Cordillera Blanca (I think it means White Mountain Range)
This was a full day nature tour. The highlight was the Llanganuco Glacier Lake in Huascran National Park. The water was a bright blue-green and was surrounded by lush green lawns and trees. And flies. Lots of flies that bite. We were at an extremely high altitude above 3000 metres and in which the exact number completely escapes me. Anyways, this means hiking was out of the question. There was a short little trail along the lake that I walked through. Very serene. I saw condors, llamas, and various farm animals from the small homes that lined the area.
Interesting fact... There is a a Cordillera Negra too. Basically side by side. Negra meaning black. The rock composition of the mountain ranges make look either black or white, hence the 2 mountain ranges.
The tour guide was, it seemed, a very intense, no-frills, no-sense-of-humour-type lady, who spouted out facts in an army-like fashion. At every stop, she stressed our time limit at least 3 times. "Cinco minutos, por favor. Cinco minutos, nada mas," in a voice, that, if it was high pitched enough, could shatter glass.
Chavin de Huantar
This was the main reason I was in Huaraz and it was totally worth it. This day, the tour guide was an enthusiastic joker, who seemed really passionate about the info he was relaying. A times, we were all just watching him instead of looking at whatever he was explaining. Even though I didn't understand every thing, I was still able to get the gist of most things. Terminology doesn't vary much from their latin roots.
We walked onto the complex of these ruins and there were stone walled couryards here and there. I wasn't overly impressed at first. Then he explained that tunnels of water ran underneath which supplied circulation and water to the stone temple we were about to see. The rocks used to build the structures were not from the area. They were imported from the northern mountains showing an advanced society. The 20' - 30' tall temple, or what's left, had no windows. It was built almost entirely of granite slabs about 4'-5' long and about 1' high. The main entrance had carvings on each pillar. One side with female forms, representing fertility and, the other, male images representing religion. The female side had a form with 6 vaginal depictions. Fertility of the land was highly important to the poeople. At this altitude and in a mosly desert environment, the well being of the society depended highly on what they could reap.
As you walk in, you had to duck to avoid hitting your head at the doorways. The people were not short as shown in skeletal remains. The doorways were built purposely like this so that everyone who entered the temple were forced to show respect by bowing.
The inside was a myriad of stone rooms. Big friggin slabs of rock above, beside and under you. The structure was most amazing. The main difference between these ruins and the ones previous is that these ruins had ceilings. Being as old as this was (before Incas) there was no musty smell. Little tunnels, starting with a cube about 1/2' x 1/2' were built in and led outside. You could see light if you looked through one. This provided access to fresh air. And don't forget the tunnels of water underneath. Over the natural spring water currents, they had built tunnels with openings to the temple surrounding these springs. The movement of the water circulated the air. And with the building being enclosed, it was warm even in the high altitudes (about 2500+ metres above sea level).
Outside of the temple, on the back wall, were carved stone heads about 1' x 1' in size. There was only 1 intact where everyone took a picture under. The stone heads stood about 12' above the ground. There were about 10 more in the on-site museum.
And then we went to the craft store, which it seems, always signifies the end of a tour.
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