Pachacamac

Although I couldn't make it to Puno, Cusco, or any of the other indigenous culture hotspots I did make the short trip to the ruins of Pachacamac about 40 minutes south of Lima.

One of the more interesting things I learned during this trip was that the Incas (the indigenous group most of us are familiar with) actually had a relatively short period as the dominant civilization in Peru. The Incas ruled Peru for less than 100 years compared to their predecessors the Wari (520 years) and the Lima (350). When asked by my friend Andrea (a Peruvian girl who I met in Barcelona and reconnected with in Peru) about what I knew about pre-Columbian Peruvian history I responded "the Incas", to which she replied "well then you really don't know much".

Pachacamac (Earth-Maker in Quechua) was the main god worshiped by the Wari and Lima people. It's was wooden pole about 6 feet tall and its head had one face on each side symbolizing his ability to constantly observe what was happening. Interestingly, when the Incas took over Peru they didn't destroy Pachacamac (the Spaniards would take care of that about 75 years later) but rather allowed the Waris to continue worshiping it even though the Incas had their own set of gods.

So there's your Peruvian history lesson of the day. Here are a few shots from the visit.