Arequipa and the Colca Canyon
Arequipa, Peru´s second city lies in an earthquake prone area and is dominated by the nearby volcanoes of El Misti (5820m) and Chachani (6075m). Most of the towns stylish architecture, including the cathedral, is made from sillar, a white-grey volcanic rock, giving the city its own unique appearance.
Perhaps the towns greatest colonial treasure is the Monasterio del Santa Catalina. Although I´m not a great fan of religous buildings, I found this sprawling citadel quite fascinating. Founded in 1580, the nunnery was shrouded in secrecy until it was opened to the public in 1970. These days, the remaining nuns go about their business in a separate annexe and you are free to wander the maze of passageways and cloistered courtyards, which retain a mysterious secluded air.
The story of Juanita, the ice mummy is told in the Museo del Santuario Andino in Arequipa, where the girls well preserved remains can be seen. In 1998, an expedition to the summit of the 6280m Ampato volcano found the mummified remains of Juanita, who appeared to have been sacrified to the Gods. Since then numerous other ice mummies have been found at this and other nearby peaks. All were buried with artefacts which suggests they were of some importance, probably Inca nobility. During Inca times, the volcanoes were thought to be the realm of the Gods and these sacrifices would have been made to appease them. Clearly they went to great lengths to scale such peaks. Although it seems like a terrible fate, for the Inca, it would have been an honour to have been chosen to rest amongst the Gods.
The nearby Colca Canyon is the worlds deepest, recent GPS measurements make it around 4000m deep. However it takes time to get to the deepest parts of the canyon and my tour only went as far as Cruz del Condor, where the canyon drops to a depth of 1200m. At this point you can just about see down to the bottom. The highlight of the trip was watching the condors soar overhead here, at times they pass as close as five metres overhead - quite a spectacular site !
Arequipa, Peru´s second city lies in an earthquake prone area and is dominated by the nearby volcanoes of El Misti (5820m) and Chachani (6075m). Most of the towns stylish architecture, including the cathedral, is made from sillar, a white-grey volcanic rock, giving the city its own unique appearance.
Perhaps the towns greatest colonial treasure is the Monasterio del Santa Catalina. Although I´m not a great fan of religous buildings, I found this sprawling citadel quite fascinating. Founded in 1580, the nunnery was shrouded in secrecy until it was opened to the public in 1970. These days, the remaining nuns go about their business in a separate annexe and you are free to wander the maze of passageways and cloistered courtyards, which retain a mysterious secluded air.
The story of Juanita, the ice mummy is told in the Museo del Santuario Andino in Arequipa, where the girls well preserved remains can be seen. In 1998, an expedition to the summit of the 6280m Ampato volcano found the mummified remains of Juanita, who appeared to have been sacrified to the Gods. Since then numerous other ice mummies have been found at this and other nearby peaks. All were buried with artefacts which suggests they were of some importance, probably Inca nobility. During Inca times, the volcanoes were thought to be the realm of the Gods and these sacrifices would have been made to appease them. Clearly they went to great lengths to scale such peaks. Although it seems like a terrible fate, for the Inca, it would have been an honour to have been chosen to rest amongst the Gods.
The nearby Colca Canyon is the worlds deepest, recent GPS measurements make it around 4000m deep. However it takes time to get to the deepest parts of the canyon and my tour only went as far as Cruz del Condor, where the canyon drops to a depth of 1200m. At this point you can just about see down to the bottom. The highlight of the trip was watching the condors soar overhead here, at times they pass as close as five metres overhead - quite a spectacular site !
posted by sacred trails @ 10:40 AM
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