Finding Lima

As we were planning our trip we talked to a number of folks who have been to Peru. All had much to offer about what they saw and experienced in their travels here.  We also learned that people fall into two camps: the anti-Lima  and the pro-Lima.

The anti-Limas advise you to get out of town as soon as you can. Don't even bother to go into the city they say, just get your connecting flight and get out. They talk about the crime, the grittiness and the contrast between rich and poor.

The pro-Lima crowd will acknowledge the negative, but they will tell you that this city also has charm. They will tell you to take the time to give the city a chance to reveal what it has to offer. The food and history are the keys to its heart they say.

After two days here we are definitely in the pro crowd. Lima is a big, noisy city. It's not like a Paris or London that wows you at every turn with densely packed blockbusters. Its sights are hidden in pockets scattered throughout the sprawl.But there's a lot to see if you take the time to find it. Today we found two of those amazing sights: the National Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and Huaca Pucllana.

The museum is a must see to understand the many layers of Peruvian cultural history.  Sure we all know about the Incas--they were the ones here when the Conquistadors came to town.  But they were just the most recent in a long line of cultures--including the Nasca, the Wari, and the Chimu and others.  Each culture brought something to the Inca mix, a particular skill such as the Nasca's ceramics or the Chimu's metalwork. This museum covers from the prehistoric period through the modern day.  Definitely worth a visit.

Our stumbling across the second sight was a bit of a funny story. The guy at our hotel had highlighted some sights on a map for us to visit. One of them was Huaca Pucllana. He pointed to it and said, "this is the, the...what-do-you-call-it-in-English?" pointing to a feature on the map that looked like a lake. "A lake?", I asked.  "Yes, yes, that's it. You can walk around it. Very nice."  So we were left with the impression that it was a nice urban lake and we made a mental note to take a walk to the lake in the afternoon.

Later we were wandering and decided to take a walk to the lake.  Using the map, we worked our way there. As we got closer to where it should have been, all we could see was what looked like a 50 foot high brick wall.  Closer still and we realized it was not a lake or even a wall but rather a pyramid built of adobe bricks.  It was then that we realized that this feature on the map was not a lake at all but one of the archaeological sites we had read about. When our hotel clerk asked "What-do-you-call-it-in-English?", next time I'll answer, "a pyramid".

We arrived just in time for an English speaking tour of the site and learned that the site was built between 200-700 a.d. by the Lima people by stacking layer upon layer of adobe bricks. The guide told us that spaces were left between the bricks to allow it to flex during the city's frequent earthquakes. The site was used for ceremonies to the gods and for honoring the ancestors. Before each new layer was added to the structure, a human sacrifice--always a woman--was offered and provided the cornerstone of the new addition.

The guide also told us that the site was totally unprotected until 1981 and was used as a motocross track. Apparently even the people of Lima take some time to discover their City's treasures.