President took Elder Mecham and Elder Cornejo
on a little excursion outside of Huaraz
to see the ancient ruins of
Chavín de Huántar
To get to it you drive through this tunnel
that is the highest in altitude in the whole world.
When you think of Peru you think of llamas.
But the llamas we see are usually the dressed up kind
in the city square that you get your picture taken with.
President found some real working llamas on his trip.
The people of Chavín were known for their llama jerky.
They used it heavily in their trading.
Behind the Elders you can see some of the ruins
that date back to 1200 BC. and earlier.
This is the lanzón that is found deep in the center of the Temple in Chavín.
It is a giant granite shaft that has intricate carvings of a fanged God
that they use to worship in the cult of Chavín
The Elders always love to go exploring....
this site was occupied by people up until the 1940s.
That is a lot of people living here through the few thousand years.
The whole Temple site use to be decorated with many of the masks
of the Chavín culture..
but very few remain after all the damage
to the site through the years.
Goodbye to this fascinating place of wonder and culture...
and ancient civilization.
Until we come again...
Adios!
