Alpamayo 2012: Leaving Lima

Welcome to Peru

After a couple of days in Lima, discount I leave tomorrow for Huaraz with the rest of our small team. We have 6 in total.

We will drive the countryside of Peru heading north towards the gateway to the Andes Mountain, the Cordillera Blanca ranges and the city of Huraz located at 10, 000 feet. We will spend two nights there to begin our adjustment to the altitude. I have been told it will be one of the highlights of the climb as Huraz is known as a quiet spot to prepare for the high mountains.

While in Lima I visited Huaca Pucllana, a giant adobe pyramid built around 500 AD. It was used as an administrative and ceremonial center of the Lima Culture, a society that developed at the Peruvian Central Coast between 200 AD and 700 AD. It is located right in the middle of a modern residential area in the district of Miraflores and surrounded by all the modern trappings of restaurants, souvenir shops and galleries.

Of note, they used dirt brick but reinforced them with sea shells and pebbles but interestingly they arranged the bricks in columns of opposing V shapes to make them stronger. In the recent 6.0 earthquakes, Huaca Pucllana didn’t loose a brick built with this technique.

Huaca Pucllana was used for sacrifices much in the same way the Egyptian did. While solid in structure, e.g. no tombs, there are small crypts used to store royalty’s bones. In 2010 archaeologists found four bundled mummies from the Wari culture. The mummies included what appeared to be an elite woman and three children who may have been sacrificed to accompany her into the afterlife.

A couple of hairless dogs roamed the grounds said to be descendants of the dogs kept by royalty and often buried in the tombs with their owners.

The entire complex was hidden underneath simple dirt and the locals used to climb to the top to fly kites, play and even motocross. In the mid 1980’s the underlying structure was discovered and today it is a World Heritage Site.

OK, on to the mountains!

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Share this post:

6 thoughts on “Alpamayo 2012: Leaving Lima

  1. Best of luck and safe travels Alan! Looking forward to reading about all of your upcoming adventures!

  2. Hi Alan hope all is going well. Peru is the country that is at the top of my wish list. I have done a good deal of travelling but I never made it to Peru and I won’t make it now. I have instructed No 3 son to do it for me. It sounds great to be in a small party of six. A far cry from the madding crowds of Everest. I find it a little sad now the season is over, no rush to read the daily blogs. Still I have made a number of E-Mail friends and we keep in touch. Enjoy,stay safe cheers Kate (Isadora)

  3. Really enjoy your blog after stumbling across it not long ago. Enjoy the mountains & hope you have a great climb & a safe, memorable experience.

Comments are closed.