Trujillo is a pretty, clean city located on the northern
coast of Peru. It is noted for its colorful
colonial architecture, with buildings painted in bright
blues, yellows, reds, and oranges. A circular street called
Espana encloses the center of town, and most of
the interesting city sites are within this ring. Trujillo
is an excellent place to try ceviche (a mixture
of raw fishes marinated in a lime juice concoction) and
other local seafood. Catch a folklore pena, or
a performance of the marinera, one of Peru's most famous
folkdances.
Nearby Huanchaco Beach
is a haven for surfers, and an outgoing, friendly fishing
village. The fishermen still ride the waves on handmade
totora reed boats, called caballitos (little horses)
because of the way they are ridden: riders do not sit
in the boats, but straddle them on their knees. The boats
are heavy and hard to control, and custom dictates that
a man carry his caballito into the surf himself to prove
that he will be able to manage it once he's on the water.
When the men are not riding out to check their nets, they
can often be seen mending them on the seawall.
Northern Peru was home to the Moche, an agricultural/warrior
culture. Just outside of Trujillo you can visit the Moche
Temple of the Moon, and admire its colored, sculpted
mud walls that were preserved for centuries under layers
of dry sand. The
friezes on the walls contain intricate geometric patterns
and portraits of fierce-looking creatures. The Moche greatly
expanded the art of pottery, making realistic forms of
animals and people engaged in activities of everyday life
and spiritual ceremony. Because
the pre-Columbian cultures left no written records, it
is through their pottery that we learn the most about
them. In this group of artifacts look for the main Moche
god, Aiapaec, who is depicted by a human figure with a
tiger's mouth and snarling fangs.
The Chimu people, descendents of the Moche, were the
architects of the largest pre-Columbian city. Called Chan
Chan, this immense mud city was home to 100,000 inhabitants.
Chan Chan actually consists of 10 smaller self-contained
areas that were created in succession by the Chimu kings.
The entire compound was surrounded by 20 kilometers of
profusely-adorned walls standing 12 kilometers high.
The Chimu made pottery from molds, and created pieces
with a burnished black finish. Fishing was their main
occupation, and their artwork reflects this. The appearance
of monkeys on their pottery is evidence that a trade system
existed with the jungle cultures of Peru. The dogs depicted
on their pottery still exist in Peru today. They are black-skinned,
and basically hairless, looking a bit like a piece of
Chimu pottery, themselves.
Another coastal town, Chiclayo, is located only 315
miles from Ecuador. It is a large city with a metropolitan
feel. In the Chiclayo market,
however, you will find more of a village flavor. Everything
from open-air meat carvers, to clothing and household
goods vendors, to haircutting stations can be found at
the market. Particularly interesting are the bruja
(witchcraft) stalls, with their selections of pieces of
animals, plant parts, potions, powders, and books advising
on how to cure all ills. (The artifact
depicting a king was found in Lambayeque, several
miles outside of Chiclayo.)
The tomb of the Lord
of Sipan is located a short distance away from Chiclayo,
in the town of Lambayeque. A total of two pyramids and
one platform were excavated, and one of the most famous
pre-Columbian tombs was unearthed, completely untouched.
The Lord of Sipan was a warrior priest (a Moche descendent)
who died around 250 AD. In his tomb were found 1200 pieces
of gold and precious stones; two young concubines, two
guards armed with shields and breastplates, and a guardian
of the tomb, whose feet were mutilated to symbolize his
eternal obligation to keep watch. Also found were ceremonial
goblets, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, noseplates, wristplates,
rattles, and ceremonial knives, all encrusted with precious
stones. The collection usually lives at the Bruning Museum
in Lambayeque. Currently it is on display in the National
Museum in Lima.
530 miles northeast of Lima, and a beautiful 120-mile
drive into the mountains from the coast, lies Cajamarca,
at 8,928 feet above sea level. Cajamarca is where the
Inca Atahualpa was resting with his 60,000 warriors at
a nearby hot spring, when the Spanish explorer Francisco
Pizarro asked to meet with him. Feeling no threat, and
rather interested in the white newcomer, Atahualpa agreed
to meet him in the main square of Cajamarca. Most of Atahualpa's
troops stationed themselves outside the square, but 6,000
of them entered with Atahualpa. Pizarro's men, numbering
only a couple of hundred, hid behind the doorways within
the square. As soon as Atahualpa entered, the Spanish
stormed, firing cannons, and swinging swords from horseback.
Atahualpa's troops were overwhelmed by the cannon and
horses, which they had never before seen. Stunned, they
turned and fled. They were unable to escape the narrow
plaza quickly, and by the time the battle was over, 7,000
Inca lay dead. Thus, in 1532, Pizarro was able to capture
the king of the Inca Empire with only 200 men.
Pizarro detained Atahualpa in a building now known as
the ransom room. Atahualpa offered to fill the prison
room once with gold and twice with silver in exchange
for his release. Pizarro took Atahualpa up on the offer
of gold and silver, and was planning on extorting further
wealth from him when he was caught trying to plan his
escape. Pizarro promptly executed him and installed his
younger brother as a puppet leader. The rest is history.
Peru became a Spanish colony, and remained so until its
liberation in 1824 by Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin.
There
is a nice view of the city from the Cajamarca
city overlook, where the Incas used to survey
their land and troops. Carved stone benches still sit,
ready to be regally occupied. (The Inca crouching
figure was created during the time of the conquest.)
