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High atop the craggy peaks of the Peruvian Andes, among villages made of stone, the hearty traveler finds the ruins of a civilization steeped in mystical heritage and rich with history. Five centuries ago there thrived a society with a complex social order and advanced infrastructure which even today piques the interest of archaeologists from around the world.
By 1532 it is said that the Inca rule extended to over 12,000,000 people speaking 20 different languages in many coastal and mountain communities. They inhabited a vast territory, extending from what is now the northern border of Ecuador to west central Argentina, down to the Maule River in Central Chile...about the same area as from New York City to the Panama Canal. Yet, after centuries of phenomenal political and geographic expansion -- and just forty years after the arrival of Christopher Columbus -- it took less than 200 Spaniards to overthrow the Inca state. Historians still ponder the bizarre, sudden fate of this once mighty empire.
Like their ancestors, the people of coastal Peru have a strong bond with the sea. Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl has given us stories of early surfers who preceded the Polynesians and Hawaiians. Today, the fishermen of Huanchaco head out each morning with their nets stored atop caballitos de totora (little horses) woven of totora reed. The design of the boats, seen lining the beaches of the quaint seaside village are a pleasant contrast to modern surfboards. A tenuous link to the past is evident as the fishermen stand on the tail of their small craft and "surf" the boats to shore after a day long of fishing.
A Respectable Wave |
Chicama, What More Needs to be Said? |
Peruvian Power |
Pico Alto Growling in the Distance, a LOT Bigger Than it Looks |