Chavin!

Sunday we checked out of Huaraz and drove to a village called Chavin to stay for the night. It was a beautiful drive in the mountains and the village was practically deserted. After the Easter weekend, all tourists had checked out and with the rain, people stayed inside. Before the rain, we went to visit a World Heritage site. The archeological site in Chavin has been part of UNESCO since December 6^th 1985. The monument is 3400 years old, located at an altitude of 3180m, and is considered the most important c

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eremonial center of the area. Thousands of pilgrims from different regions of theAndes came here to give offerings to the gods. The gods were animals, such as the jaguar, the snake etc. And the number seven was important to them, and so many of the statues, structures are multiples of seven. The ceremonial plaza for example measures 49m by 49m. Everything is connected by subterranean tunnels and a lot of it remained intact. There are still many parts that are uncovered as well. It was estimated to be built between 1200 and 800 A.C. To this day, you can see the plazas, the drainage systems, stairs and walls.

Our return to Lima on Monday was a beautiful drive through mountains, snow, mineries (ew) and back to the coast.