No More Sacrifices....Huaca Pucllana, Lima, Peru

We left North Carolina for our two week trip to Lima for meetings. One of the worst things to do with a geocacher is put them in meetings. I need medication to cope... We got up every morning for some exercise before the meetings. One day we went around the huaca, a large 12 acre pyramid in residential Lima. There weren't many places to hide a cache and expect it to be there very long. Even the place I've selected might prove to be short-lived. Early in the morning the muggles are running, walking their dogs and generally moving about. I hope that some of the Lima cachers and the tourist that come through town will enjoy the "No More Sacrifices" (GC1Y7MF) cache, due to appear in a day or two on geocaching.com (today is 6 September 2009). It is just a short walk from Ovalo Guttierez.

This pyramid once covered about 38 acres of land but is much smaller today. It is constructed of abode brick placed vertically to resist earthquakes better. The Lima Indian culture existed between 200 and 700 A.D. It was during this period that the pyramid was constructed. The pyramid served as a burial ground for those who were sacrifical offerings. Most of these seem to be female. It appears that the pre-Inca culture thought that the best sacrifice was that of women as they are the givers of life. This ceremonial site towered high above the surrounding dwellings in its early days. Today you can visit the museum, take a guided tour which includes climbing up on the pyramid or just take pictures from outside. By the way, I'm intrigued by the name given this pyramid. It is the Quechua, an mostlikely Inka, verb in its infinitive form meaning "to play". Could there have been a ball field associated with the site in pre-Inca times? Who knows at this point. Was it named so because before it was a protected site the children climbed and played on the pyramids. I wonder...