mummy of the Lord of Sipan. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>With the new Trujillo Temple functioning so many members of the Church will no longer have to endure tedious and relatively expensive bus trips to Lima that take between 10 and 16 hours from the north of the country. A new hospedaje or housing building is expected to be completed early next year on the Lima Temple grounds accommodating these weary and faithful travelers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0Amny6hClOEDc01TFnun42mpsOlcpA8wriqdB75IYJ5tC_XDDsTNL_L_wSKoWFU7Q8WryKak7iFVvi9xfup_ys-T5lrmPjO7VDGsGHoGmPSibgAOobTBfmaootKshVhzLafaBMJHPf56/s1600/hospedage+exterior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe0Amny6hClOEDc01TFnun42mpsOlcpA8wriqdB75IYJ5tC_XDDsTNL_L_wSKoWFU7Q8WryKak7iFVvi9xfup_ys-T5lrmPjO7VDGsGHoGmPSibgAOobTBfmaootKshVhzLafaBMJHPf56/s400/hospedage+exterior.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Exterior of the new hospedaje.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vC93DkJ8DzlMKDy4IR6sVywF2ocfyYGVmr6ad4g1yIeWosp5QjT6zWHyYKjXUOq5fmPrg6J-dguJ3-IcSgDYt2kP8AlSPytX25CGRIxwXmznQEgr1SwsPUys7nKWCNxcyhByC1CU2Rim/s1600/hospedage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vC93DkJ8DzlMKDy4IR6sVywF2ocfyYGVmr6ad4g1yIeWosp5QjT6zWHyYKjXUOq5fmPrg6J-dguJ3-IcSgDYt2kP8AlSPytX25CGRIxwXmznQEgr1SwsPUys7nKWCNxcyhByC1CU2Rim/s400/hospedage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RA and the Presidente tour the apartments for the temple missionaries. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>There is more to write about our trip to Trujillo and the sites of El Brujo, Huaca del Sol y Luna but they must wait for another time. We continue to be fascinated with the history and people of this incredible land.Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-78838029257501826422011-09-23T18:18:00.000-07:002011-09-28T05:47:28.674-07:00Cebiche de Pato and 52 Weeks in Peru.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This past week we noted the anniversary of our arrival to "Peru" at the MTC in Provo. Our grandson CP, three years old at the time, knew we were leaving home for our mission to Peru. As we exited the freeway, his dad Kyle driving, he asked, "Are we in Peru yet?" Without a doubt the most difficult part of being a missionary this past year is missing our grandkids. They are growing, learning, and developing so quickly and we are so far away. The best I can do is order Thomas the Tank Engine components from Amazon and send them to Indiana or other things to Salt Lake and Centerville. We miss our friends in Utah, California, the <a href="http://norcalaidscycle.org/">NCAC</a> of 2011, and our house of course, tucked away in the redwood forest.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_etWhbNcfla3pEAgm189JDZ2__2jXtEgONtbgSI9gnfGJaM0OSsymPuSH2ang_O0NBv9Ssu8rJ2pv7hVO2Px3CN0BADc0mI5-ItJygEI4JgStdvmkD9I-j4ntQZBxpQc0XIoAy5Oqobr/s1600/Entry+MTC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_etWhbNcfla3pEAgm189JDZ2__2jXtEgONtbgSI9gnfGJaM0OSsymPuSH2ang_O0NBv9Ssu8rJ2pv7hVO2Px3CN0BADc0mI5-ItJygEI4JgStdvmkD9I-j4ntQZBxpQc0XIoAy5Oqobr/s400/Entry+MTC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CP and his grandparents at the Provo MTC, September 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz794W-tc59PeIPv_X-RaACn8k75a8wMYTP_pXjGX2hKK87iZ1LBcjTOWdZzP0pvGjUkyHUJcJeaOP9iQlBgqeGGTu-FglR5hbpNgmzEGX6B-TKcsh5JLAhoOluiDNbt2aGCyV3yN5WVvj/s1600/RA%2526GF+Casma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz794W-tc59PeIPv_X-RaACn8k75a8wMYTP_pXjGX2hKK87iZ1LBcjTOWdZzP0pvGjUkyHUJcJeaOP9iQlBgqeGGTu-FglR5hbpNgmzEGX6B-TKcsh5JLAhoOluiDNbt2aGCyV3yN5WVvj/s400/RA%2526GF+Casma.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">When we can we like to visit a number of Peru's fascinating archaeological sites.<br />
This photo is from the Cechin Bajo site near Casma on one of our trips where we<br />
first experienced cebiche de pato with our friend C.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In honor of our one year anniversary we enjoyed several events. First of all, our friend C. came over last Monday and cooked us cebiche de pollo. He originally intended to prepare cebiche de pato, but C. was unsure about the age of any ducks in the market, therefore he substituted chicken. Pato is duck in Spanish. Unlike traditional cebiche with fish, the pato or pollo dishes are cooked thoroughly. The common denominator being the use of lemon in the marinade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS-2diU2r3Z47ccqmONCOhprGkJuJPkBypCUdFO5ZDyzX7hmSzSrFsRaDSuCR-BMOzomGsWQmzFRN6r1V3LnyqR1tbxZYVF04GRRamfy_lwI7v2DVxfR5DQL-CZtasOdD8FlRaEDi8JlP/s1600/cesar+ceb+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTS-2diU2r3Z47ccqmONCOhprGkJuJPkBypCUdFO5ZDyzX7hmSzSrFsRaDSuCR-BMOzomGsWQmzFRN6r1V3LnyqR1tbxZYVF04GRRamfy_lwI7v2DVxfR5DQL-CZtasOdD8FlRaEDi8JlP/s400/cesar+ceb+2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the red onions for the cebiche marinade</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu-77NXNgo1w879rvvehAMdfvKbvRnsTPOxM6rNp4ETIegyz7__LWGQOFxOkbiDTTn4Jv_LUmSxDiw-W1N8VJwB2bPkbri-ULWc7zYBofjIop6xOVV-dgNpHnfEkGRjX1YxVzVEEhFrsh/s1600/cesar+papas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu-77NXNgo1w879rvvehAMdfvKbvRnsTPOxM6rNp4ETIegyz7__LWGQOFxOkbiDTTn4Jv_LUmSxDiw-W1N8VJwB2bPkbri-ULWc7zYBofjIop6xOVV-dgNpHnfEkGRjX1YxVzVEEhFrsh/s400/cesar+papas1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The washed papas ready for cooking. Once cooked some of the skin or eyes </div><div style="text-align: left;">were removed. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>In addition to the pollo, he prepared yucca and a new variety of papa or potatoes that we had not tried before. It is similar to huayro papas, but a little different. They are sold in La Parada and we agreed we will go back there again with him to shop for several more varieties of potatoes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTev2N7ojFioMGBx7w3upWHwsL2PNaxByu4svP0fce4hV__t_-V8rIXtGTO05egm_9AZt1QV9drcEqCmz1FBb8PjSyRAkjO48dODAVENg3Uz9xmLuv3p7LB6sJNirdXwIxeWUaCaIEPdsP/s1600/cesar+cebic+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTev2N7ojFioMGBx7w3upWHwsL2PNaxByu4svP0fce4hV__t_-V8rIXtGTO05egm_9AZt1QV9drcEqCmz1FBb8PjSyRAkjO48dODAVENg3Uz9xmLuv3p7LB6sJNirdXwIxeWUaCaIEPdsP/s400/cesar+cebic+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the marinade in with the pollo. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Kf_JviE0JgjX2p8AEn22c8pGoEzjPlS9TkqnIB5dZfVyWpBFvzbmVgDUwph3BLCsydlYGpD-gEheAsiWzqyVAI-rfql4VEpRK2dzW_1t3_G1UqUs_DaTv-exuvGCyAUjkEYpju_dQjv7/s1600/cesar+cebiche3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Kf_JviE0JgjX2p8AEn22c8pGoEzjPlS9TkqnIB5dZfVyWpBFvzbmVgDUwph3BLCsydlYGpD-gEheAsiWzqyVAI-rfql4VEpRK2dzW_1t3_G1UqUs_DaTv-exuvGCyAUjkEYpju_dQjv7/s400/cesar+cebiche3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After several hours of preparation and cooking the plates are being loaded.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBimB_-yYN8gEYY93ecHy7QSObmzOybZ3TNsQ7xOEUb4fzCDyJugJ8sNFnZKTVXf_fBBgKD3PIrIaXq0JdRx2nRvz0ivZo8KMcICUwBU0KsN-WP0ctddbJbPjzUv9_6kuBWJ6hmVIbUrz1/s1600/cebiche+on+plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBimB_-yYN8gEYY93ecHy7QSObmzOybZ3TNsQ7xOEUb4fzCDyJugJ8sNFnZKTVXf_fBBgKD3PIrIaXq0JdRx2nRvz0ivZo8KMcICUwBU0KsN-WP0ctddbJbPjzUv9_6kuBWJ6hmVIbUrz1/s400/cebiche+on+plate.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Cebiche de Pollo, papas, and yucca. It was very very good as C. is a great cook.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next, we enjoyed a very surprising football game between the Utes and Cougars. Who would have thought the game would be so completely lopsided and dominated by Utah? It was in their house too. A local BYU diehard even gave me six points on the game so we are planning an evening out at our favorite restaurant. We'll likely go to El Hornero as their steaks are very good. Somehow eating "dead meat" is appropriate to honor Coach Bronco and his team's failure to execute.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEzZJhWDN0bV7MMMXVO5BZxWUx78a5UkZ1MYUK27ZoBwkiHtnh5JbO5m0JKEfXDq1V8NIF0Yxo_59h6bixRTcj63SfeICrsUbHgIoTouBm834OU4vqsiyzWDgCnR_0X4vSPPuQc4DoJY5/s1600/Utah_BYU_Football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUEzZJhWDN0bV7MMMXVO5BZxWUx78a5UkZ1MYUK27ZoBwkiHtnh5JbO5m0JKEfXDq1V8NIF0Yxo_59h6bixRTcj63SfeICrsUbHgIoTouBm834OU4vqsiyzWDgCnR_0X4vSPPuQc4DoJY5/s400/Utah_BYU_Football.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">QB Jake Heaps coughing up one of numerous fumbles against Utah last week.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This weekend we are flying to Trujillo where the new Temple groundbreaking occurred last week. The Lima Temple is closed for the Women's Conference. We would like to visit the construction site, learn if bicycles can be ridden in that part of Peru, and tour several archaeological sites close by.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIVPw_gTxvABJFcPLaLzwgD_ccKOjoE_wa8z44M6Azxub2GWQ_-oT-Lx8TMITpMXOMHG2Ce_MtZCbiyVPxetrwkxNOmps9Vmrl-rh0bFYpp01DD9DgOpDmT6k0_dKznu5wlUZdz1qUInp/s1600/trujillo-mormon-temple-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIVPw_gTxvABJFcPLaLzwgD_ccKOjoE_wa8z44M6Azxub2GWQ_-oT-Lx8TMITpMXOMHG2Ce_MtZCbiyVPxetrwkxNOmps9Vmrl-rh0bFYpp01DD9DgOpDmT6k0_dKznu5wlUZdz1qUInp/s400/trujillo-mormon-temple-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Artist's drawing of the new Trujillo Temple. Likely, it will be 9700 square feet</div><div style="text-align: left;">with two endowment rooms making it a little larger the Lima Temple</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The largest pre-Colombian city in the Americas is close to Trujillo. It is known as Chan Chan and was built by a pre-Inca people known as the Chimor. Estimates range upwards of 30,000 inhabitants. Marine motifs and engravings of reed boats suggest a seafaring ability. The Chimor were the descendents of an earlier seafaring culture known as the Moche. Somewhere among the time period of these two cultures the spread of the Peruvian sweet potato or camote to Polynesia occurred. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQF7D6FQVosZarnaCmGhZMSqmYAiU0kG1SInqs5HM_I_xUZansEutYxECXTae-Fsh5dabq_KurwWiVkCqsRaoM_36cfpcDiW5_cbjsdPUfMvsmRkNN79iLJREa5vcV83dbGY2focvq1mG/s1600/chanchanhor06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvQF7D6FQVosZarnaCmGhZMSqmYAiU0kG1SInqs5HM_I_xUZansEutYxECXTae-Fsh5dabq_KurwWiVkCqsRaoM_36cfpcDiW5_cbjsdPUfMvsmRkNN79iLJREa5vcV83dbGY2focvq1mG/s400/chanchanhor06.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Chimor prospered in their city of Chan Chan for nearly 600 years prior</div><div style="text-align: left;">to the arrival of conquering Incan arnies.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We will have photos and another post from our visit to Chan Chan, Trujillo, and several nearby sites. We have recommendations for a couple restaurants in the area and the food, according to most travel guides and our Peruvian friends, is better than what we find in Lima, except for our friend C. and Brother and Sister Ramos. The weather is more agreeable too. Among Peruvians Trujillo is recognized as having a perpetual spring or 'primavera eterna' in Spanish.<br />
<br />
***Update/Flash: While we were in Trujillo we received an email from Alice with the news that CP, our four year old grandson, had scored his first goal as a soccer player. He has grown a lot in a year and has benefited from older brothers teaching him his sweet soccer skills. A parent of a player on the other team observed, "That little red headed boy is the best player on their team." We will be on the sidelines for 5 year old soccer next season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnyaoQMb7zOGycyDP3HZbPGSuiMCSHrfEZGNQrhUiVSu5SvVWUj0eJ9EmyNJ8dSmslt0_cbUvU06doGwWwgH0n4ovyupAf5uuaWxwDkk_HQ8LKXY07SvFeI8aqXJZJSC9fc554BVk6meY/s1600/CP+Soccer+GoalR-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXnyaoQMb7zOGycyDP3HZbPGSuiMCSHrfEZGNQrhUiVSu5SvVWUj0eJ9EmyNJ8dSmslt0_cbUvU06doGwWwgH0n4ovyupAf5uuaWxwDkk_HQ8LKXY07SvFeI8aqXJZJSC9fc554BVk6meY/s400/CP+Soccer+GoalR-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CP in the "zone" racing with the ball toward the goal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-85119070130829146372011-09-10T17:22:00.000-07:002011-11-28T05:46:18.354-08:00Potato Tales from Peru, with Love...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week has been very enjoyable for us as we were able to meet and work with the new missionaries assigned to the Lima Temple from the USA. We shared a little time in training and then had a pleasant lunch and conversation on Sunday. RA and I contributed a dish served cold or at room temperature called 'papas a la huancaina.' Literally it means 'potatoes from Huancayo,' which is a city and district in Peru to the east of Lima in the central highlands. The original inhabitants, or Huancas as they were known, aside from developing this wonderful recipe for cheesy potatoes supported the Spanish Conquistadores against the Inca. They assumed the Europeans would be better overlords than the Inca. In hindsight, three hundred years of slavery, and working the Spanish silver mines proved that decision to have been uninformed.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9k2L-i-W-XVgUC569H8Zy3L05l5HzAtVGWEiAE4IjtIk3k1drhrQREuFNnhjs92BY6qXaMEPAIb6Bj4G46MljuAaqXs82lRwAfgqZtfTaDfGX9phO9IjOjjy-rnXdMAUYaP7f0rWrqYV/s1600/Papas+a+la+huancaina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9k2L-i-W-XVgUC569H8Zy3L05l5HzAtVGWEiAE4IjtIk3k1drhrQREuFNnhjs92BY6qXaMEPAIb6Bj4G46MljuAaqXs82lRwAfgqZtfTaDfGX9phO9IjOjjy-rnXdMAUYaP7f0rWrqYV/s320/Papas+a+la+huancaina.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Papas a la Huancaina, courtesy of Wiki. We did not take any</div><div style="text-align: left;">photos. </div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjflsryL8KvEY-Q7GKrvl5XnSF-aEx3Dbx4zpMrNnfz_FcBtq9zgD2luR9-JxKdHN_OH2TARCDcs6xxl32ACl7KqFOg6JwkJzR-99dYD_3_XcOlWBVWNu_COpRphlWmau9K9U0zYJYQk3/s1600/papas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjflsryL8KvEY-Q7GKrvl5XnSF-aEx3Dbx4zpMrNnfz_FcBtq9zgD2luR9-JxKdHN_OH2TARCDcs6xxl32ACl7KqFOg6JwkJzR-99dYD_3_XcOlWBVWNu_COpRphlWmau9K9U0zYJYQk3/s400/papas.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The potato or papas section in our local grocery store, increíble </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We have found this dish is not often served in Peruvian restaurants as it is easily made at home. I have included <a href="http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/beansgrainspotatoes/r/papashuan.htm">the link to the recipe</a> we used. The ingredients would not be the same stateside as in Peru but some improvising and substituting is possible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSWSYYcZrbrdYsnDMabKGdoInofCmXjkeLBLyTtTPqsS__55GGn7TLFfZzXRTFOA2js6CLFxr8UWNn7z0roWT6tVyGGPzhe-QPWCoNWV6JdeBW6d1vpK7MmoWswf8hQFWb73s0IasAuBa/s1600/huayro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSWSYYcZrbrdYsnDMabKGdoInofCmXjkeLBLyTtTPqsS__55GGn7TLFfZzXRTFOA2js6CLFxr8UWNn7z0roWT6tVyGGPzhe-QPWCoNWV6JdeBW6d1vpK7MmoWswf8hQFWb73s0IasAuBa/s400/huayro.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Huayro potatoes are maybe mi favorita. They have purple skins and streaks<br />
within making them popular with local chip manufacturers. Too good to<br />
waste in chips in my opinion.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since coming to Peru we have experienced several varieties of potatoes or 'papas' as they are known in the Quechua language. We are coming to appreciate the subtleties of their flavor and texture. Potatoes will never ever be the same again for us as they are so superior to anything from Idaho or east of the Cascades in Washington or Oregon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gi8mLXu02KDR0qjam3aAvt5y1QutqqW1wvlXRlUBgOuSgUiDxY2gGRIWX56sUz1QaxrIUJyVpE8dpKp0pB6EDyH6SdlVfMeou2QDSx-oB3mq6A0aK9TlmYXT9gayWLP6g6zJFCzX95Xy/s1600/Papas+y+cuy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gi8mLXu02KDR0qjam3aAvt5y1QutqqW1wvlXRlUBgOuSgUiDxY2gGRIWX56sUz1QaxrIUJyVpE8dpKp0pB6EDyH6SdlVfMeou2QDSx-oB3mq6A0aK9TlmYXT9gayWLP6g6zJFCzX95Xy/s400/Papas+y+cuy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Cuy with Can Chan Papas. This type absorbs the flavor of meat or</div><div style="text-align: left;">stews in which they are cooked, excellent. This dish was prepared by</div><div style="text-align: left;">our friends the Ramos. </div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZImpxrBNTdlaQEz1GYkuqaRlvsJ2A-OEBgLN05y9YkfU0UJcMhEPNrwzG1rRTzJacyRSZZDXPdrrKYUFC5Y_Pzg_DP-8GDmknxCM85i6iKvOVgTJtEWoF9oiuo3p5kBrard_Eq3t0__bk/s1600/Sweet+Potato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZImpxrBNTdlaQEz1GYkuqaRlvsJ2A-OEBgLN05y9YkfU0UJcMhEPNrwzG1rRTzJacyRSZZDXPdrrKYUFC5Y_Pzg_DP-8GDmknxCM85i6iKvOVgTJtEWoF9oiuo3p5kBrard_Eq3t0__bk/s400/Sweet+Potato.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Andean camote or sweet potato from which Polynesian potatoes are<br />
genetically linked.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Potatoes, like other things we enjoy, originated in the Andean region of South America including, beans, peppers, ground cherries, tomatoes, cotton, several varieties of corn, and peanuts. The earliest potatoes according to several accounts were first cultivated 7 to 10,000 years ago. The first Peruanos or human inhabitants arrived here some 12,000 years ago. One of their first habitations is known as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b><a href="http://www.andaman.org/BOOK/chapter54/text-Guitarrero/text-Guitarrero.htm">Guitarrero Cave</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>.</b></span> A human mandible was found there along with remnants of many meals of corn, beans, and peppers. A fire stick, as seen on reruns of TV's Survivorman, was also recovered from the site. I was never successful making fires with one of these as a Boy Scout.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IfLVJlYlnz0yb0gMlgkbRpN-GIPAVpvLDusOzjBsGiCNliBJz9h6Wlhqj9rRCIPKCBxeXZKZQDnMOd6M45C2gSztyphmR_NhE8HO-7HscO5-NOHMZ4jp7ds7ZIat0lLl-RFno145ZOKr/s1600/Guitarrero-Cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_IfLVJlYlnz0yb0gMlgkbRpN-GIPAVpvLDusOzjBsGiCNliBJz9h6Wlhqj9rRCIPKCBxeXZKZQDnMOd6M45C2gSztyphmR_NhE8HO-7HscO5-NOHMZ4jp7ds7ZIat0lLl-RFno145ZOKr/s400/Guitarrero-Cave.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Guitarrero Cave not far from Casma. These people were likely the ancestors </div><div style="text-align: left;">of the Chavin long before the Inca but possessed sweet metal working and </div><div style="text-align: left;">soldering skills. </div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPExtjAnX5QxtZOKKkI81SEpX7WaZfPMJOMwMEeZeF7bnpjZiCZkR6sK13khs4xitFl3Y1Ni6JMeqIaeENAGgQVqT1C57pVRMFCbH1XHG-C9vWmk8MmyQaDx2imq6blF0wCdlXW8sZ30Cp/s1600/Guitarrero-Firestick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPExtjAnX5QxtZOKKkI81SEpX7WaZfPMJOMwMEeZeF7bnpjZiCZkR6sK13khs4xitFl3Y1Ni6JMeqIaeENAGgQVqT1C57pVRMFCbH1XHG-C9vWmk8MmyQaDx2imq6blF0wCdlXW8sZ30Cp/s400/Guitarrero-Firestick.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fire stick recovered from Guiterrero Cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Of potatoes, there are more than 3500 varieties in Peru. Genetically, the Polynesian sweet potato's home was in the Andean altiplano to the south of Peru near Lake Titicacca. <a href="http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/sweet_potato.htm">The oldest sweet potato</a> discovered, so far in Peru, was found in another cave called the Tres Ventanillas and carbon dated 10,000 years ago in the Chilca Canyon of Huancayo Region. I wonder how long the Huancas have been cooking papas and with their cheesy pepper potato sauce. So far, I have not found any information on radio carbon dated Huancaina sauce.<br />
<br />
One theory for the spread of the Andean sweet potato discounts the seafaring ability of either early Peruvians or Polynesians and suggests the non European transmission of the sweet potato from Peru to Hawaii and the other islands of the Pacific was accomplished by seeds floating on the surf or carried aloft in the guts of the plover birds. The problem with this theory of diffusion is the Peruvian and Polynesian sweet potato must be started from cuttings from a vine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p7-LY_5N05ykmiGik9BnsP-Hn3x_VJ28YPE2eKSlJ4kpDXgh9Qu_up-Ft-Zt6atQd34g4waY9Rx8k8OgGxYIVZp_oLLLEGaYhOOPu5WKnSLNrS2nNUJmDO-njji4yirgTvn21qhq4RlT/s1600/sweet_potato_vine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2p7-LY_5N05ykmiGik9BnsP-Hn3x_VJ28YPE2eKSlJ4kpDXgh9Qu_up-Ft-Zt6atQd34g4waY9Rx8k8OgGxYIVZp_oLLLEGaYhOOPu5WKnSLNrS2nNUJmDO-njji4yirgTvn21qhq4RlT/s400/sweet_potato_vine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Potato vines of Polynesia and Peru</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Nazca culture of early Peru have been suggested as the sailors responsible for these trans Pacific crossings. These are the people who created the giant and strange geoglyphs or Nazca Lines of Southern Peru. They flourished from approximately 300 BCE to 800 CE. A number of marine animals have been caricatured in their pottery and art, giving rise to the belief they were familiar with the sea and were possibly a seagoing people. Another mysterious geoglyph is above the entrance to Pisco Bay in Paracas. It can be seen about 12 miles out to sea. No one presently knows why it was constructed or what it symblizes. Theories range from it being a symbol for the Andean God Viracocha to a Masonic symbol. Carbon dating of pottery shards found near it place it during the era of the Paracas Culture of 200 BCE, predating that of the Nazca.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MIbCELDFiY29ijzFCaAKd3YA2SJYJs4awTsnESOuBKm0yZnZbNsnRmUXSkgWUrLETFbC4tOSUexQxalenDAFBFK53zG7aIUvsdNOCygHFXDdcE9fuH-vIXBAzaJUq3pfJeNc5xvWfjV1/s1600/Candelabra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MIbCELDFiY29ijzFCaAKd3YA2SJYJs4awTsnESOuBKm0yZnZbNsnRmUXSkgWUrLETFbC4tOSUexQxalenDAFBFK53zG7aIUvsdNOCygHFXDdcE9fuH-vIXBAzaJUq3pfJeNc5xvWfjV1/s400/Candelabra.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Candelabra as it is called, taken from the boat on our way to the</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ballestas Islands during our August vacation.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Radio Carbon Dating and DNA studies on residues from the Cook Islands and other island locations disclose the Andean sweet potato arrived there between 1000 and 1100 CE and in Hawaii by 1290-1430 CE. Furthermore, Quechua and Maori I have been told by several of my educated Peruvian friends, share a few language cognates. This information may have come from work in the 1920's by an Italian/Argentine linguist. For example, the word for 'water' in Cusco Quechua is 'unu' while in Maori and Easter Island "unu" is to drink water. A fighting platform in Maori is called a 'puuhara' while in Quechua a 'pukhara' is a fortress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7cC3JPFd-MSpcnPuHoFVpnHBluV-4rVchGBwHnYsHZlWIY0_2ydWQRSZIMVsCXCkNBklbA2rDqm0jjrig8wweBHtnZiv7izU12_RPxdgiVG8DzzSXN8IBb4EJKEI94yzhndnpWMRUG2D/s1600/candelabra+gogle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7cC3JPFd-MSpcnPuHoFVpnHBluV-4rVchGBwHnYsHZlWIY0_2ydWQRSZIMVsCXCkNBklbA2rDqm0jjrig8wweBHtnZiv7izU12_RPxdgiVG8DzzSXN8IBb4EJKEI94yzhndnpWMRUG2D/s400/candelabra+gogle.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Candelabra with better shadowing taken from the Web</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Very early on in the expansion of the Inca Empire a technique was developed to freeze dry several varieties of potatoes and fully preserve their nutritional value for extended periods of time. The process took all of five days from start to finish. This was accomplished without vacuum chambers and liquid nitrogen cryogenic temperatures. This type of dried potatoes is called 'chuño' or 'papas secas.' We are wanting to try them too at some point. The potatoes are laid out at night in the subzero temperatures of the Andes and then exposed to direct sunlight during the day. They were also flattened several times in the process by the feet of the indigenous Quechua. Once freeze dried they could be stored indefinitely. Carried on the backs of Inca warriors they provided the energy and fueled the expansion of the greatest empire in pre-Colombian Americas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f5RFIqQ-_7u789vVfyKOCjsCzZAYzp_Kj9lmztksd0hUN2m8oubC472tx3mv6PaX8MHpAD469VvfG73Ux1FXEfDehJB1_oIyu7pc2s85FzqGVElVZ6pvEHtKcsouMFdgC_vAWkQhL7EG/s1600/inca+mummy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6f5RFIqQ-_7u789vVfyKOCjsCzZAYzp_Kj9lmztksd0hUN2m8oubC472tx3mv6PaX8MHpAD469VvfG73Ux1FXEfDehJB1_oIyu7pc2s85FzqGVElVZ6pvEHtKcsouMFdgC_vAWkQhL7EG/s400/inca+mummy.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">An Inca mummy in the fetal position. This type </div><div style="text-align: left;">of preservation was reserved for the the nobles </div><div style="text-align: left;">and ruling elites. It was accomplished in the same</div><div style="text-align: left;">manner of freeze drying potatoes. Internal organs </div><div style="text-align: left;">were first removed and then the drying and freezing </div><div style="text-align: left;">could begin. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>This extensive variety of Peruvian potatoes has made it possible to keep crops safe worldwide in our era. This potato diversity has been necessary in preventing anything like The Great Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1852. It was the narrowness of so few cultivars or species brought back by the Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries that allowed a blight to infect and destroy harvests in Ireland. More than a million Irish died of starvation and another million migrated. The entire population of Ireland was reduced by 25%. Among the emigres were Patrick and Bridget Murphy Kennedy whose grandson Joseph P. would be appointed and return to the British Isles as the Ambassador to the Court of St. James by FDR. He was the founder and Patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty in America.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjun9gweqvaOF0GUmkRB9w-jSVJS_3CfQxyFfC2rI3Smz23WoXdWkQnYB1nM82H5IbobhnLOxRkVjCEmPUGlrznYgZ-51z44Glj6xXp06YzZFs83rHQw7ZucJXPuapL0mFGhMP2FG-naW/s1600/Joseph+Kennedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjun9gweqvaOF0GUmkRB9w-jSVJS_3CfQxyFfC2rI3Smz23WoXdWkQnYB1nM82H5IbobhnLOxRkVjCEmPUGlrznYgZ-51z44Glj6xXp06YzZFs83rHQw7ZucJXPuapL0mFGhMP2FG-naW/s400/Joseph+Kennedy.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patriarch and Ambassador Joe Kennedy Sr. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>The rest, as they say, is history. Among Irishmen the saying goes that "God sent the blight, but the British caused the famine." Ireland's pastoral countryside was highly desired and taken over by the English because of their taste for beef following the spread of wealth of the industrial revolution. Reduced to smaller and smaller parcels of growable land, the Irish poor turned to the potato and it became their main food source. Without diversity and with no resistance to blight the Irish potato crops were destroyed. Nowhere else in Europe were the consequences so dire or a people more dependent on the potato for survival than in Ireland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqbg-bp7fo9dpbuhcWizxVWqulPqYDf5Y1vVyRyKGDbclITV2uSXWTpKfUTnkOWlM3Sba6kKiPOrPjydM0xiS_E5Auzyq4zPNsKzmx1eBdOGjbSe63dGoYKq_LRUuBd79wPPydd0UxZ4O/s1600/Irish+famine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqbg-bp7fo9dpbuhcWizxVWqulPqYDf5Y1vVyRyKGDbclITV2uSXWTpKfUTnkOWlM3Sba6kKiPOrPjydM0xiS_E5Auzyq4zPNsKzmx1eBdOGjbSe63dGoYKq_LRUuBd79wPPydd0UxZ4O/s400/Irish+famine.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The face of Irish famine, a mother and her children.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The lowly Peruvian potato or papa has played a much larger role in the story of things, more than being a food source for ten thousand some odd years here in Peru. Life for the potato farmer in Peru is probably not a lot better than his Irish counterparts were in the mid 19th Century. The potato growing regions are among the poorest in the country and local residents struggle to buy their daily bread due to the increases in cost of wheat and transportation. The government is encouraging its residents to eat more of their own product and also bread made with potato flour. All the while they search for markets abroad for the almost infinite variety and subtlety of colors, textures, shapes and flavors of the Peruvian potato<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #464646; font-family: verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc_eiYtHtnAW9p_Zq7jLvlEbHUqxhtsaqVco0ry_IY4tka0IweqM7rawSpmoHymGQl8IcTCB6Oyv71FjVjzFoim51j9QT17PW4vo7UuEy66TPKn75_2eBHYHOjcdwgYZ136tGMu1uD-Go/s1600/Planting+potatos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkc_eiYtHtnAW9p_Zq7jLvlEbHUqxhtsaqVco0ry_IY4tka0IweqM7rawSpmoHymGQl8IcTCB6Oyv71FjVjzFoim51j9QT17PW4vo7UuEy66TPKn75_2eBHYHOjcdwgYZ136tGMu1uD-Go/s400/Planting+potatos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Steep slopes and lack of available capital insure traditional back breaking</div><div style="text-align: left;">planting of la papas del Peru</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We will continue shopping and cooking this most edible and wonderful tuber. We have had only a half dozen varieties to date, a few thousand more to savor and enjoy. Time will limit this endeavor and also our diets from over indulging. The next time you order fries with your burger consider the potato and appreciate a little more of its history and the influence it has had in these many millennia throughout the world. And yes, lest anyone forget, "La Papa es Peruana."<br />
<br />
Further reading and photos of Peruvian papas can be found on a site hosted by <a href="http://www.limaeasy.com/peruvian_food/peruvian_food_cuisine_ingredients_potatoes_papas_types.php">Limaeasy.com</a>.Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-53556604981925186352011-08-30T08:54:00.001-07:002011-08-30T08:57:15.642-07:00Our Missionary Friends in PeruWe were very sad to learn that our friends the Brashers had to return home to Salt Lake City. We had planned on calling them last week for an evening of pleasant conversation and the delivery of a pint of strawberry jam RA had made. They had been away traveling in Colombia doing what they do, helping missionaries. There was and is a significant need for the work they did and the good they accomplished. I am sure the mission presidents are feeling the loss of this great couple and servants of the Lord. <br />
<br />
They have had the responsibility for the mental health and psychological wellbeing of maybe 2,000 missionaries in the Northwest South America Area. They traveled throughout Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia , Peru, and Venezuela. This has been a challenging and rewarding assignment for them. It was not an easy one as the language presented some challenges in traveling. Both of them have worked harder than anyone I know to stay in the missionfield battling ailments and health related issues. We admire them so much for their service and desire to fulfill their missions. They have been examples to us all for their faith, dedication, and endurance.<br />
<br />
We miss them as our friends. They wanted to meet our kids who were traveling to Peru early in August but they needed to be in Colombia. We look forward to that evening of conversation and dinner when we return home. <br />
<br />
Here's to you our friends and fellow missionaries! We miss you and our prayers remain with you.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEorzKp9LWvUnFmIvHKckLynHeqJXlKOyw6qdtpFGviMEyC4g4jbS4_e3YOR5B1c_jyPqVjR1z29oo7-x3BTyR4gPhZDFJw0uN2AKr0wLOGUiNrBU15ZQLQZjevclxKAYgMi_XQpKkcaMO/s1600/Brashers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEorzKp9LWvUnFmIvHKckLynHeqJXlKOyw6qdtpFGviMEyC4g4jbS4_e3YOR5B1c_jyPqVjR1z29oo7-x3BTyR4gPhZDFJw0uN2AKr0wLOGUiNrBU15ZQLQZjevclxKAYgMi_XQpKkcaMO/s400/Brashers.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With them at the Larco Museum here in Lima</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-88433284406175932022011-08-24T16:21:00.000-07:002011-08-26T03:15:40.556-07:00The Lima Temple closes for two weeks -- Vacation timeThe Lima Temple was closed for the first two weeks of August. This occurs every six months to allow for maintenance and upkeep. We used the vacation time to travel to several destinations in Peru. Not bad for a full time mission. Where else can you have four weeks of vacation plus Christmas and New Years? Several of our family including a grandson came to visit for a week. We made our second visit to Cusco and Machu Picchu. This time we were a little better prepared having had six months to brush up on Inca history, lore, and astronomical alignments.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-Ozgee1UWwrnSeNTMQSo4j0acpHeCkxFmtP-TRj-77xIYVmA2w0e3qX3-aOLhTjf4fqztFzg6Tcg_z2WCC_oof3-Mxcw2Mmh0FcN2S0q5-Bz1ZBXIvBCyqNgdGPvcc-01gHk2NVdnUIZ/s1600/Temple+Maintenance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-Ozgee1UWwrnSeNTMQSo4j0acpHeCkxFmtP-TRj-77xIYVmA2w0e3qX3-aOLhTjf4fqztFzg6Tcg_z2WCC_oof3-Mxcw2Mmh0FcN2S0q5-Bz1ZBXIvBCyqNgdGPvcc-01gHk2NVdnUIZ/s640/Temple+Maintenance.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Angel Moroni is getting cleaned and additional gold leaf</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our first trip was to the Casma valley, about three hours north of Lima, where we visited the oldest solar observatory in the Americas. It is known as Chanquillo. A currently unknown culture built the observatory and fortress about 400 BC. It has been determined the fortress was not for defensive purposes but ceremonial in nature.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZi19cm90NsPTgmkOKOsYbKj33nq1DWgm27NtQBQ_hgltwGYiZBbE1IQ4Id6OSx9ezM_fd84FaYUj2AG2a9kjqglfeBs2eUv3WyYptKo_SmkRioESabsmod5dS_ZY5ZAB4vsKFcE67eT_q/s1600/Chankillo3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZi19cm90NsPTgmkOKOsYbKj33nq1DWgm27NtQBQ_hgltwGYiZBbE1IQ4Id6OSx9ezM_fd84FaYUj2AG2a9kjqglfeBs2eUv3WyYptKo_SmkRioESabsmod5dS_ZY5ZAB4vsKFcE67eT_q/s400/Chankillo3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Thirteen stone towers line the hilltop as seen from the fortress. <br />
This solar observatory allowed the local inhabitants to tell<br />
within a day or so the date of the year. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We next traveled south of Lima to a coastal location called Paracas. It is home to the Islas de Ballestas or the Ballestas Islands. They are known as the little Galapagos Islands of Peru and were not a long boat ride from the Hotel Libertador where we stayed. We circled the islands with our daughter and grandson and saw thousands of birds, sea lions, dolphins, and even a few penguins. We toured the National Reserve of Paracas, which is one of the dryest regions on the planet and yet its western boundary is the Pacific Ocean. The Humboldt Current keeps any rain from falling. Our guide explained that in a year not more than a centimeter of rain falls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrG1EwJ4v3u968W_kh7l0rjIuany9l_0u99xuI2MiF3j9tIi9mVq5y7g5eKp3DXfM9HkFCNTJh0AJrcqgkwwLbM0wqGd5cSo3wZmxv_DBNvKQx7zYvaEeXeIZKcgPfWQB6_7T0XsIjbE4/s1600/Libertador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrG1EwJ4v3u968W_kh7l0rjIuany9l_0u99xuI2MiF3j9tIi9mVq5y7g5eKp3DXfM9HkFCNTJh0AJrcqgkwwLbM0wqGd5cSo3wZmxv_DBNvKQx7zYvaEeXeIZKcgPfWQB6_7T0XsIjbE4/s400/Libertador.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hotel pool and reflection pond at the Libertador in Paracas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmGmdAHlyLiU7-PJvDfrkszXCKl3fVsJmaZzkfdMMPo5k9JE2htADzdgSlbUPUZkAFyqhZeS7fzNlWj6NvZ3zgO5SVtA_xwIjgWDWV5GfqAn9evGUJYyzTvvCKk-b6FKQ3O7gsrigohaM/s1600/Libertador2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQmGmdAHlyLiU7-PJvDfrkszXCKl3fVsJmaZzkfdMMPo5k9JE2htADzdgSlbUPUZkAFyqhZeS7fzNlWj6NvZ3zgO5SVtA_xwIjgWDWV5GfqAn9evGUJYyzTvvCKk-b6FKQ3O7gsrigohaM/s400/Libertador2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabulous food, even Josh enjoyed it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yPrSOqZSnDWuDsqUpqqjiT5t-T01f_Fkxfe4qC_FdoxCJD5dKFqoX5jEwRTrk_8tv_E6ZeunUrgwE9lcJDKN2c4utC2sRrbvl08W_BLmtCz1xKCqMqjmXqLnJ2PZkGaJ1bkBeBnEeBuN/s1600/Ballestas+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yPrSOqZSnDWuDsqUpqqjiT5t-T01f_Fkxfe4qC_FdoxCJD5dKFqoX5jEwRTrk_8tv_E6ZeunUrgwE9lcJDKN2c4utC2sRrbvl08W_BLmtCz1xKCqMqjmXqLnJ2PZkGaJ1bkBeBnEeBuN/s400/Ballestas+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDSHSWsf-x6K1fysxHxNwa2df_MR-pN1O4XkcxXu-gKUHS7f-OmYg_zNSgZVVQqutV799NADWZwyVfTMdafQ9rIn3qaQL2qZo3hos6jNUV3FMmJiLe92d0v8bsdkFUiRDV-7-8swI1xyG/s1600/Ballestas+Islands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDSHSWsf-x6K1fysxHxNwa2df_MR-pN1O4XkcxXu-gKUHS7f-OmYg_zNSgZVVQqutV799NADWZwyVfTMdafQ9rIn3qaQL2qZo3hos6jNUV3FMmJiLe92d0v8bsdkFUiRDV-7-8swI1xyG/s400/Ballestas+Islands.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A penguin and sea lions on the Ballestas Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In addition to the Andes Mountain chain, the largest in the world, the cliffs along the seacoast just south of Paracas and the Islas de Ballestas were formed from the upthrust of the Pacific Plate subducting under the South American Plate. This thrust, including some volcanic activity, has brought both basalt and porphyry granite to the surface. This distinctive red granite is some several billion years old and among the oldest rocks on the planet. A red beach exists because of the action of water and wind on the red granite cliffs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtXIC33VmCBMia4IXncRfRFgFm6lTlBAg4V-EN9f7gaiCd5ihFtJ5SVtWk1tzs_KB5ErxwhdfJ5x2-wo2HZ2rY7ubpbUU8D3mEgtZiTe-Sxsd-57pbkGRILgvYNZFt8nHbfL3i0hz2WdC/s1600/Rojo+playa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtXIC33VmCBMia4IXncRfRFgFm6lTlBAg4V-EN9f7gaiCd5ihFtJ5SVtWk1tzs_KB5ErxwhdfJ5x2-wo2HZ2rY7ubpbUU8D3mEgtZiTe-Sxsd-57pbkGRILgvYNZFt8nHbfL3i0hz2WdC/s400/Rojo+playa.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playa Rojo or the Red Beach at Paracas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9h6p0CYeNhiBlws1kBAov1LPw5UrXv4G-fvlBDYGwdNOQsULeRwXNa5FflvKwO-6leC2slRM9snOkUgFTTnTTTEfBDygTpQrNn2jZ6uboRQ-TFMIEg38n0Sz0zhxIYHeM3lLTt1MdQOl1/s1600/Josh+and+desert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9h6p0CYeNhiBlws1kBAov1LPw5UrXv4G-fvlBDYGwdNOQsULeRwXNa5FflvKwO-6leC2slRM9snOkUgFTTnTTTEfBDygTpQrNn2jZ6uboRQ-TFMIEg38n0Sz0zhxIYHeM3lLTt1MdQOl1/s640/Josh+and+desert.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh enjoyed the deserts in Peru including lucuma ice cream</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next we journeyed, six of us, to Cusco and a return trip to Machu Picchu for RA and I. Our flight was delayed four hours, so our time to tour the great fortress Sacsayhuaman above Cusco was limited. We wanted to see the cathedral where the painting hangs done by Quechua native artists showing Christ and the Twelve enjoying cuy or guinea pig on a platter for the Last Supper. Time did not permit a visit but we found a photo on the web to share. Among other things a number of holidays observed by the Inca/Quechua people were taken over by the Spanish and became Christian traditions and observances. The practice of melding together distinct cultures is known as syncretism. The cuy for the Last Supper is a wonderful example of this.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk0sIxUNYw7duQwV5IkCPjpvuVMiG9_reSwiAQJxVnhkxdiJsMCQQlCYlbtzSZk9KMSeqYmyStODd5mLOpJPopuQLC_DD1LVdkLHRbaPph0WqaFxt1AOMb4aHg4qW9W6_XyV9FQLpqu4K/s1600/Cuy+Last+Supper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="401" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyk0sIxUNYw7duQwV5IkCPjpvuVMiG9_reSwiAQJxVnhkxdiJsMCQQlCYlbtzSZk9KMSeqYmyStODd5mLOpJPopuQLC_DD1LVdkLHRbaPph0WqaFxt1AOMb4aHg4qW9W6_XyV9FQLpqu4K/s640/Cuy+Last+Supper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">It is a guinea pig or cuy on the platter. Unlikely that one average sized cuy even miraculously could feed the Lord and the Twelve. They are small, though efforts are underway here in Lima to breed larger cuy.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCQUbS5VKbKIrIETmON-zi8hIpvBxIO4sw8T_uSaZgTQQ8xVWEtf7-ZXRbVataVbJ33waAoK3onAlrEQEUanpmA4zED5RhmSyUFI173scPo8_gJBEaa1eOtvQUywAkPXDSgjlM2ZtTIyC/s1600/Korakancha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCQUbS5VKbKIrIETmON-zi8hIpvBxIO4sw8T_uSaZgTQQ8xVWEtf7-ZXRbVataVbJ33waAoK3onAlrEQEUanpmA4zED5RhmSyUFI173scPo8_gJBEaa1eOtvQUywAkPXDSgjlM2ZtTIyC/s640/Korakancha.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">This was the most important temple in the Incan Empire. Known as Inti Qancha, Qori Qancha or the Temple of the Sun. It was lined with solid sheets of gold both floors and walls. The gold was removed to pay for the ransom of the last Emperor Atahualpa. Mostly, it was destroyed to build the Dominican Monastery that occupies the site presently.</div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaANLb9Hb34z4LSr1-8ob_w7P0qvhH_IRjNaDsn5j36P7UwjSnCOsTY5FSSNpGtEpIahvP0a7jM8qPt5pgVWg2UKq_iCF5scDsCCehNHQBi5kZBwKIoh6fYaDEUSTpUNIIa7RKKM-I6Hk/s1600/AllAugCusco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfaANLb9Hb34z4LSr1-8ob_w7P0qvhH_IRjNaDsn5j36P7UwjSnCOsTY5FSSNpGtEpIahvP0a7jM8qPt5pgVWg2UKq_iCF5scDsCCehNHQBi5kZBwKIoh6fYaDEUSTpUNIIa7RKKM-I6Hk/s640/AllAugCusco.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us at Sacsayhuaman. The stone work was classical Inca and beautiful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1rcbh1BraMiCG8FlKug5d39skkqICpvFDXVuKbvx32wRIr803ktQeEH3-0aljXf-xV9WRayPMCV9wxaiyPdF3OoiO_bm7t4m06PdFnBvQaWfiNZ8859u6khI5gOxBUnWYU4uXdq88L1d/s1600/Lintel+Mary+y+Josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1rcbh1BraMiCG8FlKug5d39skkqICpvFDXVuKbvx32wRIr803ktQeEH3-0aljXf-xV9WRayPMCV9wxaiyPdF3OoiO_bm7t4m06PdFnBvQaWfiNZ8859u6khI5gOxBUnWYU4uXdq88L1d/s640/Lintel+Mary+y+Josh.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Inca understood seismic loadings better than anyone for more than 500 years to the present day.<br />
This lintel has withstood massive earthquakes through the centuries and even the Spanish conquistadores.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We made several stops along the way in the Sacred Valley between Cusco and Machu Picchu including the fascinating Incan ruins of Ollantaytambo. Locals in the village still live in stone houses and structures dating to the mid 15th Century. They have the claim of being the oldest continuous lived in dwellings in the western hemisphere, or the world for that matter. Ollantaytambo was built by the Incan Emperor Pachacuti. There are interestings carvings in stone on a mountain side including the Incan God Viracocha and an Incan Emperor, presumably Pachacuti.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIjeUBuEKu1OlvUVc60bBSI3_ehqe_g7N32XZpkYoe4lQKfGsZvnReyw0r7cGK4pnPZLd3JBhK7iIcCR9k8KatmytT2GemZLxIoEZkbR4XT2w1cmORuYHHe8yCEGE0HDEb5ScMxRCOyCp/s1600/Ollantaytambo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIjeUBuEKu1OlvUVc60bBSI3_ehqe_g7N32XZpkYoe4lQKfGsZvnReyw0r7cGK4pnPZLd3JBhK7iIcCR9k8KatmytT2GemZLxIoEZkbR4XT2w1cmORuYHHe8yCEGE0HDEb5ScMxRCOyCp/s640/Ollantaytambo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Winter Solstice at sunrise would illuminate the carved face of the Sapa Inca<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">bringing the promise of longer days and another growing season to the Andes.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28E9RfP3_agu8fl9Npn_K2He0SDiFQvzugO4KB7kojFB4CL8CC6q3BpykON07wYF-dAz5F87zgOaUemmCtgoPgLGcQljpt4I1iiAgYgGbsINnZ8HYzWwugTiYzQAvjqknZGLiYsvP4z2B/s1600/Viracocha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28E9RfP3_agu8fl9Npn_K2He0SDiFQvzugO4KB7kojFB4CL8CC6q3BpykON07wYF-dAz5F87zgOaUemmCtgoPgLGcQljpt4I1iiAgYgGbsINnZ8HYzWwugTiYzQAvjqknZGLiYsvP4z2B/s640/Viracocha.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Viracocha carved in the face of the cliff. Universally worshiped in</div><div style="text-align: left;">pre Spanish Peru as the great creator god. During the reign of Pachacuti the</div><div style="text-align: left;">Sun God became preeminent in the theology of the Inca as an effort to bring </div><div style="text-align: left;">unity and consolidate control by this emperor of the Incas. His claim was that</div><div style="text-align: left;">he descended from the sun. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9eTtOPTKIVNALHk9oxEoWpvVv33jgLlfegUqvMQpqrCAJMM8IdGZeaLS34ByiEu2tOBQbe8evk1KQiAy9_mJ9NSmG8ZbIaXqvraXg0pDqMzZ32JXLbFWSpOuH7s2guT1kiHX72IrNcuX/s1600/Mary+llama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9eTtOPTKIVNALHk9oxEoWpvVv33jgLlfegUqvMQpqrCAJMM8IdGZeaLS34ByiEu2tOBQbe8evk1KQiAy9_mJ9NSmG8ZbIaXqvraXg0pDqMzZ32JXLbFWSpOuH7s2guT1kiHX72IrNcuX/s640/Mary+llama.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary with a baby llama in the Sacred Valley near Cusco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Celestial alignments for solar and star gazing were essential parts of the religious life of the Inca and the earlier people of the Andes. Fortunately, for Peru and the world, the conquistadores never came to Machu Picchu or it would have been destroyed, as was nearly every other location where they visited. Buildings were literally ripped apart as the conquistadores were looking for hidden stashes of gold between the stones. Machu Picchu remains a place that in every way is as breathtaking as its 8,000 feet of elevation. In the words of National Geographic explorer and archaeologist Johann Reinhard, it is one place where "reality exceeds expectation."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDsMg045JS_HfPS45h3oWgl8yHfMqptkLjsHt81HJFXylXS7b_HuHbXgkVyrGMSzLDX_jIWGarh_XJZsFOU9enWB2OoSQ_GKmyS3dZaIgrpRrNJ2XtHtZlm3FZvexUkvLMdQ3lIrkX0VX/s1600/Machu+Picchu+A%2526N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDsMg045JS_HfPS45h3oWgl8yHfMqptkLjsHt81HJFXylXS7b_HuHbXgkVyrGMSzLDX_jIWGarh_XJZsFOU9enWB2OoSQ_GKmyS3dZaIgrpRrNJ2XtHtZlm3FZvexUkvLMdQ3lIrkX0VX/s640/Machu+Picchu+A%2526N.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam and Natalie with Huayna Picchu in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiXfKNpWuWkOKzhX-WzlFi7w24Ps597Kh4MrViXf4tT7jqnGyzooiEHiHtXoVAw_J_HV5uErT2BfdcmTTvZKy9hot9C8Olrhyxk4wmJHo7599S0YvyymfdHSnc2uuRvuynL2bawewXgbc/s1600/Machu+Picchu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCiXfKNpWuWkOKzhX-WzlFi7w24Ps597Kh4MrViXf4tT7jqnGyzooiEHiHtXoVAw_J_HV5uErT2BfdcmTTvZKy9hot9C8Olrhyxk4wmJHo7599S0YvyymfdHSnc2uuRvuynL2bawewXgbc/s640/Machu+Picchu.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking toward the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana Stone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We climbed to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu, about a two hour roundtrip hike on Inca Trail. Over this mountain peak the rising solstice sun would illuminate the Intihuatana Stone and most importantly the Torreon or The Temple of the Sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDRqGRLvLbKBpBe46RacQhyphenhyphenqvsQ0-VFFOKITAYFzAb-ECQQlSL_D-qWKkJWyClA3K3tL3MtZK5_21RF8Td36xhPlpO0dxdnNCSvXLPxKpC-fQmH6a1zng2WxKuwuP_ZZ7Lnpg9zxLnrlb/s1600/Sun+Gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDRqGRLvLbKBpBe46RacQhyphenhyphenqvsQ0-VFFOKITAYFzAb-ECQQlSL_D-qWKkJWyClA3K3tL3MtZK5_21RF8Td36xhPlpO0dxdnNCSvXLPxKpC-fQmH6a1zng2WxKuwuP_ZZ7Lnpg9zxLnrlb/s640/Sun+Gate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sun Gate in the distance and the trail on the right leading to it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yqnOCgeGe3vIrJ062jkkrw4N2jO185uGQRz9PJUAw-mDqP0PvX9WiuUwvPL4MY0qNqXe05hkBFKpAgifFTfYxHi3QCWuiPu5k7mHbVigIecLzAoVg_4rhRezgIZYpuxobLgRKLV98Sst/s1600/SunGate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yqnOCgeGe3vIrJ062jkkrw4N2jO185uGQRz9PJUAw-mDqP0PvX9WiuUwvPL4MY0qNqXe05hkBFKpAgifFTfYxHi3QCWuiPu5k7mHbVigIecLzAoVg_4rhRezgIZYpuxobLgRKLV98Sst/s640/SunGate.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the Sun Gate looking toward the Intihuatana Stone</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKN62u26xSoyPlyR75-bEaRp23F3xScOHRLoZuAlh1mRh2jxCWXDMiPY0qwQqjyDJC41LBGVNz22hO8VSjCHGxUh2mWaTPoKV235oq69xnbTRGzwr4idlVBdyqE-C8KO_xeJWrwYL6ewQy/s1600/Sungate+Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKN62u26xSoyPlyR75-bEaRp23F3xScOHRLoZuAlh1mRh2jxCWXDMiPY0qwQqjyDJC41LBGVNz22hO8VSjCHGxUh2mWaTPoKV235oq69xnbTRGzwr4idlVBdyqE-C8KO_xeJWrwYL6ewQy/s640/Sungate+Mary.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary at the Sun Gate</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tdbjcaFq9CyfLbV7OlBW8NhfDNyPrzw5XrGq1zlofUQs9Jw5ItrzGze3KWq31wI3bDJFU976IsS97HfiHpvr-s0fbKg0jDMVAJe_n9wOsjvPljLD-SpfsjqRzIasYca42AFgsw9kc03w/s1600/Someber+Machu+Picchu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1tdbjcaFq9CyfLbV7OlBW8NhfDNyPrzw5XrGq1zlofUQs9Jw5ItrzGze3KWq31wI3bDJFU976IsS97HfiHpvr-s0fbKg0jDMVAJe_n9wOsjvPljLD-SpfsjqRzIasYca42AFgsw9kc03w/s640/Someber+Machu+Picchu.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some tired tourists at Machu Picchu</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRjsfEXQbHQqo3ce1Q03k5PExoRK8jK_8KBWdn12-FvGTL1BZfd6EaF9FNFEbCZ7x-ExoTu1QALww-8IWLHwol1HFtvEv8mt6sbuqG_uttlnMnqosUqd7vl1nMMvpogBfL319saKCMW3E/s1600/Favorite+restaurant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRjsfEXQbHQqo3ce1Q03k5PExoRK8jK_8KBWdn12-FvGTL1BZfd6EaF9FNFEbCZ7x-ExoTu1QALww-8IWLHwol1HFtvEv8mt6sbuqG_uttlnMnqosUqd7vl1nMMvpogBfL319saKCMW3E/s640/Favorite+restaurant.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Our favorite restaurant in Lima on our last night with the family. It is owned and operated by a family from Arequipa Peru. The ribs, chicken, cuy and papas fritas are the best. It is called "A La Leña.:</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-91307725638498395922011-08-05T04:45:00.000-07:002011-08-06T19:52:37.647-07:00Tree ripened bananas and temples older than the pyramids of Egypt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We returned from two days of touring archaeological sites in the Casma/Sechin Valley, which is about four hours north of Lima along the Pan American Highway. We visited several sites. The oldest of the structures datse to about 3500 BCE. These constructions predate the pyramids of Egypt by a thousand years, making them the oldest in the Americas as well. Sorry, George Potter, but they predate the Jaredites also. We have been studying and reading about these fascinating sites including several journal articles. <a href="http://pucp.academia.edu/IvanGhezzi/Papers">Very good information</a> comes from professionals trained in the field such as Peru's well known archaeologist Ivan Ghezzi. He is a Yale PhD, and has extensively studied these sites in the Casma/Sechin Valley and others from Peru's past. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqi8EhDrAYLq9ttoMYJLRHVB9pN18Zl3HC4P7n7oa1vikf97dk57R9VqgBedBZhSKlxABpOCp9u_699z9Yfz5glmhNteEf-DL10dtc0NdRwMcOVyAbWsvDu6OeA-PGXijxvbHCbCa6v0xY/s1600/Sechin+Bajo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqi8EhDrAYLq9ttoMYJLRHVB9pN18Zl3HC4P7n7oa1vikf97dk57R9VqgBedBZhSKlxABpOCp9u_699z9Yfz5glmhNteEf-DL10dtc0NdRwMcOVyAbWsvDu6OeA-PGXijxvbHCbCa6v0xY/s400/Sechin+Bajo2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seen from the air, the oldest of three different Sechin Complexes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We also hiked about the oldest solar observatory in the Americas and to a hilltop fortress overlooking the valley or pampas. The complex is named Chankillo. It dates to the 4th century BC. We hoped to observe the setting sun in the solar observatory but clouds prevented us. Though Casma Peru is known as the city of eternal sun, the included photo required some 'photoshopping' to illustrate the rising sun between one of the 13 stone towers on the hill. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxw0o7X4PVTAr6fXAcXq7gntUTue3B6p2rGmEX30FjKGOLoKhjUjSustkf9xZH_UdHaB9I-VpIAQ2ZUBslBsMKH21dXFsLfog3y0YEWA9GFthNWXdH-c23mXF35hxThkCVztY5OXj0NGH/s1600/Chanquillo+low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxw0o7X4PVTAr6fXAcXq7gntUTue3B6p2rGmEX30FjKGOLoKhjUjSustkf9xZH_UdHaB9I-VpIAQ2ZUBslBsMKH21dXFsLfog3y0YEWA9GFthNWXdH-c23mXF35hxThkCVztY5OXj0NGH/s400/Chanquillo+low+res.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The residents of Chankillo could determine the month of the year by </div><div style="text-align: left;">observing the rising or setting sun from either side of this hill which</div><div style="text-align: left;">had 13 stone towers or torres piedras. Their year like the Inca, 2,000 </div><div style="text-align: left;">years after them, started with the Winter Solstice of June 21. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAd0x6EM6JFCvvbFUYW0RyoicbtSZvyY8djtwgiQmcEjSM8tmJD6_wKYwDRKLTVWu7PDwuEfPAvJCnJfQYa8Wq8yRmpccyIb6FUPvVTZLbgysUuS6jCAHlISnqHrGM984iKoQNBr3g5JN/s1600/Chankillo+Fortress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAd0x6EM6JFCvvbFUYW0RyoicbtSZvyY8djtwgiQmcEjSM8tmJD6_wKYwDRKLTVWu7PDwuEfPAvJCnJfQYa8Wq8yRmpccyIb6FUPvVTZLbgysUuS6jCAHlISnqHrGM984iKoQNBr3g5JN/s400/Chankillo+Fortress.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The fortress on the hilltop overlooking the valley. Two wooden towers once </div><div style="text-align: left;">stood in the center. The fortress was likely used for ceremonial functions<br />
more than as a defensive structure. This conclusion was reached for a variety of reasons<br />
according to Dr. Ghezzi. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TCvOZhkeIwKjGaWUQpRsB0Ip5kxYCstiZqJeIeUb33nMkf8YKr5BTfULyC5Cgbn5kSQqkEobomDmJpzhqd-EbgKuGgT6BwehPNp7u7xMRubthGHHGad4qz_bZKO3fbIg9nPsuVp4eQGd/s1600/Chankillo+fortress2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TCvOZhkeIwKjGaWUQpRsB0Ip5kxYCstiZqJeIeUb33nMkf8YKr5BTfULyC5Cgbn5kSQqkEobomDmJpzhqd-EbgKuGgT6BwehPNp7u7xMRubthGHHGad4qz_bZKO3fbIg9nPsuVp4eQGd/s400/Chankillo+fortress2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The fortress walls were 12-15 tall in places but all had suffered serious damage</div><div style="text-align: left;">from the 1970 earthquake.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jkIpR9DqD7EKIB5koJCZVG0mU8JBFwPTjg5ZglnltJwxp2LD6bpyTMp0gINv-nBqkk2NMd_rD3XVDUo8cuH69QMmQIC7TV2nnKTQLzF-fUuv5AcUyMpXcm_6Cux5jn3ZhuuHdPJIf0P5/s1600/Chankillo+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2jkIpR9DqD7EKIB5koJCZVG0mU8JBFwPTjg5ZglnltJwxp2LD6bpyTMp0gINv-nBqkk2NMd_rD3XVDUo8cuH69QMmQIC7TV2nnKTQLzF-fUuv5AcUyMpXcm_6Cux5jn3ZhuuHdPJIf0P5/s400/Chankillo+wall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three distinct constructions of the wall are evident in this outer wall of the fortress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The fortress overlooking the valley is three walled, but a serious earthquake in 1970 damaged this site and much of Northern Peru. The earthquake ranged from 7.9 to 8.1 on the Richter Scale and lasted only for 45 seconds. Over a million people were left homeless and estimates are that 80,000 Peruvians perished in the disaster. Relief efforts were slow in coming as the Pan American Highway was too severely damaged to allow passage. Many archaeological sites were damaged including this fortress at Chankillo whose walls before 1970 had been much taller. Many of the structures destroyed were adobe, not designed for any seismic loadings. No tsunami was created by this quake where the Nazca Plate subducts under the South American Plate. Peru is no stranger to serious earthquakes and is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. This area stretches from Japan through the Aleutians and down the West Coast of the US and through western South America. 90% of the world's earthquakes and 80% of the largest earthquakes in the world occur along this Ring of Fire. Volcanos too, dot the map along this horseshoe shaped ring.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhzlV5Z2G5ai9EZUwv4rf9aE548I1zda1uheet_wrCF4QohyS_OJQgHyRwn55FlpDfRG0iDA5cpg6Oh4RMMrtx6lyzhKtDoy7Wr0aybP1iMbTHMPqqAiVOtDBQ9ckVT1ZQnTfAvazRcC7/s1600/Earthquake+Peru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhzlV5Z2G5ai9EZUwv4rf9aE548I1zda1uheet_wrCF4QohyS_OJQgHyRwn55FlpDfRG0iDA5cpg6Oh4RMMrtx6lyzhKtDoy7Wr0aybP1iMbTHMPqqAiVOtDBQ9ckVT1ZQnTfAvazRcC7/s400/Earthquake+Peru.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo from the news archives of Peru needs no caption</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In Casma we enjoyed incredible food including a speciality of the area, called Ceviche de Pato con Frejoles. I would not have ordered duck as there was cuy de pica (pepper spiced guinea pig) on the menu. It is also one of the local favorites. I have not had duck before in Peru but our friend C ordered it, so I tried it and was very pleased. This restaurant had a photo of Peru's last president on the wall with the owners. If Alan Garcia ate there you know it had to be good.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMktMVvOkWtjbXVUo1bDDcCZEv8F4RAPUImz3ZUIrU_O_0ixqnsBaQE3hiWYQUj3sWxkVvkUyFe0iyVdMwUQyzzuUPWhH-wZyQfFj05gfPhdelDfQ6GOgVVoViAFWCinVlnruJBhE5tTZn/s1600/Cebiche+de+Pato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMktMVvOkWtjbXVUo1bDDcCZEv8F4RAPUImz3ZUIrU_O_0ixqnsBaQE3hiWYQUj3sWxkVvkUyFe0iyVdMwUQyzzuUPWhH-wZyQfFj05gfPhdelDfQ6GOgVVoViAFWCinVlnruJBhE5tTZn/s400/Cebiche+de+Pato.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I had thought all cebiche was uncooked fish or seafood but </div><div style="text-align: left;">this was wonderfully cooked duck with beans and rice</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Coming and going through the valley we passed orchards of mango, papaya trees, bananas, asparagus and cotton fields. Peru is world famous for many things including its Algodon Pima Cotton. The cotton plants were much taller than anything I have seen in the Southern US or Arizona. Shirts made from this Peruvian cotton have a shine and softness almost like silk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorzvDsUtdjHcc53sMLdoKH1CfobBFeP2oc9V-I9dq0PGZZwaVjUpkUFQwO8HfkakaIBjWTPsMG9gDTH8L9K_OACPcjsOrPZu6xZFUJNZc5jB7Zl412OPUdZL1rqnjrheOMAIpANWy7KhO/s1600/cotton+plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgorzvDsUtdjHcc53sMLdoKH1CfobBFeP2oc9V-I9dq0PGZZwaVjUpkUFQwO8HfkakaIBjWTPsMG9gDTH8L9K_OACPcjsOrPZu6xZFUJNZc5jB7Zl412OPUdZL1rqnjrheOMAIpANWy7KhO/s400/cotton+plants.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cotton plants were easily six feet tall. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_o-j4d8P0fy6sjAwSEgttNj0G8P6uruou-Z5Zb1OHhYg0izqYNQEoVth4EYj9c4cf4xLcTwgWKKwf4ZSGO6EYCzAmwsNWSzV_JmTJhzELNhAlqU8aXU5D4Mt7AJzzGnC48cFbHJepMLQ/s1600/Oranges+and+Bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_o-j4d8P0fy6sjAwSEgttNj0G8P6uruou-Z5Zb1OHhYg0izqYNQEoVth4EYj9c4cf4xLcTwgWKKwf4ZSGO6EYCzAmwsNWSzV_JmTJhzELNhAlqU8aXU5D4Mt7AJzzGnC48cFbHJepMLQ/s400/Oranges+and+Bananas.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oranges and bananas in your yard, imagine </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We love the archaeological sites and certainly nothing compares to Machu Picchu. We are returning there next week with family. The high point of this trip was the encounter we had with the 81 year old patriarch. We walked through his farm and orchards to get to this oldest ruin in the Casma Valley, called Sechin Bajo. Sr. Silva offered us fresh bananas picked from one of his trees. We had eaten his oranges and we stopped on our return from the ruins to pay him. There were six of us plundering his orange tree and maracuya vines. He was very happy to receive payment and asked if I liked "platinos frescas?" "Claro" or "of course," I responded. He was very happy to share his fruit with us. We had a pleasant conversation about how good the bananas and oranges were and how much better the food in Peru is than the USA. He seemed very pleased that I liked so many Peruvian dishes including cebiche. Anyone who knows the difference between store bought tomatoes and something you grow yourself in your garden can understand what it could be like to have tree ripened bananas and oranges too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LQkkgewXUl6M9mebh95TbiJKX8U_BsEcOdILUan5NqOhJ9KHk7icN7YMtzd_74Q-GeiPI6jg-glXeJBu5PJupP2zFCUc9EZy9WBRhw89RIlW9kG60uLiS94uYWosqiEdSW-b5TN33g86/s1600/Sr.+Silva+Low+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LQkkgewXUl6M9mebh95TbiJKX8U_BsEcOdILUan5NqOhJ9KHk7icN7YMtzd_74Q-GeiPI6jg-glXeJBu5PJupP2zFCUc9EZy9WBRhw89RIlW9kG60uLiS94uYWosqiEdSW-b5TN33g86/s400/Sr.+Silva+Low+res.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Our new friend Señor Silva looks better at 81 than I do at 63. He attributed it</div><div style="text-align: left;">to his diet of organic fruits and vegetables that he grows on his farm. That is</div><div style="text-align: left;">his house to the left. Part of it is made from adobe the other from dried sticks</div><div style="text-align: left;">bound and woven together and covered with clay and other earthen materials. </div><div style="text-align: left;">We have observed this same type of composite waddle and daub construction in</div><div style="text-align: left;">the earliest structures we have visited. It is once again becoming popular as a </div><div style="text-align: left;">sustainable form of home construction.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We visited longer and he told us of the site and how many people had come to it. He is hoping the archaeologists will get the funding to continue to work at Sechin Bajo. Scientists believe further excavation could result in older ruins, pushing back even further civilization in Peru. Our new friend Sr. Silva asked that we return. I would like to do that again one day. We wish we were more fluent in his language. He has undoubtedly seen many things and has many stories to tell. There are more ruins in<br />
the complex to be visited and hopefully on a clear morning watch the rise of the sun over Chankillo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRno_bb7h1C1cJAdq90DQEwdQEQpUEa5pDzROqvl1B-UdMB-XCQqxss6mpXtbMsuqpjPdjA-2tBjkJ5XAo_16wesOTFpgZ4Xlw3fSfQPFCbiOLHclkkwqlihlDDTr59EjQ83iRWdZnR5OE/s1600/Sechin+stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRno_bb7h1C1cJAdq90DQEwdQEQpUEa5pDzROqvl1B-UdMB-XCQqxss6mpXtbMsuqpjPdjA-2tBjkJ5XAo_16wesOTFpgZ4Xlw3fSfQPFCbiOLHclkkwqlihlDDTr59EjQ83iRWdZnR5OE/s400/Sechin+stairs.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The stairs to the Sechin Cerro or 3rd period construction are divided in two</div><div style="text-align: left;">as is the entire temple complex. Scientists theorize this was symbolic of the</div><div style="text-align: left;">duality of life. It was about opposites for the Sechin people. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ7y79eqNTKkLs9h0fP_opfblYr4ArnIBQ1RibK5LyZz97Qmi5jgOEt3lB2aesPFF5g5-jVG5o-ruSEi-p4p-OcEru120d0C9zlkqqZJeN2BuOZl7UjfcvEOSw8RncdvzkEC-RxezQpld/s1600/Sechin+Warrior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQ7y79eqNTKkLs9h0fP_opfblYr4ArnIBQ1RibK5LyZz97Qmi5jgOEt3lB2aesPFF5g5-jVG5o-ruSEi-p4p-OcEru120d0C9zlkqqZJeN2BuOZl7UjfcvEOSw8RncdvzkEC-RxezQpld/s400/Sechin+Warrior.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A Sechin warrior carved in relief at this third period temple</div><div style="text-align: left;">mural. He is carrying a war club. The mural, larger than life,<br />
included many depictions of decapitations, severed limbs,<br />
and eyeless victims expressing pain. Some question has<br />
been raised whether they should be interpreted as mythical<br />
characters, or as part of ritualized warfare, rather than actual<br />
battle or combat. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-43396379625583037612011-07-31T20:48:00.000-07:002011-08-06T19:59:24.236-07:00The Lima Temple and Others in the Ancient Land of PeruWe are in the midst of a number of important dates in Peru. The 28th of July was Peruvian Independence Day and this year coincided with the inauguration of a new president. June 21 is the Winter Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere and corresponds with the first month of the Incan New Year. The festival associated with this is called Inti Raymi, or festival of the sun god. The festival is held on the 24th of June as the sun appeared to stand still for several days according to the Inca. It was practiced for several years following the Spanish Conquest, but suppressed for more than 400 years. Currently recreated from early accounts of Spanish chronicles it is performed annually in Cusco having begun again in 1944. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuZedo4ulnZcMsNhQSvZU4tpaR6W7Y_v3hOtKXvAAC8thPebZIQJKKPN-Hs1CAYUR3yhqTQD3kLhoYIedmuIl6HBS7W8D-HOp6V3SxYmKVcIfkUoonKuxZkw_C_c-ewhX-re-uzcwAzvW/s1600/Inti+Raymi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuZedo4ulnZcMsNhQSvZU4tpaR6W7Y_v3hOtKXvAAC8thPebZIQJKKPN-Hs1CAYUR3yhqTQD3kLhoYIedmuIl6HBS7W8D-HOp6V3SxYmKVcIfkUoonKuxZkw_C_c-ewhX-re-uzcwAzvW/s400/Inti+Raymi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Inti Raymi festival being reenacted above Cusco at the fortress of Sacsayhuaman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We continue to be fascinated with the culture and sophistication with which the Inca and the previous cultures of Peru tracked their world and planned their lives around solar and stellar observations. We have arranged a tour this week to the oldest solar observatory in the Americas which dates to 400 BCE. It is known as Chanquillo. The culture and people who built it are so far unidentified by scientists, though a number of ceramic figurines have been recovered illustrating distinct classes of the former inhabitants including warriors. Ancient weapons have also been recovered from the site. Aside from the fascinating 13 towers that dominate the skyline of one hill there, a significant fortress dominates the remains of the community with thick and high walls. Warfare then was likely known at Chanquillo. We'll be posting photos and writing about that experience.<br />
<div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6HQA7iE6htDNzeW5MJGGgurcGVeDPcotn2RYyi_QFo1s-47Qw6zq1L0srwhkjIxmo9XO2Y5gSPm-IsihMjKT6U6Gptgf3WaqANLrQHou8W1M_gzI9MKl3kAcDHGH-D412idVFnHZr9Z3/s1600/Temple+sun+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6HQA7iE6htDNzeW5MJGGgurcGVeDPcotn2RYyi_QFo1s-47Qw6zq1L0srwhkjIxmo9XO2Y5gSPm-IsihMjKT6U6Gptgf3WaqANLrQHou8W1M_gzI9MKl3kAcDHGH-D412idVFnHZr9Z3/s400/Temple+sun+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The windows of the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu allow the morning</div><div style="text-align: left;">sun to bisect the altar stone. In addition the rise of Pleiades was observed</div><div style="text-align: left;">along with other astronomical events. The Temple is still being studied by<br />
archaeoastronomers.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The first of August is an important time for the people of the Andes and the Inca. A little more than a month after the rising of Pleiades, the Sapa Inca or the Incan Emperor, would ceremoniously begin to furrow the ground with his gold tipped plow putting in the first maize. The Pleiades star cluster was known amongst most all ancient cultures and is mentioned three times in the Old Testament including the 38th chapter of Job, verse 31, wherein Jehovah asks this question of Job, "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?"<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXQLc9UkB7h36J8c5y698roUH0k6x-EXzjbRHrBGwFzXnmogjsXz4NMEWCvheLXcL2j0Qzo-sIvwGBCQZdROGiOZ_ByHvWHyAJL3i9y1Kvqjy88PjZeJ9y02Wa35RgXQ8_k-KVE7mIBhC/s1600/Torreon+azimuth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXQLc9UkB7h36J8c5y698roUH0k6x-EXzjbRHrBGwFzXnmogjsXz4NMEWCvheLXcL2j0Qzo-sIvwGBCQZdROGiOZ_ByHvWHyAJL3i9y1Kvqjy88PjZeJ9y02Wa35RgXQ8_k-KVE7mIBhC/s320/Torreon+azimuth.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Windows marked A and B determined the solstices. The rising of Pleiades or</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Collca is observed through Window A. PW is the problem window as the scientists</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">are still determining its function</div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5aO2AekHcfYf1GMh4gunoc31zvweRzmJ_BbONzB4IzLnEjY-m4IZXp-VaNhW49S4oqfNuY40fRTX86K3WaS8GV_xy2xDNyhIUCmoBvZPkDT09ksLoiAnEZwuvoRfaH-PV-29RaDmC6h3/s1600/Torreon+Ext.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5aO2AekHcfYf1GMh4gunoc31zvweRzmJ_BbONzB4IzLnEjY-m4IZXp-VaNhW49S4oqfNuY40fRTX86K3WaS8GV_xy2xDNyhIUCmoBvZPkDT09ksLoiAnEZwuvoRfaH-PV-29RaDmC6h3/s400/Torreon+Ext.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The exterior of the Temple of the Sun with Windows A & B clearly shown.<br />
Note the projections built into the stone walls. Experts believe these held<br />
attachements utilized for solar or astronomical purposes. Likely they were<br />
made of gold or some other precious metal. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div>Festivals accompanied the many important dates in the Inca calendar that ordered the life of the people of the Andes as they did elsewhere in the world through the millenia. Indigenous farmers then and now still climb to the tops of the mountains to observe Pleiades or Collca or Catachillay as it is known in Quechua, (the predominant language of the Inca), to ascertain and predict with some accuracy how well their crops will do in the coming growing season. Apparently, their success in predicting weather patterns and most importantly the rainfall during the rainey season two months ahead is accurate to at least 65% of the time, putting them on a par, or ahead of Mark Eubank's Weatherbank technology. All of this by observing the Pleiades as it rises in the early morning horizon. At the time of its rising it could appear less brilliant and fewer stars would be counted. The number of stars visible would allow the farmers to make accurate climate predictions. Scientists have concluded they were in reality measuring the water content of the upper atmosphere which was directly tied to the strength of the Humboldt Current off Peru's coast and the troublesome presence of El Niño. El Niño brings drought to the farmers of the Andes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobL8EI5ZfgYo_bJ8yMQTX173FhDUjPVAzxjWdGaUpVxQJs1OE-R8W95cUrnq0SERCyKDUcIXI9cwOe_zdVe9_TegfvFvAgcoWIxSX5z2skqahbO0HK83FfYSRMmZulOgTaAto-hpOgKCC/s1600/Subaru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobL8EI5ZfgYo_bJ8yMQTX173FhDUjPVAzxjWdGaUpVxQJs1OE-R8W95cUrnq0SERCyKDUcIXI9cwOe_zdVe9_TegfvFvAgcoWIxSX5z2skqahbO0HK83FfYSRMmZulOgTaAto-hpOgKCC/s320/Subaru.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Subaru is the name the Japanese have given to the Pleiades. Thanks Watson </div><div style="text-align: left;">for the discussion on this star cluster.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Temples, huacas, stones, pillars, and towers were once scattered throughout western South America, but few survived the Spanish colonial period, except in Machu Picchu. We will be visiting it again in just over a week. The Lima Temple is closed for two weeks for semiannual maintenance. High on our list will be the Intihuatana Stone and the Temple of the Sun. At the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu, and the remains of what is left of a similar temple in Cusco, scientists have long speculated but now confirmed their orientation and architecture was important in determining these astronomical events, such as the rising of Pleiades. Other events included the winter and summer solstices and the equinox were determinmed and more still awaiting discovery. The very lives and survival of the Andean peoples depended on their ability to accurately determine optimum conditions to plant, tend, and harvest their crops of potatoes, maize, quinoa, peppers and other tubers in their delicate environment.</div></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnoZNL4YpMXuGz2L7nKI3v_lCsS0rGWmYx2l7ex6OpVTRHiNyPhShcC45-f6o_TCCsHmhWQ9XddQdBhTWn6e5mVSqSlJqfclgeki-M40wonh-RhFQi_NkBqb2tWV8r2ntTxVf4kErThRQ/s1600/Planting+potatos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnoZNL4YpMXuGz2L7nKI3v_lCsS0rGWmYx2l7ex6OpVTRHiNyPhShcC45-f6o_TCCsHmhWQ9XddQdBhTWn6e5mVSqSlJqfclgeki-M40wonh-RhFQi_NkBqb2tWV8r2ntTxVf4kErThRQ/s400/Planting+potatos.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The planting of potatoes on an Andean hillside as it is done today</td></tr>
</tbody></table>More than 3,000 kinds of potatoes have been identified in Peru. Many of them grow in elevations close to 12-13,000 feet. They first seem to have been domesticated near Lake Titicaca some 8000 years ago. The conquistadores took them back to Europe on their return journeys in addition to the gold, silver and precious gems they took from the Inca.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB1uUatID7gvfehUSYZKdec9uOg7VyZv09msyS3nwHqeas2KJonsAzSRW4qUIP82_TjvgibK8ARt006RLb3cg49wUp1t1_9i0AR0VWyc9qEMyG4q3D2Rrdy2wOszWxUOtK5gRmeQZJ35_/s1600/Torreon+Ruggles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB1uUatID7gvfehUSYZKdec9uOg7VyZv09msyS3nwHqeas2KJonsAzSRW4qUIP82_TjvgibK8ARt006RLb3cg49wUp1t1_9i0AR0VWyc9qEMyG4q3D2Rrdy2wOszWxUOtK5gRmeQZJ35_/s640/Torreon+Ruggles.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The Temple of the Sun at Machu Picchu combines the three levels </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">of the Incan cosmology, the earth beneath wherein is this lower</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">level which was the Royal Tomb of the Inca Emperor Pachacuti. His </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">mummy would have been stored there and brought our for the </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">various festivals observed by the Inca. The ground floor contains</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"> the altar stone with the marks for determining various astronomical</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">and solar events. The windows allowed observation of the heavens.</div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Temples performed important functions for the Inca and their predecessors as they provided bearings, dates, and connections to the events in the lives of the former inhabitants of the Andes. Hugh Nibley, Mormon apologist, linguist, and professor of ancient scripture at BYU, has written extensively about temples, whether they were of a Babylonian Ziggurat configuration, Hopi Kivas, Egyptian or Greek Temples, or Stonehenge on the Plain of Salisbury. On this subject he wrote: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">The temple is the meeting point of the three cosmic regions, heaven, earth, and the abode of the dead.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> From the earliest times, temples have been built as scale models of the universe. </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i>There are three temples, one in heaven, one on earth, and one beneath the earth. The three are identical, one being built exactly over the other, with the earth temple in the very middle of everything, representing the pole or axis mundi of the heavens, around which all heavenly motions revolve, the knot that ties earth and heaven together, the seat of universal dominion. Here the four cardinal directions meet, and here the three worlds make contact."</i> That role seems to have been adequately filled by theses wonderful stone structures, huacas, and temples of the Inca. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PAcCchQU2vavFXFAnzGKJXYE6IkoU6wzTJ7cRoEybdWLF9LL837mmgaWEbsai7GNybLszsHru0Vh6raigSfktoRMKKkuyP1WVoQaC-15wM0Hle1QlG5zDiL7Fjd8qWvqBKpiJ6ObaVvY/s1600/RA+chicha+jora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-PAcCchQU2vavFXFAnzGKJXYE6IkoU6wzTJ7cRoEybdWLF9LL837mmgaWEbsai7GNybLszsHru0Vh6raigSfktoRMKKkuyP1WVoQaC-15wM0Hle1QlG5zDiL7Fjd8qWvqBKpiJ6ObaVvY/s400/RA+chicha+jora.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">RA to the side of a chicha de jora pot used for the preparation </div><div style="text-align: left;">and fermentation of the Incan corn like beer. I have read that </div><div style="text-align: left;">once you get past the notion that the corn was previously </div><div style="text-align: left;">chewed in the mouths of quechua women it has a very </div><div style="text-align: left;">nice flavor. The chewing starts the breakdown of complex</div><div style="text-align: left;">starches into fermentable sugars. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">The festival associated with the first of August is known as Herranza for a number of communities in Peru. Associated with this festival are the herding and branding of animals. Chicha de jora is shared, though in the days of the Inca if anyone got too drunk they were executed. Chicha was also poured into the earth. The smoking of tobacco, chewing of coca leaves, singing and dancing, and the consumption of good food are part of the modern festival.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdnDkW-IN6fvHEP-Fl-2xVH4XbtXV4biqZnndme_lB1LVzLagRu_NY0ShSyDIrOU5ewHoIxb_pvuXzTmJL24UJ3eNeJNOQUsnO7Z8qOc_PlzDQxgEV135ZEZ79J_3EzcntrvAEU7Hau8E/s1600/Quinoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdnDkW-IN6fvHEP-Fl-2xVH4XbtXV4biqZnndme_lB1LVzLagRu_NY0ShSyDIrOU5ewHoIxb_pvuXzTmJL24UJ3eNeJNOQUsnO7Z8qOc_PlzDQxgEV135ZEZ79J_3EzcntrvAEU7Hau8E/s400/Quinoa.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">A recent batch of quinoa with onions, peppers, and tomatoes.</div><div style="text-align: left;">This food was reserved for the Sapa Inca and the nobility of the empire. </div><div style="text-align: left;">We enjoy it for breakfast and other times. RA makes hers with nuts</div><div style="text-align: left;">and raisins. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We will be making additonal quinoa and chicaha morada, the non alcoholic variety, in honor of this festival and the beginning of the planting season of the Inca. We will drink some, and pour some into mother earth or Pachamama, which is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">the quechua name for this grand and wonderful place we live and share with each other. Of course, not often in harmony and peace.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span> We do this in honor and out of respect for those who were here before us and their descendants we associate with each day. We will do this as we plant our aji rocoto and limo peppers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV740WI2-7MJUxiQMQtKklJOELhMJlEn0yh3u-n0x3e7mLl9hZUblYhX7Ob52FwpPkyaDCw4nRF68XR04WFAt6HT0tBO-kF3Y1cS65oz4eD2MI9rcY5QSs-KJcHVEmh7pDYW4LFuIr6dvT/s1600/RA+at+Milagero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV740WI2-7MJUxiQMQtKklJOELhMJlEn0yh3u-n0x3e7mLl9hZUblYhX7Ob52FwpPkyaDCw4nRF68XR04WFAt6HT0tBO-kF3Y1cS65oz4eD2MI9rcY5QSs-KJcHVEmh7pDYW4LFuIr6dvT/s400/RA+at+Milagero.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">In our neighborhood of La Molina we have a Pre-Inca huaca</div><div style="text-align: left;">or temple that is aligned with the cardinal directions of the</div><div style="text-align: left;">compass. It is called Huaca Melgarejo. It dates to the Lima<br />
culture who occupied this part of modern Peru from 100 AD<br />
to 650 AD.</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Our walks often take us by this adobe temple mound in La Molina. I used the digital compass and determined its orientation to the cardinal directions of the compass. I am reminded of Brigham Young's comments when the cornerstones of the Salt Lake Temple were laid to the cardinal directions. President McKay changed the architect's orientation of the Los Angeles Temple and rotated it to face East to assure its proper alignment. Architectural aspects of the Lima LDS Temple are aligned similarly. When Brother Nibley saw the groundwork of the Provo Temple he discovered it was not correctly aligned and wrote a letter to Salt Lake about it. It was not changed but remains in better harmony orienting it with the hill on which it stands according to the architects.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y-aIplMNOLmH34Wlo0rLa8gtEg7yjeFdP3ueEM7VpWp22gSBeh6Kl8eDIA-TMu-L2BJQtHuGeHnEHcmhrHFmnjP2B8eBcTOkCKpJ_9ZhFVQ_Du-nHEup5__wJaweGky1rU2sqg4rIqpu/s1600/M45map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Y-aIplMNOLmH34Wlo0rLa8gtEg7yjeFdP3ueEM7VpWp22gSBeh6Kl8eDIA-TMu-L2BJQtHuGeHnEHcmhrHFmnjP2B8eBcTOkCKpJ_9ZhFVQ_Du-nHEup5__wJaweGky1rU2sqg4rIqpu/s400/M45map.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Pleiades Star Cluster, part of the constellation of Taurus the Bull or</div><div style="text-align: left;">Collca or Catachillay as it was known among the Inca, their predecessors,</div><div style="text-align: left;">and descendants</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></div>We continue to be impressed with the knowledge of the former inhabitants of Peru, their ability to understand their environment, sustain life, and build the greatest and most advanced empire in the Americas prior to coming of the Europeans.<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br />
</span></div></div></div>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-49031603541780053352011-07-18T19:38:00.000-07:002011-07-18T20:21:04.187-07:00Sunday Dinner Mormon Style in PeruYesterday, friends from the Temple came over for Sunday dinner. Typical in Utah and the intermountain area would be roast beef or some sort of pot roast at least at our house. In Peru things are different, but no less enjoyable and tasty. Our friends had been promising us cuy, 'Alan Garcia' size cuy. It is a joke, since the outgoing President Garcia of Peru is very large, hence any large size cuy are named in his honor by Brother Ramos. This president leaves with a significant majority of Peruvians disapproving of his job for the past five years even though Peru's economy grew second only to China in the world.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9E4tKbhdEoB3BN18zgJ2WXFsIEisqRxYuDJo5BseHwF_TNFeWbh3s3bQxvx2b0LRc1cQyF4lpkV-tpi9rUhFR9LMhXul2fm-X14QNDAe2QW3m5Qswnxiqa0vUtwt3eJDR29Knfe8EoeU/s1600/Garcia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9E4tKbhdEoB3BN18zgJ2WXFsIEisqRxYuDJo5BseHwF_TNFeWbh3s3bQxvx2b0LRc1cQyF4lpkV-tpi9rUhFR9LMhXul2fm-X14QNDAe2QW3m5Qswnxiqa0vUtwt3eJDR29Knfe8EoeU/s400/Garcia.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Garcia did not get this way eating cuy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Large cuy are very prized and sell first in the markets. 65 million of these creatures were consumed in Peru last year and remain an important part of the diet of the average Peruvian. Since the 17th Century these rodents, neither pigs or from Guinea, have been used as test animals for laboratory experiments, resulting in the epithet, "guinea pig" as a test subject. White mice and rats have largely replaced cuy as the vehicles for laboratory testing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3MRyzBqCADq_yOnCiJB0tj0W3Bpm4-IZ1NNuQkte8smYHbjvSIFdmmRIGNAVlKQgi9ACBulclFrAkAimgL1ues6RET-5s1MMYRGuLFAqonCpnHDOW0cdGWv6c56FERi1FR2i29PZ9guh/s1600/cuy+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3MRyzBqCADq_yOnCiJB0tj0W3Bpm4-IZ1NNuQkte8smYHbjvSIFdmmRIGNAVlKQgi9ACBulclFrAkAimgL1ues6RET-5s1MMYRGuLFAqonCpnHDOW0cdGWv6c56FERi1FR2i29PZ9guh/s400/cuy+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends Brother and Sister Ramos with RuthAnn</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
No longer found in the wilds of the Andes, they appear to have been entirely domesticated beginning about 7,000 years ago. They are rodents and subsist in table scraps from any home where they are raised. Efforts are being made to develop markets for their meat in Japan, Europe and the US. It is unlikely, at least in the US, there will be much of a market for the meat, rather they are pets for kids. Who has not had a pet guinea pig in their childhood?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HAQYCMI8xUozf3MLPIv_tlT-iFVdBm8UzlApKri93go8GKx4Rb9-emfbSGMKBVcwnz5z113EY3RTcG8bjspCpU1jb0bovm0zeo991EQxugjukJC1x6E2O67imyXmkKj6mjoCh50y3MM9/s1600/cuy+black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HAQYCMI8xUozf3MLPIv_tlT-iFVdBm8UzlApKri93go8GKx4Rb9-emfbSGMKBVcwnz5z113EY3RTcG8bjspCpU1jb0bovm0zeo991EQxugjukJC1x6E2O67imyXmkKj6mjoCh50y3MM9/s400/cuy+black.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black cuy have important roles in the folklore and traditions of many<br />
Andean peoples and cultures often used in diagnosing and treating diseases. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
In addition to the cuy we enjoyed camote or sweet potatoes, papas amarillo or yellow potatoes, and a side dish we had cooked of quinoa, black beans, chicken, onions and a little aji pepper. We toasted our Alan Garcia cuy, our friendship, Peru's success in the America Futbol Cup, and Arequipa, with some fresh chi cha morada also supplied by our friends.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3N2fRVlDgPEKmAxCFF2qYu0oSS54OHSC-tmKkfV0viuBqjvBjfRbSLnPiOTXXgg1bs6VbLwq5Qf5yPKoO4ea6TFd76WtEarb0FszNh2kaTXmwzOH_eCXmnie8YwGQ3VI5-ijpV0eoR9x/s1600/cuy+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3N2fRVlDgPEKmAxCFF2qYu0oSS54OHSC-tmKkfV0viuBqjvBjfRbSLnPiOTXXgg1bs6VbLwq5Qf5yPKoO4ea6TFd76WtEarb0FszNh2kaTXmwzOH_eCXmnie8YwGQ3VI5-ijpV0eoR9x/s400/cuy+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cuy roasted in the pan along with some Peruvian potatoes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We continue to enjoy life in Peru. We appreciate the Ramos who have introduced us to many new and interesting dishes. Food from Arequipa, even among the Limeños we work with, is recognized as among the very best in all of Peru. It is definitely 'presidential.' We should note also that rumors have been floating around the Area Offices that a third temple will be announced in Peru in the relative near future. We hope it might be in Arequipa, Peru's second largest city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxwRW_9pY4bhstz_AOekbXGY3QdLYlCSjd5c0hTh05ktghgxb7beA0jLuPs6FGLxTmlBIkWR_eSThXsD76c6bEP59H8aiMlPal0h702Jwsa_lTnKypbnKirhe7jdhXzfLtv5zrUJk_0R1/s1600/Cuy+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxwRW_9pY4bhstz_AOekbXGY3QdLYlCSjd5c0hTh05ktghgxb7beA0jLuPs6FGLxTmlBIkWR_eSThXsD76c6bEP59H8aiMlPal0h702Jwsa_lTnKypbnKirhe7jdhXzfLtv5zrUJk_0R1/s400/Cuy+3.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuy on my plate. You cannot be delicate with it and it does<br />
require picking up pieces and using one's fingers to get <br />
the meat from the bones. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-25587474556882188022011-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:002011-07-14T13:37:23.550-07:00Quinoa or Kinwa, it's the same thingQuinoa is a hot cereal that I have had only a mild interest in for some years. It can be used as a substitute for rice and couscous in which form I think I first experienced it in daughter Alice's kitchen. We have friends in the temple from Arequipa and they have prepared it several times for us. Sister Ramos recipe is unlike any I have ever had and would like to duplicate, though I think it is heavy on the butter, cheese, and cream, maybe even having some chicken broth. In any case I have not found anything from Arequipa that I have not thoroughly enjoyed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbw48AcC7VEG4hX_NqtMgKqpktu8K37I5DMunvhEE7nlC0APQm_4VyuYrv3OPUMGf-pe4ZUSJLaWkTjUKc6rA5z8uSth6qUNikdI0wNuf0RCRfoh8vJPBI5jj-OrDefIC9t0Kl3hzuhRC/s1600/Quinhoa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbw48AcC7VEG4hX_NqtMgKqpktu8K37I5DMunvhEE7nlC0APQm_4VyuYrv3OPUMGf-pe4ZUSJLaWkTjUKc6rA5z8uSth6qUNikdI0wNuf0RCRfoh8vJPBI5jj-OrDefIC9t0Kl3hzuhRC/s400/Quinhoa.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooked and waiting to cool to put into the refrigerator after<br />
I had a couple small bowls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My experimenting for an alternative to my normal breakfast of eggs fried, or eggs scrambled is proceeding well with the quinoa. I start with a third full blender of water and add an entire large onion, a rocoto pepper, a fresh tomato or two and let it rip. After everything is blended I add 4 ounces of mild white cheese, also from Arequipa, called queso paria. If it were a lot stronger it might pass as a feta goat cheese, but queso paria is from the cow. Two cups of water and one of milk are being heated on the stove top and the enitre mixture is put together. When it starts to boil I add a 500 gram package of quinoa and let it cook, stirring occasionally until the seeds become a little softer. I add a little salt to taste. There is enough piquancy with one rocoto that RA does not complain too much. It is easier and faster to cook than rice and of course much healthier.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DUW840drTT33CYsQmmsFism1DlX7hkGIhonVaH4TlkiKfygyDi1vcQZl5lmoeCzSkCt7Yc1Z-UADSzgIgO09iPWLzOoMXr45cyymQrgiOPrVjDfVYN_2RHU57pD3lIE06OC21_8bUigb/s1600/quinhoa+plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DUW840drTT33CYsQmmsFism1DlX7hkGIhonVaH4TlkiKfygyDi1vcQZl5lmoeCzSkCt7Yc1Z-UADSzgIgO09iPWLzOoMXr45cyymQrgiOPrVjDfVYN_2RHU57pD3lIE06OC21_8bUigb/s320/quinhoa+plants.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinoa plants in the farmer's field about to be harvested </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Quinoa is not a true grain like wheat or oats, but is more closely related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds maybe amaranth too. With the Inca it was esteemed as the mother of grains or "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>chisaya mama."</i></span> It has a very long history, like so many other things in Peru, and archaeologists have found non domesticated quinoa dating back 7,000 years among various ruins.<br />
<br />
It is related to other similar plants of the Northern Hemisphere known as 'fat hen' or something called 'pitseed goosefoot.' This crop was important to a number of the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas before maize became the dominant crop though among the Inca of Peru it was second only to the potato in importance for their diet. It is high in protein 12-18% and is a complete protein, unlike rice and wheat, which is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa">very unusual among plants</a>, according to Wiki. In addition, it is high in iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and a good source of dietary fiber. The Spanish Conquistadores forbade its planting for a time making the Inca substitute wheat in its place. For many years, even centuries, well into the colonial period, it was viewed as "indian food." So important was it to the Inca that the emperor would plant the first seeds of the new crop with a golden shovel. It was sacred to the Inca. Maybe I can find a golden spoon to enjoy our quinoa for breakfast and lunches at the temple.<br />
<br />
One funny story I had read elsewhere, in researching quinoa, concerned efforts by genetic engineers to modify the quinoa seeds to remove the very bitter and protective coating on the seeds called saponins. Through successful breeding and genetic modification strains of quinoa were grown without this bitter coating. It also has a serious laxative effects and some care has to be taken by the processors in removing the saponin during processing. Several fields were planted for farmers here in Peru and with some amount of expectation with increased profits due to less processing time. A good deal of enthusiasm was exhibited as these GM crops neared harvest. When the seeds began to change color signaling harvest time, thousands of birds also determining this quinoa had been grown for them descended on the defenseless plants. One observer likened it to Alfred Hitchcock's movie 'The Birds.' Quinoa remains unmodified today, being the same plant that has been planted and harvested in the Andes mountains and plateaus for thousands of years.<br />
<br />
We want to learn to prepare quinoa Arequipa style. I did find twenty+ recommended recipes for this versatile grain on a web site called<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Healthy-Cooking/Super-Foods/Whole-Grains/Quinoa/Top.aspx"> allrecipes.com</a>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-37632485170467949612011-07-11T19:01:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:02:50.600-07:00100th Anniversary of Hiram Bingham's visit to Machu PicchuNext month when the Lima Temple closes we will make our journey once again to the sacred mountain city of the Inca, Machu Picchu. We visited previously in February of this year with our friends the Cooks and Miky.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDi2lf_OSrnF68IbmTjSKm7Ct1exBkHs1Bf6KAgE1q_OhAAhc-sH9lTJK2QxVBNhBOSX8vwoJEwIxEfmU5RUoRN5rj2POkR-AJtVg8Q0F75E0NdMwIuYyoLUUBYZ7_wGohFVHuai8uU_b/s1600/All+of+us+MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqDi2lf_OSrnF68IbmTjSKm7Ct1exBkHs1Bf6KAgE1q_OhAAhc-sH9lTJK2QxVBNhBOSX8vwoJEwIxEfmU5RUoRN5rj2POkR-AJtVg8Q0F75E0NdMwIuYyoLUUBYZ7_wGohFVHuai8uU_b/s400/All+of+us+MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of us at the entrance to Machu Picchu. We arrived during the rainy<br />
season but had incredible weather as the clouds were lifting from above the city</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There are a number of theories about what role Machu Picchu played in the life of the Inca civilization and the last Emperor Pachacuti who ruled there. It might have been a royal residence, a resort, a fortress, a prison, a holy site or some combination of the aforementioned. In July of 1911 Hiram Bingham, the first American to visit it, announced to the world he had "discovered" Machu Picchu. Though he is credited with this, several other non native explorers had been there prior to Bingham. The artifacts and treasure removed by Bingham and lodged at Yale University for a hundred years have partially been returned to Peru with a little encouragement from the Obama Administration. The artifacts are now on display in Cusco where they should be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhjdoXGBTWNHd3ajFBm2e2NTey2eYfJd7DnyeL0EGeWCQIbZEl8x3pGmdMsiL-SvSZpTWOw3pbftxRORIr65orNk0cnYHt_g_qRI6Ekd2WhyX5VUsDJkHHtb8FvPwk23dZLDgSGIZN5p-/s1600/GFand+RA+at+Inti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhjdoXGBTWNHd3ajFBm2e2NTey2eYfJd7DnyeL0EGeWCQIbZEl8x3pGmdMsiL-SvSZpTWOw3pbftxRORIr65orNk0cnYHt_g_qRI6Ekd2WhyX5VUsDJkHHtb8FvPwk23dZLDgSGIZN5p-/s400/GFand+RA+at+Inti.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Intihuatana Stone determined the solar equinoxes and solstices. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Recent work done by <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/explorers/johan-reinhard/">Dr. Johan Reinhard</a>, an explorer and anthropologist in residence with National Geographic, suggests another theory not totally at odds with the others but emphasizing the religious nature of Machu Picchu. It is based on the notion of "sacred landscape." Machu Picchu is located in mountainous terrain at about 8,000 feet in elevation surrounded by the Urubamba River. Mountains, rivers, and other natural features of the land were sacred to the Inca and known as huacas. Four adjacent mountains, one in each of the cardinal directions, align the city with this highest and perhaps most important point, the Intihuatana Stone.These stones were to be found throughout Peru before the Spanish came to aid the many cultures and civilizations prior and including the Inca to track the seasons for planting, the expected arrival of the rainy season and for harvesting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50V-3tbPdtHGbUppuCFJkV0w8hV4trVKPc17zQRscZ9nxaOSzzBVYJjiTLaxTMW4Lbjt4NU0y5Yvq1sHaleJCb4cjMod8exQgpZnOg5CTuhci1eGQ1WWo4gyHsG9BABmcAih5HeDODJpM/s1600/Temple+sun+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50V-3tbPdtHGbUppuCFJkV0w8hV4trVKPc17zQRscZ9nxaOSzzBVYJjiTLaxTMW4Lbjt4NU0y5Yvq1sHaleJCb4cjMod8exQgpZnOg5CTuhci1eGQ1WWo4gyHsG9BABmcAih5HeDODJpM/s400/Temple+sun+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Temple of the Sun. Windows allow the sun to shine across </div><div style="text-align: left;">the altar stone at both solstices. The heliacal rise of Pleiades was</div><div style="text-align: left;">also observed from one of the windows. </div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Machu Picchu escaped destruction by the Conquistadores because it may have been partially abandoned prior to Pizaro's conquest of the Inca. It is postulated smallpox or typhoid fever wiped out many of the indigenous peoples of the Americas not long after Columbus set foot in the Caribbean. One scholar, <a href="http://www.charlesmann.org/Book-index.htm">Charles Mann</a>, in his book "1491" estimates upwards of 100 million indigenous peoples inhabited the Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans. The Inca fell to the Spanish due to their weakened state brought about by factionalism, civil war, and the European diseases which arrived well before Pizaro.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LIsn02zYlObYC9CBSPG3syqxGrIBhYfV244BWfmCU1po6zX2FW-sBHclXtUFZXldwsLpqnhhIuQ_ITPT2mIiKH8iOGeIxR-gunHLUIUXidrYvgV0mPCD7JjVvwufEzaUdo3sO2ZR7Dy3/s1600/Urubamba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_LIsn02zYlObYC9CBSPG3syqxGrIBhYfV244BWfmCU1po6zX2FW-sBHclXtUFZXldwsLpqnhhIuQ_ITPT2mIiKH8iOGeIxR-gunHLUIUXidrYvgV0mPCD7JjVvwufEzaUdo3sO2ZR7Dy3/s400/Urubamba.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Urubamba River nearly circumnavigates Machu Picchu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Continued studies will be made and theories will be modified as time passes but Machu Picchu will remain a place so incredible words cannot adequately describe its beauty, the skill with which it was built, and its location high in the Andes. Dr. Reinhard fittingly observed Machu Picchu is a place "where reality exceeds expectations."Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-43030823625116714472011-06-26T11:43:00.000-07:002011-06-27T06:39:32.983-07:00Forty Weeks or Forty Winks...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">RA informed me this week it has been 40 weeks since we entered the MTC at Provo. I thought and expressed, "How can that be?" The time has gone by quickly. Maybe it has been '40 winks,' not 40 weeks. 40 winks has some deeper roots in the English Language and has been used by Lewis Carrol and others. Generally speaking it refers to a short sleep or nap outside of a bed. I have enjoyed that experience in the custom made recliner in our living room on occasion. It is not uncommon, as we work in the Temple, to observe so many who travel so far and work so long to be taking 40 winks wherever they can. I have come close to that myself. On occasion I have had to nudge the segadora with me on a session trying to take 40 winks. There is a biblical connection to this idiomatic noun. In a play by Robert Louis Stevenson named, "King's Evidence," two characters discuss the failings of a third person. One says to the other, "Give him 40 winks, and he'll turn up as fresh as clean saw dust and as respectable as a new Bible."</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjICPmGmWMmHUiDFZUtaSvbQRjNkLgCoY8nfKISB9wjpLhGYKqNfL0-wml_DIpMVdZaY9IuvaxvGkLmjuagn4EeAuiNPY-sf5gOQBpZ0dHHg9qR_6bjcH99DOaS88qvVDgxnqiE9gxaKFr/s1600/Slim+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjICPmGmWMmHUiDFZUtaSvbQRjNkLgCoY8nfKISB9wjpLhGYKqNfL0-wml_DIpMVdZaY9IuvaxvGkLmjuagn4EeAuiNPY-sf5gOQBpZ0dHHg9qR_6bjcH99DOaS88qvVDgxnqiE9gxaKFr/s400/Slim+me.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are having to add to our wardrobe with smaller sizes, not all bad</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">For more than a few weeks we have been seriously dieting and walking. Our high for one week was 25 miles. Lately, due to colds and other distractions we have not been able to log as many. Walking back from the parking lot at the Temple this morning our friends the pigeons swooped down and were expecting a handout. I had none as I don't carry crackers with me on Sundays. I returned home, changed and walked back in civilian clothes wondering if my friends the pigeons would recognize me without my Mr. Mac suit, white shirt and tie. Sure enough they flew from a half block away and landed at my feet waiting for their whole wheat crackers.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAV0a7rpbzhq_8RS9vHHEAPbmCD8ltNYSjCwg1uZQYGV3CtiXNG0rnDPqVFAjXHUGaRpXX1wpaMShPSLE4SsjyiePwXiX7izpcpt-P87VQc1cGf8AKRs3giNkVIzFUSQNf-Fyyq1Au_hj4/s1600/Pigeons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAV0a7rpbzhq_8RS9vHHEAPbmCD8ltNYSjCwg1uZQYGV3CtiXNG0rnDPqVFAjXHUGaRpXX1wpaMShPSLE4SsjyiePwXiX7izpcpt-P87VQc1cGf8AKRs3giNkVIzFUSQNf-Fyyq1Au_hj4/s400/Pigeons.jpg" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friends recognized me even in civilian clothes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">I asked RA the other day what she missed most since our serious dieting began. Her list began, with some emphasis: 1. "Sweets, what do you think?" Next in order of priority...</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2. A batch of cookies</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3. An Almond Joy</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4. All the stuff I like to eat</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">5. Ice cream. "Which one I asked?" "Don't know, too many I have not tried here in Peru."</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">6. Cakes and Pies</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">7. Chocolate. </div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">8. I miss sweets!</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">9. Chocolate covered cherries with fondant</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">10. Orange sticks</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>My list was a little different</b>: </div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1. All the potatoes I would want to eat. Peru, among other things, has the best potatoes on the planet. Papas Amarillas are my favorite but there are others that I enjoy. </div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2. The above mentioned potatoes need to be accompanied with carne, i.e. steak, alpaca, chicken Peruvian style or just the Sunday dinners I cook.</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3. Lomo Saltado. This is a wonderful dish of onions, fine beef, tomatoes, peppers and more, piled on top of the best french fries on the planet.</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">4. Chocolate from Arequipa</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">5. RA's tuna casserole</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">6. Chocolate ice cream</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">7. Pancakes with real butter, or even with fake butter</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">8. Grilled cheeseburgers, french fries, and a Coke</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">9. Whole milk</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">10. A Snickers Bar</div></div><div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.4em; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We will likely continue dieting and walking. The weather is cooler and pleasant most days to be walking in our neighborhood. My new Merrill walking shoes arrived from the US and they have made a change for the better. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLQNhP1-OiXQ4bNJeBKNRTvLgJLJmAdJdUUENUryvojDIXuO6lwjAZ0h8ttc_0WTN2PCH20Tjz2-zM8SWWWaI17SZekfq4dupeavmKFfbbrdOYDZKxWIjRJJJZTgfq9rTvMmPWUNBLmUg/s1600/Ground+Cherries+RA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLQNhP1-OiXQ4bNJeBKNRTvLgJLJmAdJdUUENUryvojDIXuO6lwjAZ0h8ttc_0WTN2PCH20Tjz2-zM8SWWWaI17SZekfq4dupeavmKFfbbrdOYDZKxWIjRJJJZTgfq9rTvMmPWUNBLmUg/s400/Ground+Cherries+RA.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too warm to hold, just off the stove</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">At one of our favorite markets we found, the original and native to Peru, ground cherries. As a kid we used to have homemade ground cherry jam on waffles and pancakes. Now that RA has made jam from our recent purchase the diet will be set aside to enjoy it on some pancakes. We don't have a waffle iron but maybe for the occasion we will acquire one. It brings back lots of fond memories of home growing up in Centerville. Thanks Mom and RA for so many good things in life that I am the beneficiary of. Peru remains an incredible place with so much to discover and to enjoy.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTaBcFXWDcuNdEencTJQlwpkQU4AAPwMQCWL3ItCnjuaghxiya5JpN23m-fE8fzxHQVWKy_of75tlEV_qox__e1YuE3TePswZdr8cJLAv6U7c6fRSq653SJNADCoddbkBFcb97GOzQU2Z/s1600/Ground+cherries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTaBcFXWDcuNdEencTJQlwpkQU4AAPwMQCWL3ItCnjuaghxiya5JpN23m-fE8fzxHQVWKy_of75tlEV_qox__e1YuE3TePswZdr8cJLAv6U7c6fRSq653SJNADCoddbkBFcb97GOzQU2Z/s400/Ground+cherries.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Known as Inca berries though the Peruvian name is 'Aguayamanto'</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Our friends from the Temple "came" to dinner at our place and instead they brought the best dishes on the table. We learned about a new vegetable native to Peru called 'Cayhua.' It is a member of the cucumber family but does not taste like one, more like a pepper but not hot. They were stuffed and delicious. We also had a quinoa dish with cheese from Arequipa, milk and other ingredients. It is the best way to enjoy quinoa we have found.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB2Bnvww0-GOZhJH5O3d2ZAxr_2EHHc2UC4z9nj-Jf6XKN-cmi-VrZArAH89BOhmFy8eCcoTLMe2w1hEM0zhdS1lFKYBMXP6p6yHrjAJFjQTR8XoMSCPP7zD0eaRyF995RgvX7OAbXa9t/s1600/caihua.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB2Bnvww0-GOZhJH5O3d2ZAxr_2EHHc2UC4z9nj-Jf6XKN-cmi-VrZArAH89BOhmFy8eCcoTLMe2w1hEM0zhdS1lFKYBMXP6p6yHrjAJFjQTR8XoMSCPP7zD0eaRyF995RgvX7OAbXa9t/s400/caihua.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Caihua fruits are hollow for easy stuffing. The seeds are removed during preparation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Caihua like many other foods, plants, and vegetables in Peru is being studied for their medicinal uses. Among the claims for Caihua are blood pressure, cholesterol lowering, and diabetes prevention. Caihua was taken to Florida and planted and has become a pest, not as prevalent as kudzu but bordering on the obnoxious due to its vines that when mature can be climbed on. One other verified claim we can make for Caihua is that it is very pleasant to enjoy with friends on a Sunday afternoon in Lima Peru. </div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></span>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-20095030743487591522011-06-16T15:39:00.000-07:002011-06-16T15:44:46.812-07:00More about Ajis de Peru*Friends confirmed to me there is another hotter pepper here in Peru, not to be found in the large chain groceries, but in the small neighborhood markets. It is called aji pinguita de mono. It apparently is in the Jabañero range of 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville Units of piquancy. Now the search is on to find a local store that might have these peppers. They are not commercially grown but are harvested in the jungle. One other web site I follow, at least weekly, is called <a href="http://www.livinginperu.com/gastronomy/features-1303">Living in Peru</a>. They have an article and writeup about a restaurant in Miraflores that uses the aji de mono for select customers. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPsSAWMzOJ0Pt8N8XbfiKUiu5RmVmZfYiCzVCvIyRcv60Cvbhfnjm8-RDUHc78MwSxkYWhNdv3VYrhJfwvHsumkTHTgrF8HnV54E5LicWl0BqHqeCcNKXOY07OuLfhFvXjOTWAVdPapga/s1600/Mono+Aji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPsSAWMzOJ0Pt8N8XbfiKUiu5RmVmZfYiCzVCvIyRcv60Cvbhfnjm8-RDUHc78MwSxkYWhNdv3VYrhJfwvHsumkTHTgrF8HnV54E5LicWl0BqHqeCcNKXOY07OuLfhFvXjOTWAVdPapga/s400/Mono+Aji.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Aji Mono peppers turn from green to red as they ripen. Could they be<br />
the source for the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Jabañero peppers of Mexico? </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>RA made me some salsa once with straight Jabañeros, yellow tomatoes, and onions. It was so hot I could not eat it but succeeded in getting her to cut it at least by 50% with more tomatoes. We need a few aji de monos for an upcoming 4th of July picnic at the president's house. It is the twice monthly FHE get together for the Norte Americano missionaries. I would like to supply some dragon wings for the event in the range of 50 to 100,000 on the Scoville Index. The dragon wings I am hoping will at last take flight and no one will ask for second helpings. Until then they will only be buffalo wings.<br />
<br />
*Just a note also to any who read and follow this blog among our family and friends, like the small and large plates Nephi made, one set contained the history of their rulers and their kings and the everyday events of their lives. The smaller plates contained the writings of the spiritual things that occurred amongst the people. It is not appropriate that we write about the spiritual things that happen often in our lives as temple workers in the Lima Peru Temple. You will have to come to our homecoming addresses, more than a year away, and even then we can't tell all. They are special and we keep them close to us and on occasion share them with family. For the present we hope you will enjoy the secular events and experiences we love so much in this marvelous land of Peru. On the internet no one knows where anything goes and there is no way to call it back once it is posted.Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4628722044131705141.post-87106192076425992042011-06-09T18:22:00.000-07:002011-06-12T14:10:10.178-07:00Peruvian Hot Peppers and Dragon WingsBecause of last week's election the temple was open only Saturday morning. In the afternoon we had a very pleasant gathering at the first counselor's apartment for all the senior Norte Americano missionaries and temple missionaries. I volunteered to bring some buffalo wings and RA brought a very fine veggie basket. I have been in search of hot peppers in Peru for the eight months we have been here, but generally the hottest available are called rocoto. It is from Quechua, one the two predominant indigenous languages of the Andean region of South America, and rendered originally as 'rucutu.' Rocoto have evolved over the millennia and are commercially grown and harvested. Plants can grow to four meters in height, becoming woody and resembling a tree. I would love a rocoto pepper tree in my yard. They handle cold but not freezing temperatures I am certain. Because they do well in cool weather they are popular in Great Britain.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3aztmzcC-bXQ0vXo7OiPqQ1ZddtO64Eh9cDsl_Q615XOcw0vpDVaNQpcqOsd35tc43-lrPUbJkKk7sungc8AsJ_C6wvkrTTcJoziiZ5BqzgJVJdHVrkTmABlb2u5A0CVPjYnAzyd1xXX/s1600/Rocoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3aztmzcC-bXQ0vXo7OiPqQ1ZddtO64Eh9cDsl_Q615XOcw0vpDVaNQpcqOsd35tc43-lrPUbJkKk7sungc8AsJ_C6wvkrTTcJoziiZ5BqzgJVJdHVrkTmABlb2u5A0CVPjYnAzyd1xXX/s1600/Rocoto.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocoto plants last for years and resemble bushes to trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Our favorite rocoto peppers are stuffed Arequipeño style and are made by our friends Brother and Sister Ramos with whom we work in the temple. There are no habeñero peppers in Peru though they apparently originated here in Pre-ceramic cultures some 8500 years ago in the Peruvian highlands. Habeñero are cousins to the extremely hot Jamaican peppers known as Scotch Bonnet. When the Spanish came the rocoto were taken to other regions of their empire, to Mexico and the Caribbean. It is unclear in my preliminary research where the Scotch Bonnet Peppers came from. The Scotch Bonnets are much hotter than anything I have experienced. Rocoto peppers vary greatly in hotness. The hottest here are about equal to the halapeños in spicy hotness or 'piquance.'<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1qC5zIH8cGNc8_Zr0ZBNRIOAUekXBhf1RFz6vhnDvrUR6XONyCyrBHePJRT-dqwL5QDIsXUnJYrelNToBBJfP5b6yK_2PwWYvGZXy9owEdabOAmD1esnaC7iOAGBFNqPUF2aRz4Ak2di/s1600/ramos+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT1qC5zIH8cGNc8_Zr0ZBNRIOAUekXBhf1RFz6vhnDvrUR6XONyCyrBHePJRT-dqwL5QDIsXUnJYrelNToBBJfP5b6yK_2PwWYvGZXy9owEdabOAmD1esnaC7iOAGBFNqPUF2aRz4Ak2di/s400/ramos+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friends the Ramos brought in dinner and cooked it in our oven.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F5L7s0OdSv5vW3cIRwUuWBpLpItdYW3s_w1aB9tp8UoJeQyaboPYris7rgbYEiUeekR3HgrbW3z5KuybwqkgwvvWqdTTYIBi7XuRFaXot24Mcp5g5LkHrtFpYNe82US7UaesSVdgTNx-/s1600/Ramos2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F5L7s0OdSv5vW3cIRwUuWBpLpItdYW3s_w1aB9tp8UoJeQyaboPYris7rgbYEiUeekR3HgrbW3z5KuybwqkgwvvWqdTTYIBi7XuRFaXot24Mcp5g5LkHrtFpYNe82US7UaesSVdgTNx-/s400/Ramos2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocoto Relleños or stuffed rocotos. The recipes from Arequipa are the very best in Peru.<br />
No Peruvian or Limeño I have talked to takes exception to that generalization. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>In order to make 'hot' sauce for my version of buffalo wings, known as dragon wings, I used nine rocoto peppers, both fried and ground up in the blender to give me something as hot as I could find at two different markets we shop at. Still it was not hot enough, just well in the range of halapeño hot. If people compliment you for your wings and come back for seconds, they are not hot enough. One of the other missionary couples from the temple liked my wings.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lL1jK4C-9If_FVO1Hy8xLbYCMcJN8HVEi-58Ih6KHwO9LCaTyGhzPx_S2V6gzRAYBqTiVEaWeAVn4VOELnz0dFT_RVMxpdXHlLJ4M_hVeNsYdH8ajMJrfGHOoJbJcKKGBUNcIuYO3Yt_/s1600/Dragon+wings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lL1jK4C-9If_FVO1Hy8xLbYCMcJN8HVEi-58Ih6KHwO9LCaTyGhzPx_S2V6gzRAYBqTiVEaWeAVn4VOELnz0dFT_RVMxpdXHlLJ4M_hVeNsYdH8ajMJrfGHOoJbJcKKGBUNcIuYO3Yt_/s400/Dragon+wings.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frying up the wings. Note the new 4" smaller waste size jeans.<br />
Cannot prepare wings too often on our present diets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>During the cooking phase we did have to open the door to the kitchen as the fumes coming off of the pan where the peppers were being seared acted like a sort of police pepper spray with our eyes watering and some coughing and challenge to normal breathing. Likely, it was because of the quantity or mass I was cooking.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw6dxDhtqKTXmu4EL_lCUWvW_lxbAIhOF3BCUFoQ3etFU3-5YHXJfRSt8h1ohyhiNGOHoVrUfIAaurEYqMVP8_UdpCh5rR9Van1JV5eQJ1PouHO0RW-ITn3PicmDupqjP288fhu7GgZta/s1600/Dragon+Wings+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKw6dxDhtqKTXmu4EL_lCUWvW_lxbAIhOF3BCUFoQ3etFU3-5YHXJfRSt8h1ohyhiNGOHoVrUfIAaurEYqMVP8_UdpCh5rR9Van1JV5eQJ1PouHO0RW-ITn3PicmDupqjP288fhu7GgZta/s400/Dragon+Wings+2.jpg" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wings and peppers have all come together in the newly<br />
repaired crock pot and will simmer on slow cook for three more hours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>RA's vegetable basket was very well received. She had a very good Ranch flavored dressing to go with it. All of the veggies were washed and rinsed in Clorox water, rinsed again in bottled water. Some of the vegetables were blanched/steamed lightly. Those kinds of precautions are mandatory for vegetables in Peru and not always is it safe for us northern folk to eat lettuce salads at a restaurant, though we still try.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61a-Fw-HBxhWRPOYa3IiagGQscv1auotMdbuTRBWEWdnGOIhWRiCixIPeyyyV43a1shvYm121jsxS2uRJpFqmD3EG6vygaIOORGVMn_InJF1xQujpmN0H5dHtOMST9z3g4FPJr9CqAFy_/s1600/Dragon+Wings+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi61a-Fw-HBxhWRPOYa3IiagGQscv1auotMdbuTRBWEWdnGOIhWRiCixIPeyyyV43a1shvYm121jsxS2uRJpFqmD3EG6vygaIOORGVMn_InJF1xQujpmN0H5dHtOMST9z3g4FPJr9CqAFy_/s400/Dragon+Wings+3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RA's very attractive veggie basket. Peru has wonderful<br />
fresh fruit and vegetables.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A subsequent trip to grocery store, and asking questions in the produce department, netted me some peppers called Aji Limo. These are more recently cultivated in the Andes and are known for their citrus like flavor in addition to the piquance. <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2006-02-01/Aji-Limo.aspx">MotherEarth News</a> has a nice writeup about these. They are not however located on the Scoville Chart for spicyness so additional experimentation will have to be carried out. I intend to prepare another batch of my dragon wings and will keep searching for the elusive truly hot Peruvian pepper. Rumor has it that in the jungle there is a small but very hot pepper.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVphWDn7ZaWqFAFlrU9gTYH8qz26CT1kXh0McfgooC6-_iB-i8giXo0fkVuKZkHb7lmwkaTeKXphOUDKQLt_6LN5DqR8xslie8cYCNDKyPUWfHufI4RUl9T1HfaRQZAhjGur_YWUO6TQVD/s1600/Aji_Limo_09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVphWDn7ZaWqFAFlrU9gTYH8qz26CT1kXh0McfgooC6-_iB-i8giXo0fkVuKZkHb7lmwkaTeKXphOUDKQLt_6LN5DqR8xslie8cYCNDKyPUWfHufI4RUl9T1HfaRQZAhjGur_YWUO6TQVD/s400/Aji_Limo_09.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aji Limo Peppers were enjoyed by the Inca at every meal. Both flavor and its spicy<br />
nature were important to the Inca according to early Spanish chroniclers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I have attached a Scoville rating chart for spicyness. The way the chart works is based on the volume of water necessary to reduce the pepper extract to something close to neutral, i.e. no fire when consumed such as Bell Peppers which are "O", having no piquance.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFXylF69bN4iZRFU4wi_GJ5MtGZs_gTSfllgNnY7sIdId2h-ZJ2ZwMEtQdwxlAfIuXj23JX-TOnT6oxDGEYywonhfIKiaoOEnE0XuVQZcwCbAHoexyG7p-vwZe_8PSqE0AqCzoc9cT0Gz/s1600/scoville1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFXylF69bN4iZRFU4wi_GJ5MtGZs_gTSfllgNnY7sIdId2h-ZJ2ZwMEtQdwxlAfIuXj23JX-TOnT6oxDGEYywonhfIKiaoOEnE0XuVQZcwCbAHoexyG7p-vwZe_8PSqE0AqCzoc9cT0Gz/s640/scoville1.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><br />
In a future post or addition I report how the Limo Aji Peppers added to the Scoville Index of my dragon wing sauce. The current rating, though very subjective, is probably in the 3,000 to 5,000 range.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">UPDATE-- </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">The addition of Aji Limo and Aji Amarillo Peppers to my Rocoto dragon wing sauce has not pushed them into the Jabañero range. Still in the Jalapeño range according to subjective comparisons of the Scoville Index. We are not yet flying supersonic. Stay tuned! </span></b><br />
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</span></span>Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07112174152213184594noreply@blogger.com0