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Before the Incas

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Moche Pottery at Lima’s Museo Larco

As powerful as the Incas were, they were Johnny-Come-Latelies on the Peruvian scene, much as the Aztecs were in Mexico. It was only in the early 15th century that they formed an empire with its capital in Cuzco. Less than a hundred years later, two invaders put an end to the Incas: First there was measles, which spread like wildfire from the Spanish in the Caribbean. Then there were the Spanish conquistadores themselves led by Francisco Pizarro.

The Incas were only the last chapter in the Pre-Columbian world of Peru. Before them came the Huaca Prieta, Chavin, Moche, Sicán, Chimu, Wari, Chachapoyas, Paracas, Tiwanaku, Nazca, and Cajamarca—to name just a few. And that excludes the various peoples of the Peruvian Jungle.

Except for the archeologists, we seem to have forgotten all the peoples who preceded the Inca. Visit Peru, and you will see the ruins of the cities all the Inca predecessors left behind, cities like Pachacamac, Chan Chan, Kuélap, Chavin de Huantar, Huaca Pucllana, Sipán, and Sillustani.

Paracas Culture Funerary Bundle

Although I am getting a bit long in the tooth, I conceived this idea of heading north from Lima to view many of these ancient ruins. It would involve a couple of trips to high ground to visit the ruins around Huaraz and Chachapoyas, including some scary mountain bus rides; but it would prove that there is a good deal more to Peru than Machu Picchu.

Why Latin America?

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There Is a Reason Why I Keep Going Back There

My first vacation on my own—at the age of thirty—was to Yucatán. In the intervening years, more than two-thirds of my international vacations have been to Mexico, Central or South America. Originally, my interest was in Pre-Columbian archeology. I still am, but I’ve added post-Columbian (i.e., Christian) archeology to my interests. The two exist side by side in fascinating ways.

Many Latin-American towns have museums of religious statuary and paintings that used to be in churches that are no longer in service. Lima, Peru, for instance has a fascinating museum in the former Archbishop’s palace adjoining the cathedral.

Sacramental Vessels from Lima’s Archbishop’s Palace

American tourists usually go in for all the pre-Columbian sites, but are totally uninterested in the ruins of Catholicism that are evident all over the place. In places like Buenos Aires; Cuenca, Ecuador; Mérida, Mexico; and Antigua, Guatemala there are old churches that are no longer in use, but there are thousands of items of religious art that are fascinating to me. One of the most incredible is the huge monastery of Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru, which is like a walled city in its own right.

The Monastery of Santa Catalina in Arequipa, Peru

In the morning that I visited Santa Catalina, I took the two-hour morning tour. Then I went to lunch and had some rocoto relleno (spicy stuffed Peruvian green pepper) in a restaurant behind the cathedral. Then I went back and spent the whole afternoon actually trying to get lost as I wandered through the narrow streets and saw the chapels, nuns’ cells, gardens, kitchens, laundries, and other services that made up the monastery.

Looking back, I think I’d rather see Santa Catalina again than Machu Picchu. In my mind, they are of equivalent interest, but Santa Catalina is much nicer.