Sunday, November 3, 2013

Peru--the Archaeologist's Treasure Chest

When tourists plan to visit Peru, generally the first thing that comes to mind is the Andean high altitude Inca archaeological site of Machu Picchu, Cuzco region, Urubamba Province (mid 1400's). I am a mountain person, and the thought of this site located in a beautiful Andean mountain area, reached by rail from a location near Cuzco (even higher altitude 3,400 m (11,200 ft) using either standard Peruvian rail or the luxury Hiram Bingham cars does sound very captivating. The ship's Machu Picchu tour sent some passengers to Cuzco by air where they stayed 2 nights and were able to take the train to the archaeological site and rejoin us after we sailed to Callao. Hiram Bingham was instrumental in introducing this region to the world. Senator/explorer Hiram Bingham III was from Connecticut, and we are very proud of him. The Bingham extended family still lives nearby. 

I knew there were other archaeological sites in Peru, but I didn't realize the scope of the archaeological treasures, especially in the western arid side of the Andes mountains. Throughout Peru, there are said to be thousands of sites, some dating back to 12,000 BC and many are still waiting to be studied. As we traveled along, the guide pointed out raised areas in the desert terrain, indicating that there were far more sites underneath to be explored. Click here for a very basic list of Peruvian archaeological sites.

We were privileged to visit EL BRUJO which is located just a few miles from Trujillo. My favorite camera began showing signs of imminent demise, but I was able to save these few photos. I recommend clicking on "El Brujo" above for more historical information and additional photos. The video  is excellent as well.



Many of the raised areas in the flat desert indicate a possible archaeological site.








Carved murals depicting history of the area.











View of Visitor's Center and Museum.


There is so much more to be discovered.


Museum Cao. To learn more, click on the El Brujo link, since none of my photos came out.


Additional archaeological sites near Trujillo which are open for viewing:
Click here.


8 comments:

Rune Eide said...

That must have been an experience indeed. I would have loved to visit and see some of this.

Reima said...

I didn't know about this site when I was in Peru! I saw Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and then Pachacamac in Lima! Great post! I look forward to more of your posts!

Joyful said...

I didn't get to experience much of Peru when I was there so many years ago. It looks like you got to see quite a bit more. Have a great week ahead.

Gattina said...

I haven't made it to Peru yet, interesting to read your post !

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was small and still have a big interest in it. I would love to visit sites like this to see but if I could choose what type of archaeology I could do it would be discovering lost cities in jungles.

The Greenockian said...

Looks amazing! Love your blog and looking forward to following your travels from here in Scotland.
Liz

CARLOS said...

A beautiful place full of history, Peru is one of those places that everyone should get to know. Have a good trip and a hug friend.

Unknown said...

Peru is such a wonderful country! Great post, Margaret. I also have a photo of one of those dogs! :-)