Category Archives: 4) DESTINATIONS — not in U.S.

Pucllana, Huaca Juliana^[1] Pucllana with statues of Lima culture priests

Yes, you could say I’m living vicariously as I read about all the cool places my son will be going during his upcoming semester abroad in Peru. But I may get to visit some of these places too, when we visit him in Lima and beyond. So here are some ideas (with a little help from wikipedia) from the latest itinerary sent by his Peru study abroad program:

• The Huaca Juliana, or Huaca Pucllana’, is a great adobe and clay pyramid located in the Miraflores district of central Lima, Peru, built from seven staggering platforms. It takes its name from the Quechua word “pucllay,” meaning “game,” which in its entirety can be translated as “a place for ritual games.” It served as an important ceremonial and administrative center for the advancement of the Lima Culture, a society which developed in the Peruvian Central Coast between the years of 200 AD and 700 AD.With the intended purpose of having the elite clergymen (whom politically governed several valleys in the area) express their complete religious power and ability to control the use of all the natural water resources (saltwater and freshwater) of the zone, a Great Pyramid was constructed in the Huaca. As a whole, the structure is surrounded by a plaza, or central square, that borders the outer limits, and by a large structured wall dividing it into two separate sections. In one section there were benches and evidence of deep pits where offerings of fish and other marine life took place in order to attain the favor of the gods. The other section is an administrative area. This area contains various small clay structures and huts made of adobe–with some walls still standing–whose function seemed to be to act as the courtyards and patios of the enclosure which is over 500 meters in length, 100 in width and 22 in height.Other remains have been uncovered belonging to the Wari Culture (500 AD-900 AD), which was a direct influence on the Lima Culture society towards the ends of its time period. Of particular note are the remains of the “Señor de los Unkus” (The Lord of the Unkus), which belonged to the first tomb within the ceremonial center to have been discovered completely intact. This tomb holds three separate burial shrouds containing the remains of three adults–two of which have masks–and those of a sacrificed child.
• Caral, or Caral-Supe, was a large settlement in the Supe Valley, near Supe, Barranca province, Peru, some 200 km north of Lima. Caral is the most ancient city of the Americas, and is a well-studied site of the Caral civilization or Norte Chico civilization.
• El Carmen,  the (Afro-Peruvian) district which is predominantly black, with all its cultural manifestations. It is the center of the (Chincha) province of folklore, romantic people happy, boisterous set in a large valley Chincha. It is the bastion of black genre, since the first settlers were blacks of Angola and Mandingo.  Afro-Peruvian culture has thrived in Chincha Alta, and the Afro-Peruvian residents of El Carmen district practice many traditional dances. The use of the Cajón drum, maracas and other traditional instruments figure prominently in Afro-Peruvian music, which is popular throughout the region. Here’s a blog with good information on all things Peru: http://enperublog.com/2011/04/30/perus-african-side-chincha-el-carmen/