As I mentioned in my previous post, the coast of Peru was never on our original agenda; our intention being to sail down the Amazon instead, but with funds and time being somewhat lacking at the moment, we decided to skip the jungle (oh, broken heart), and make our way to Cuzco via Nazca and Arequipa.
Not all was lost though as this route allowed me to tick off one of my bucket-list items: the Nazca Lines, an unofficial ancient wonder that I've dreamt of seeing since I was a child (yes, I know, I didn't get out much).
The trip to Nazca from Huacachina was surprising in as much that we didn't expect the entire landscape to be as dry and as, well, desert-like, as it was. I know the Nazca Lines are in the direction of the Atacama Desert, but I didn't expect the whole of southern Peru to be like this, too.
The other the thing that struck us was the level of poverty in this region. It seems far more poor than Colombia, with half-built mud-brick houses lining the highway, often without windows or doors, people sitting around with nothing to do, surrounded by litter because they don't have the infrastructure or money to afford rubbish collection. It has also saddened me to see that many people living on the streets in Peru are old, hunched over carrying their worldly possessions on their backs with nowhere to sleep in absolutely freezing temperatures, either in the desert or in the mountains. It is quite heart-breaking to see, as is any homelessness, but for some reason seeing the elderly on the streets affects me more...
We finally arrived in Nazca with the pure purpose of allowing me to get on a small plane and fly over the desert for 30 minutes in search of the infamous Nazca Lines. Aisling (perhaps wisely) opted out of this excursion, due to a healthy fear of small planes, and chose to sit in a hostel for the day in the rather uninspiring town of Nazca.
Ok, brief history lesson...
The Nazca Lines were created (unsurprisingly) by the Nazca people approximately 1200 years ago in the deserts of south-western Peru. Long before Pizarro got his dirty mits on the country and even before the Incas ruled half of South America, Nazcan society had developed an advanced understanding of culture and art through pottery, sculpture and huge line drawings in the sand, the cultural significance of which are still today being debated. They're a bit like crop circles, but kosher...
'Gosh, it's a barren wasteland of a desert out there.'
'Turn the map over Sir.'
The Nazca Lines consist of a variety of 'pictures' spread out over several miles. There are multiple straight lines and rectangles that are hundreds of meters long, stylistic animals including a monkey, hummingbird, dog and a whale, and perhaps the most intriguing of all, a man carved into the side of a mountain, which looks remarkably like someone wearing a helmet, and has led to its name, the astronaut.
The astronaut can be seen at bottom centre
The spider
Hummingbird
These abstract drawings, together with the fact that archaeologists still aren't sure how such straight and accurate lines were created, have led some theorists (or more likely, crackpots) to suggest that this ancient civilization was either visited by aliens who created the lines to use as runways for their aircraft, or that the Nazca people had invented hot air balloons that enabled them to fly over and instruct people on the ground where to draw next.
In all likelihood, latest evidence suggests that the lines were created without access to the sky above and were made for religious purposes, either to worship the sky or to pray for water in terms of draught. Makes sense, I guess when you live in a desert. Still, whatever the reason for their creation, they are an absolute marvel to see, especially when seated in a 4-seater plane that has to bank 45 degrees so you can see them. The below photos really don't do them justice, especially as I had about 5 seconds to take photos all the while trying to absorb the view, before the plane quickly banked to the other side to allow the other two people in the plane to see the same thing.
All on all, they were a pretty awesome thing to see, and no photos will ever truly capture what I actually saw. They really are a mystery of history, and its easy to see how people get carried away with over-the-top theories and ideas about their creation. Maybe it's more magical not to know at all....
After safely returning to earth we headed to the bus station for an overnight trip to Arequipa, otherwise known as the white city. We arrived early in the morning and were greeted with blue skies, warm sunshine and an architecturally beautiful city with historic buildings all made from white stone. Surrounding Peru's second largest city (although its only a tenth of the size of Lima) were the white-capped mountains of the Andes including one very large and still active volcano, which has unfortunately decimated this city, along with earthquakes, several times.
Arequipa cathedral
And town square
Our main reason for visiting Arequipa, apart from soaking up its history was to visit a museum that houses Juanita, the frozen mummy - one of the finest preserved mummies in the world. Egyptians, eat your heart out. Juanita was a 12-14 year old girl who was sacrificed at the top of Arequipa's closest volcano by the Incas approximately 600 years ago. Human sacrifice was commonly practiced in Incan history, and was seen as a way to appease the gods and guarantee good harvests. Sacrifice was regarded a privilege (although whether the poor victims felt this way or not, we'll never know), and poor 'Juanita' travelled the 500 kms from Cusco to Arequipa by foot, was ordered to climb the 6000-metre volcano before being clocked on the head and buried at the top. Not my idea of a fun day out....
It was a volcanic eruption several hundred years later that led to her discovery. A climber was ascending the volcano, making his way through the aftermath of the eruption when he noticed burial artefacts near the top. Looking around he could see no sign of a body, but correctly surmised that the eruption would probably have dislodged any skeletons. Enlisting the help of an archaeologist/mountaineer the duo reclimbed the mountain and ingeniously rolled rocks down the slopes to see which way they fell. Following the direction of the rocks they came across a perfectly preserved mummy, curled in a ball and complete with hair, clothes, jewellery and skin.
The quality of Juanita's preservation has enabled archaeologists to learn much about her life, where she came from and how she died. She now sits in a frozen box, in a very cold room, in one of Arequipa's many museums for all to see. Sadly photography was not allowed, but she looked very impressive, and you couldn't help but feel sorry for this poor girl who had walked for two weeks to her death. At least now she is preserved for time immemorial.
We spent the rest of our time in Arequipa wandering its beautiful streets, popping our heads into cathedrals and churches and trying to spend as little money as possible... In the evening we said our farewells and jumped on another bus, this time headed for Cusco, in preparation for our Inca trail - the number one reason that brought us to this fascinating continent.... X
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