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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Chavin, Pre-Inca Culture - Peru




Last week we were at the tunnel crossing the White Mountains into the Southern Conchucos area of Peru. As we continued our journey we came down from 14,000 feet above sea level to about 10,000 feet into the valley formed by the Mosna River. The small Quechua towns around the valley were beautiful. Before long we arrived at the town of Chavin. The town is built up to the south of the famous Chavin ruins. These are pre-Inca ruins from the time of Christ. At that time in South American history the Chavin culture dominated a large part of Peru. Little is known about the culture. They did believe that they were the center of the earth. It is amusing to be so far from modern civilization in Chavin today and think of it as the center of world. We toured the ruins. It was my second time seeing them but it was the first time for my wife. We toured the cancha, or ball field, the temple mound and then we descended into the small halls and walkways inside the temple underground. From there we could see the monolith left by the Chavin culture. It was apparently some type of object of worship for these people. Hiding a cache on the archeological site wouldn't work nor would it be smart. Just look near the site and use the name of the cache as a big clue to its location. With all the muggle traffic in the area I don't know how long this one will last. With the frequent tourist visits it is my hope that someone soon finds Chavin, a bridge to the past (GC2871A).

1 comment:

P.J. said...

THAT looks like it would be one fun adventure!