There is a place East of Huaraz called Chavin.
It takes a couple of hours to get to
on the most rugged road ever.
The President decided to take advantage of
the drive while I was back in Trujillo.
Great move Presidente!
Elder Vera and Elder Andersen
were his trusty sidekicks.
They were thrilled.
Chavin is at about 15,000 ft
above sea level.
This is the highest tunnel in the Western Hemisphere.
They thought this looked like it belonged in Lord of the Rings
The ruins of the Temple of Chavin de huantar date back to 1500 years BC.
Pretty impressive.
Look across this green courtyard and you will see the top of the temple
at the base of the mountain.
Most of it is underground still not excavated.
Pretty impressive.
Look across this green courtyard and you will see the top of the temple
at the base of the mountain.
Most of it is underground still not excavated.
A closer look at the temple behind Elder Andersen.
To avoid the temple from being flooded and destroyed during the rainy season, the Chavín people created an incredible drainage system. Several canals built under the temple acted as drainage. The Chavín people also showed advanced acoustic understanding. During the rainy season, water rushed through the canals and created a roaring sound. The temple appeared to be roaring like a Jaguar, a sacred animal to these people. The temple was built of white granite and black limestone, neither of which is found near the Chavín site. This meant that leaders organized many workers to bring the special materials from far away rather than use the local materials and rock.
Here they go down below
These heads are found throughout Chavin de Huantar and are one of the most well-known images associated with the Chavin civilization. Tenon heads are massive stone carvings of fanged jaguar heads which project from the tops of the walls. There were about 115 and they were all different.
On the way out...
They saw that they were having some celebration in the town of Chavin.
These girls were dressed and ready to perform.
This is looking down at the city of Huaraz.
What you don't see in this picture are the snowcapped mountains
surrounding this beautiful place.
