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1944
Peru (Chavin) - South America
Bec2004-09-20 16:34:12
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Huaraz
I arrived in Huaraz at seven in the evening after an 11 hour bus ride. It had been a long day but the spectacular drive up Cańon del Pato left me still tingling with excitement when I retired to Hostal Raimondi shown here.
I love the mountains but unfortunately my knees won't let me climb anymore (one was badly broken and has a big screw holding the pieces together and the other has a torn meniscus). Coming here was nevertheless a treat. Meeting climbers and looking at the great Cordillera Blanca made me feel 20 again!
Huaraz, at 3090 metres, is surrounded by dozens of peaks of 5700 meters or more (North America has only 3 of those, Denali, Logan and Orizaba and Europe has none). Huascarán, almost hidden in the clouds in this photo is Peru's highest mountain at 6768 meters.
Looking west, the Cordillera Negra appears less impressive but that is only because we're already at 3090 meters and because of the presence of the ice-capped Cordillera Blanca on the other side of the valley.
Sierra
From its great height of 6395 metres, Huanstán looks down on the small village of Chavín, where I am going, whose present appearance hides the fact that it once was the capital of great Empire.
Even if I had not been going to Chavín, the beautiful scenery along this mountain pass would have justified the trip.
Three thousand years ago, Chavín controlled the eastern end of this mountain pass which is the only one crossing the Cordillera Blanca for a considerable distance.
If you look carefully at this photo you will see the grass huts in which mountain Amerindians still live from herding alpacas like their ancestors did two millenniums ago.
The Huachecsa flows down this valley and meets the Mosna river at the strategic crossroads where Chavín was built.
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See photographs from:
Peru Gallery
