Spring Waxing Moon of the Southern Cross

Chan Chan, several palaces of the Chimu rulers (750-1470 C.E.), spreads itself out over several square kilometers of dusky desert. The bulk of its buildings still covered with lumpy clay mounds, only one, Nik An, has been fully excavated, conserved and restored.

We saw it today, fittingly for a desert palace, under a direct equatorial sun (we’re still only 8 degrees S) that rendered its seven meters high and three meters thick outer walls dun barriers radiating heat. Each king built a new palace (like Angkor in Cambodia) and if the others are like this one they were stunners.

The décor featured waves, pelicans, squirrels (or sea otters), waves cresting, the full moon, fish and a diamond shaped pattern meant to evoke fishing net. There many, many rooms, some for residence, some for cult activities, some, the largest, for ceremonies at the death of a king. At the southernmost gate lay the dark and deep tomb of the former ruler of this palace.

When the Chimu king died, so did his concubines and officials and they had ancillary graves off to the side of his. The Spanish robbed these tombs of gold and bones so the king’s tomb is empty, a few bones are left in the ancillary graves.

After Chan Chan, we went to the beach, a nice resort area with summer homes, restaurants along an ocean road, boys collecting seaweed for ceviche and reed boats. Many, many reed boats.

This ancient craft continues to be made today by Peruvians interested in the craft and in the tourist appeal. A row of thirty reed boats stood, stumpy ends down and graceful curved bows up, along the wall separating the sidewalk from the beach.

Along the way children sold miniatures for the $1 price point so beloved in Ecuador. I bought one.

At yet another stop on what became a long tour (the bus had no air conditioning and we had all over dressed due to a cool forecast) I found a reproduction of a Moche ceramic. “$10. Cheap.” And it really was.

Spring Waxing Moon of the Southern Cross

Trujillo, Peru 8 degrees 14 minutes S 78 degrees 59 minutes W

Finished our run from Guayaquil early this morning. Today we’re docked in yet another working dock with a gray metal platform of some kind, a conveyor belt I believe, extending at exactly our cabin level from a gray industrial building to the end of the pier.

Below the promenade deck an Andean band plays with a large hand held native drum, pan pipes and a guitar, an airy lilting music that reminds of some Celtic music though the plaintive tone has a peculiar Latin American folk accent.

Both Kate and I had the same reaction when we heard the pan pipes. Austria. Vienna. The Astoria Hotel. We had a second floor room in this grand dame on the Ringstrasse and it had a balcony overlooking the the Ringstrasse. Beneath it, for the entire time we stayed, a three person Andean band played, featuring the pan pipes. In this city of Strauss, Mozart and The Vienna State Opera it was strange to have Andean music become our musical mnemonic device, but it’s true. So, here in the port for Salaverry, Peru we think of the Hapsburg royal city, city of waltzes.

We went out early to the artisan shoppes lined up on the pier. I bought two more alpaca sweaters, $50.00 total. I’m not bargaining so far, a breach of local trade customs, I know, but I have decided when

I feel the price is a bargain that I’m willing to donate the extra to the vendors.

I’m looking for Moche ceramics, reproductions, but excellent reproductions. They have them here, but they’re the cheap knockoff type; many of the ones for sale here in Salaverry are erotic. This is not an anachronism, the Moche did produce erotic ceramics though that’s not what I’m looking to purchase. The Moche did excellent portraits in their clever pots and that’s what I want to find. The local guide on the ship said the Museo Nacional Antropologia in Lima will be the most likely place to find what I want.

That’s tomorrow. We have two days in Lima and I plan to cab down to the Plaza de Armas tomorrow morning to visit the museum and hunt for Moche ceramics.

Today we visit the Chan Chan Citadel, a stronghold of the Chimu culture. While the Inca worshiped the sun, the Chimu worshiped the moon. I want to learn more about that aspect of Chimu culture.

Until later.