Thursday, Aug. 21, 2003 - 3:45 p.m.
Today I went sightseeing around Arequipa with the guys. We walked to the Plaza de Armas, the main plaza and took photos. On one corner is the Iglesia de La Compania, one of the oldest churches in town. Also, the main cathedral is there, which was originally built in 1656, destroyed by a fire in 1844 and rebuilt soon after. I enjoyed exploring Arequipa (Peru's 2nd largest city), it is about twice the size of Cuenca, but also very colonial and picturesque. We had good weather today (actually, we've been fortunate with good weather all along).
Soon we were staring at 500 year old mummies on display at the Museum Santuarios Andinos. This is where the "Juanita, the Ice Princess" exhibit is. Many moons ago the Incas used to, on occasion, make human sacrifices on the volcano mountains. The humans were children. 18 mummies have been discoered, 14 of them in Peru. The rest are in Chile and Argentina. National Geographic did a story about Juanita (June 96, Jan 97), she is the best preserved mummy of all. 5 centuries old, she was only 12 or 13 when she died. First we watched a Nat. Geo video, then we had a tour of the museum containing artifacts found with the mummies; figures made of silver, copper and gold, textiles, pottery, etc. Juanita was discovered on Ampato volcano (6,380m) (in Arequipa) in 1995 after a nearby eruption melted the ice, uncovering her body. She was exposed to the elements for 2 or 3 weeks before being found by an anthropologist. Children from well-to-do families were given the honor of being sacrificed to the gods, and in a way, through death, becoming devine themselves. Nearby Mount Misti has also had mummies, both girls and boys. The museum also had another mummy on display, Sarita found on Ampato. They were in a cross-legged position; skin, hair, textiles and internal organs still intact. Their death was caused by a blow to the head by an Incan Shaman after consuming a strong drink to sedate them. Research is still being done by the nearby University to learn more about the Incas and the mummies.
Next I went to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. The guys didn't go because the entrance fee was about $7, quite steep for S.America (most museums are about a dollar or two). But I remember seeing photos of fellow teacher Joyce's trip to Peru. She showed me pictures of the monastery and I asked "Where is *that*? I want to go there!", so I was willing to splurge and pay the price. It was a late afternoon sun that splashed against the colorful rich, brick red and royal blue monastery walls and warmed the peaceful, simple courtyards and gardens. Soothing classical music filled the halls as I wandered around, taking in everything. Built more than 400 years ago, in 1579, soon after the Spanish conquest, it onced housed 450 nuns. It's colonial architecture is very impressive (lots of arched doorways and solid columns). The monastery takes up a whole city block, I didn't realize when I was wandering around how large it is. (See website www.santacatalina.org.pe for more info, history and photos) My favorite place is the cloister of the Orange Trees.
I wandered around for about an hour and then...surprise! I ran into Derek, the dutch guy we had met in Trujillo. We knew he was in town, and actually had briefly met up with him the night before, but he was planning to fly to Cusco early the next day, so we didn't think we would see him again. But then I met him at the monastery. "What are you doing here?" I asked. It turned out that he had missed his Cusco flight, so he was in town for a few more days. He had already been exploring the monastery for several hours, so he showed me the rest of the complex, with running commetary! One of the best parts was getting a rooftop view of the city from one of the buildings of the convent, as the sun was slowly setting behind the nearby mountains.
Derek and I slowly made our way back to the hotel where the guys were. But first we visited a little market where there was traditional dancing and performances for Arequipa's founding, Aug. 15th. We also ate Papa Rellenas (stuffed potatoes with veggies) and Churros (a delicious & fried bread rolled in sugar). That eve all of us had dinner together. We wouldn't see Derek again because we had booked a 2 day tour of Colca Canyon and Derek was flying out before we returned. However, it is possible that perhaps I might connect with Derek in Argentina, after he meets up with his girlfriend in Buenos Aires.
By the way, if you want to see a map of where I've been and where I'm going in Peru, check out this website:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshells/south_america/peru/peru.htm
It is a map of Peru. Here's been my itinerary:
Tumbes, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Huaraz, Lima, Nasca, Arequipa, Puno & Lake Titicaca, Cuzco & Macchu Picchu.
From there, I will return to Puno to cross into the border of Bolivia, and then on to the capital city of La Paz.
