Some Incan mythology connected to our travels: Colca Canyon (condors) and Lake Titicaca (the birthplace of the first Inca King)

One of our goals for this trip to Peru is to “finish” the Incas.  We certainly aren’t becoming experts, but we have learned much about the Incan culture, both its good and bad points, and about the fascinating indigenous pre-Inca cultures.  More about those pre-Incan cultures later.

Today, we are going to pull together some pictures and tidbits about the mythology surrounding the “birth” of the original Inca, made all the more special because we are at the birthplace location with good friends Bill and Pat Litchy.  Additionally, we will learn more about the sacredness of the condor.  

First, the condors: 

The condor, the largest bird in the world with a wingspan of over 10 feet, held special significance for the Incas.  The bird soars to impressive altitudes (6000 meters) and it is a scavenger; thus it is identified by the Andean people as the guardian spirit of the dead, and since it eats everything dead, it is considered to keep the world clean and free of disease.  In the past, for example, when enemies were killed, the bodies were placed ina location where the condors feed, and the condors would clean the land of the enemy bodies and spirits.   

In ancient times, the condor was believed to be the messenger of the Sun because the majestic bird was responsible for carrying the spirits of the dead to the next world. 

Adding to its intrigue for the Andeans, the condor lives in the cliffs of the highest mountains where tradition says that apus, the guardian spirits, live.  The condor represents the apu, the good spirit of the mountain.

The condor is visible on much of the pottery of the Incas, and it can be seen as artistic representations in the form of cities, terraces, and mountain forms (for example, The Condor Mountain and the town of Pisac).  The city of Puno also has a huge statue of the condor, as do many of the smaller communities, such as this one is Cabanaconde:

On to Lake Titicaca, the birthplace of the Inca:

A caveat:  there are several variations on creation myths, and each indigenous group seems to have its own variations.  Thus, you hear many stories.  Just roll with it. . . .

In the beginning, a being called Viracocha (“Creator of All Things”) created a world with no sun, moon, or stars, so the people lived in darkness.  These people were supposed to live without vices, but they didn’t follow his advice.  The result?  Viracocha got rid of them all through various methods including a flood – a uñu pachacuti, meaning “water that overturns the land” (it supposedly rained for 60 days and 60 nights).  This flood created the great Lake Titicaca, and it was there that Viracocha created the rising sun, the moon, and the stars to provide light over his new landscape.

The sun jumped up to the sky from a large island in Lake Titicaca called Isla del Sol, where in the rocks, one can see the sun's footprints, placed there because of the gigantic force the sun used to jump into the sky.  The moon got into the sky from Isla de la Luna, a smaller island next to the Isla del Sol.   On Isla de la Luna, there are the ruins of an ancient convent called Ailla Wasi (House of the Chosen Women). 

Isla del Sol

After surveying his empty land, Wiracocha ordered the sun to send a son (Manco Capac) and the moon to send a daughter (Mama Ocllo) to emerge from the waters of Lake Titicaca.  They walked across the waters of the lake until they reached land.  

  
Thus, the Inca considered this lake to be a part of their sacred, foundational landscape -- the MamaCocha. It also explains why there is a huge sculpture of Manco Capac at Parque Huajsapata.

Note that the Inca also holds his golden staff and points in the direction where they will walk, heading toward the location where the golden staff will easily plunge into the earth, thus showing them where to place their kingdom.  

Viracocha gave Manco Capac a golden scepter and told him to walk to the northwest and wherever the scepter could be placed easily into the ground, Manco should found the Inca culture.  The soft land was found by Cusco, which you'll learn about in a later posting.  Stay tuned!  

It's raining; it's pouring: drain spouts in Arequipa -- the simple to the sublime

In the US, our drain spouts all look the same -- metal or plastic tubes running along the sides of the houses generally in the same color or a color that matches the siding of the house or trim.   BORING!

The drain spouts in Arequipa are often architectural wonders, and we think the US ought to take some lessons from the Peruvians.  

Here are some examples from the simple to the sublime: 

This one gets the job done, but that's about it.

This one is in the middle of the wall.  Not too decorative but at least at attempt was made to have it blend in.

Again, your basic model.

The cannon model.  I don't think I'd want to be under this one if it started raining.

A variation on the cannon model, this one with a flower at the very end -- perhaps to soften the blow.

Perhaps this is the same carver, one who likes flowers.

Next, we have some examples which are ornate and which have a variation of facial expressions on the spitting spouts.

This one is gonna blast it.

Oh dear, he seems to say.

Here's a cute gent walking right down the wall, or so it seems.

This one actually pours into a wash tub.

I suspect, though, even with all the variation, the effect is the same:  you don't want to be caught under a drain spout if it's raining!

A couple of gems

We have progressed in our Fodor’s Peru travel guide from the “Top Attractions” section to the "Worth Noting” section.  Since these section titles and the content under them are somebody’s personal opinions, we realize we must decide for ourselves.  Thus, we spent part of one day visiting the Carmelite Convent of Santa Teresa and the accompanying museum, and then the next day we visited the Franciscan monastery of La Recoleta.  Each of these places has a gem in its midst.

CONVENT OF SANTA TERESA:

The convent, established in 1673, has always allowed only 21 nuns (even today there are 21 nuns plus 3 novices waiting for a spot in the 21).  The current nuns are still living in a closed, cloister-like environment, so at times, the convent is shielded from the the public to allow the nuns access to the church, etc.

The gem in this museum was at the beginning of our visit when our English-speaking guide explained (with the help of excellent displays) how many of the museum's artistic items were made.  During the tour (no pics allowed), we saw many examples of these craftsmanships along with examples of Cusqueña paintings that contain local flora and fauna in the paintings, along with gold gilding. These art pieces showed stories about the life of Jesus, the origin of the Carmelite order, the importance of Saint Teresa, the usage of scapular, etc.  Indeed the overall intent of the art pieces was as religious teaching aids.

The sign at the entrance to the Convent - the bottom line states "The Artistic Treasure of Arequipa."

A model of the convent and museum.  The church is on the left, the active convent on the right with the museum rooms circling the plaza. As the Carmelite nuns lead a very private life, they exclude themselves from the public to a great extent.

The steps from left to right show how painting is done on stucco-covered sillar.

So how is gold leaf applied in paintings? They painted the area to be covered with leaf with a red glue. After drying, the desired gold leaf remains.

Steps in creating a figure from left to right starting with a block of wood. Note the face mold at the bottom of the picture which allowed many faces to look the same. The final result is clothed with gold leaf textiles.

Steps on gilding a wooden frame. Same technique as illustrated earlier. Use glue!

A view in the inner courtyard with the church tower in the background.  The nuns had two screened-off rooms that "protected" them from the public to partake in the mass.  A special little door allows them to partake of communion.

The passageway within the convent.

THE FRANCISCAN MUSEUM AND MONASTERY:

Both the Franciscan museum and the monastery seem to be in hard times.  The monastery was founded in 1648;  it has been used as a museum since 1978. The upkeep in the buildings is not at the same level as other museums, and we understand there are only two retired monks living there. A number of the rooms were dedicated to various themes, such as pre-Columbian artifacts, Amazon artifacts collected by their missionaries (animals and birds), religious art, an art gallery, etc.   However, this museum also had a gem that we visited at the end of our visit! 

The gem is its collection of antique books.  The collection, containing some 20,000 items, is extremely rare (and valuable).  Digitizing of the collection seems to be a goal.   We were allowed access to the library by a retired gentleman who has worked there for ten years and is originally from Iowa.  We could not read the documents, but we were in awe!

La Recoleta is unique from other churches in Arequipa - it has color!  The image on the right is from the monastery's main court yard with the church steeple in the back ground.

Inner court yard honoring the Franciscan Missionaries.

Our guide and his workshop. We could have stayed longer and quizzed him about many topics, but we hated to keep him from his work.

Some of the over 20,000 books - many are one of a kind.

Examples of individual items (above left is a hymnal with leather pages).

At one time to deter theft, the books were branded with an identifier.  In this case, R for Recoleta. One can clearly see where this book belongs.

A bibliophile enjoys this gem!

PUT-PUT: How to Get Around Arequipa

It seems every city puts its own twist on how to move people around, and probably most every city thinks it could improve in its methods.  In Cuenca, Ecuador, for example, buses and taxis were the main modes of transportation, with every bus trip costing a flat 25 cents and with the taxis costing from $3 to $5 per trip, depending upon location (not on time spent in the vehicle).  We used both extensively, as well as our feet, which were free.

Here in Arequipa, the buses are called “combis,” and there don’t seem to be any bus route brochures available, and even if there were, I doubt we would get on one.  They are smaller vehicles with side doors.  They pull over to a bus “stop” (a bus “slow” would be more accurate), and a guy leans out the door and yells where the bus is going.  If someone wants to get on, he grabs them by the arm and he hoists at the same time as the person jumps.  Money is then collected on board (I don’t know how much, but it’s not a significant amount), and the person tries to find a place to stand.  The common joke one hears around here is this one:

QUESTION:  How many people can you get on a combi? 

ANSWER:     one more

The combis don't all look this bad, but many of them do.

and this is how they generally look -- packed!

This is the common sight:  a guy hanging out the door yelling where they are going.  The combi slows down, and people hop in.

The more common mode of transportation is taxis, which cost from $1 to $2, depending upon how far you are going (again, not on time spent in the vehicle).  It’s a great deal if you don’t mind old vehicles with very few shock absorbers, but in a pinch, they are great, and there are thousands of them.

A few of the thousands of taxis in Arequipa

The issue with taking the taxis here is that you have to be careful which ones you get in.  There have been cases of people getting in, being kidnapped, having their money taken (and sometimes clothes), and left along the road, sometimes beaten up.  Thus, prudence is wise.  Here are a few pics of some of the taxis from more well-known companies:

Mostly, the taxis are these little, yellow vehicles, and mostly in tough shape.

Taxitel is one of the larger companies.  This one has the marking for "Tottus" on the window, which is one of the large grocery stores, so generally a taxi like this would be sitting outside the store, ready to take you home with your goodies.  

Turisimo Arequipa is another of the larger taxi companies.

Here are some guidelines people have provided us to assure our safety: 

(1)   Use one of the larger taxi companies

(2)   Look for taxis that have numbers and phone numbers and other info permanently placed on the exterior of the vehicle.  Don’t get in a taxi that only has one marker of its being a taxi.

(3)  Look for information about the owner’s taxi license.

(4)  In a pinch, choose an older taxi driver rather than a young one.

(5)  Don’t use a taxi with loud music blaring.

(6)  In the evening, have the restaurant call a taxi for you.  Or else call one yourself.

(7)  If you are at a grocery store or a mall, use the approved store/mall taxis which will be right out front.

Here are a few examples of "unmarked" taxis which we have been advised never to take, even if they are decent cars.  

Notice there is just one small taxi sign on top.  This is someone who is trying to make a little extra money with his personal car, which isn't all that bad, but . . . . 

Another car with too few "professional" taxi markers -- a taxi to avoid. 

and another to avoid.

and another.  These four examples could very well be honest drivers, but it's best to stick with the large company taxis.

We have had no issues (courteous and pleasant drivers), but an interesting thing did occur one evening as we carefully chose a taxi at Plaza de Armes (the main square) one evening about 9:00.  We had gotten into the taxi and a police officer came over to the taxi.  He asked the taxi driver many questions and wrote down all of his answers in a little notebook.  The entire exchange took about 2 minutes, and the police officer said the driver could go.  Clearly, the police officer was looking out for two obvious gringos on the street at night.  Thanks to him.  Fortunately, our driver was very polite, answered all the questions, and took us home without incident.

Our preferred mode of transportation, though, is to walk.  It is good exercise, it is cheap, and you can see so much more as one dawdles along, for as Thoreau once said, “It’s a great art to saunter.”

Intro to Colca Canyon

We have heard much about Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world, if not the deepest, and the huge condors that glide on the drafts provided by the canyon.  We decided we should do a brief excursion to see whether our future plans should include the canyon.  We signed up for a one-day trip to the canyon and back (we were surprised to find out that “one-day trips” occur daily).  We were told that the bus would pick us up at 3:15 AM (yes!), but the bus did not arrive until a half hour after that. Things did not start well, but after that the trip went well, and we were back in Arequipa at 05:00 PM. We were tired, but satisfied.  Since we will be visiting the canyon again with our friends, Pat and Bill, this posting will not be continued at a later time.  So here goes.

The gateway into the canyon from Arequipa is the town of Chivay, which is about a hundred miles from Arequipa, but travel time is about three hours. 

Leaving Arequipa is somewhat of a shock – the desert is absolute and a cement factory that the road passes through does not help. However, the road enters the “La Reserva Nacional de Salinas  y Aguada Blanca” (National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca)  which consists of over 1400 square miles and is named after two water bodies that are important to plant and animal life.  Aguada Blanca reservoir (formed by a dam) is located behind Misti Volcano on Rio Blanco which changes into Rio Chilli which flows through Arequipa. Behind the mountain Pichu Pichu is the Salinas Laguna, a salt water lake, known for its bird populations, especially the flamingos.  The intent of the reserve is to protect animals and plants that live at altitudes of around 4000 meters or over 13,000 feet.  After we travel briefly in the Reserve, our road serves as the western boundary of the reserve.

A Google map shows the road in blue that starts from Arequipa at the bottom of the image. The reserve is in green and the two important water bodies are highlighted. The reserve is intended to protect plant and animal life that live at over 13,000 feet of elevation.

Here are llamas that we saw along with large herds of the animals along with their shepherds (or would that be "llamherds).

Here are vicuñas. The vicuña grows wool that is considered to be the finest and in the day of the Inca, only royalty could wear clothing from that wool. 

Ascending the mountains, we arrive at the pass known as Patapampa and a stop there gives great views of the Andes and environs. 

The upper left sign announces that we have a view of the Andes. Upper right states our present altitude is 4910 meters (16108 feet).  Lower left states the Volcan Ampato that we can see off in the distance has an altitude of 6288 meters (20629 feet). Lower right states that Volcan Sabancaya has an altitude of 5976 meters (19606 feet).

A view at the pass: starting from the left is Amapato (where the mummy Juanita was found), then very close to it is the new volcano Sabancaya (the ash from Sabancaya caused the ice to melt on Ampato which exposed Juanita) and to the right is the extinct volcano Hualca Hualca.

Volcan Sabancaya is a "dangerous" volcano as it began explosive eruptions in early 1990, and continued to erupt for over eight years. At the peak of the activity in 1994, eruptions produced large ash clouds every two hours.

Here with a Google satellite view, one can see the lines of sight from the viewpoint.

Julie at the stone market for Amapato which gives the height at 6288 meters or 20629 feet.

Harold at the marker which states the obvious: 

"A view of the central Andes volcanic mountain range"

The builders and the reason for these stone cairns are not exactly known, but it is thought they were built by pre-colonial people and were meant to aid in some prayer or wish as people traveled over the pass.

We arrived at Chivay where each of us paid 70 soles (about $26 which is double the amount stated in the web sites we perused) to enter the area as tourists (Peruvians pay half that amount and students less). We had our breakfast and subsequently our lunch at hostels in Chivay.  Chivay is the eastern entrance point to tour the canyon and is replete with hostels. Upriver from Chivay the river floor is known as the Colca Valley and downriver is known as the Colca Canyon.

A view of Chivay as we descended from the pass.

Arched gates that mark entrances to many things are common.  The bus had stopped so the fees for tourists could be collected.

Our bus proceeded on the south side of the canyon with a number of stops so we could view the canyon.   The views of the terracing are amazing.  We were told that the native people (the Collaguas), who farmed there before the Inca dominion, built these centuries-old terraces.  Many of the terraces are still being used – but others are not.  There does not seem to be an end to the terraces.  The name “Colca” comes from the name of the granaries (collcas) that the Collaguas built on the canyon walls.

Only one view of the terracing where the valley of the Colca River is only beginning to grow.

A pre-Inca terrace being actively worked now.

Julie meets a young girl with her hawk and young llama at one of our stops.

Our endpoint of our westward journey as we followed the east to west flow of the Colca river was “cruz del condor” (The Condor Crossing), and we stopped and saw the huge vultures glide effortlessly over the canyon.  Even though condors glided right over us, we did not get good pictures.  Next time.

The canyon gains depth downriver, but the floor of the canyon at this point is said to be 3960 feet (about 1200 meters) below the rim of the canyon.

Oh, that is deep! However, downriver the canyon grows deeper.

On this rock, it is written: The intent of the condor sanctuary is to protect the condor bird of 2.80 (meters or over nine feet) wingspan and heaviest of all flying birds. The condors are birds of legend and mythology and yet we know a little about them. If our viewing does not drive them away, it is possible that the family of condors which belongs to this territory will remain and procreate forever.

A condor waiting to catch a rising draft.

A pair of condors soar high above us.

Wikipedia states the canyon “is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States at 13,650' (4,160 m.) depth.”   That is very deep, and we basically saw the beginning of the canyon.  It appears the canyon is more the result of a fault in the earth’s crust and not due to erosion (see pic below).  Eventually the Colca river with a name change to Camana enters the Pacific. 

On this rock, it is written: Colca canyon is a fault in the earth’s crust between the great giant volcanos of Coropuna at 6425 meters (21,079 feet) (wiki say 6377 meters or 20,922 feet) and Ampato at 6310 meters (20,702 feet) (wiki says 6,288 meters or 20,630ft) and its greatest depth is 3400 meters (11,154 feet) (Wiki says 13,650' or 4,160 m) in the length of the canyon of 100 km (62 miles.)

A view from Google satellite that appears to show a fault in the earth's crust. The presence of volcanoes at both ends would reinforce that concept.

A google relief map showing the Colca Canyon. The deepest part of the canyon is west or downriver of Cabanaconde.

A Google satellite image showing the same view of the canyon as above.

We are excited about seeing more of this natural marvel and how the people live in that environment along with the plants and animals. Stay tuned!