PACHACAMAC---OFF THE “GRINGO” TRAIL

The quintessential South American country, Peru fires the imagination like few other places. Often, the country of Peru conjures up images of rainforests or the
cloud-impacted mystical “Lost City of the Incas”, Machu Picchu. For most travelers, Machu Picchu is their primary goal. Others who are lucky will often venture to the famous Lake Titicaca we all learn about in grade school and others may venture to the upper Amazon Basin Rain Forest.

On my recent trip to Peru, I was lucky enough to not only see these sites but also venture off the beaten “gringo” path, to see other sites as mystical and awe inspiring as those. One such site was Pachacamac.

After a few days in the capitol city of Lima enjoying the sites, sounds and history of the “Centro District” dotted with it’s many magnificent cathedrals, catacombs, and government buildings I decided to take a day trip south of the city. Lima hustles and bustles with nearly 7.8 million people and is typical of most Latin American capitol cities.

Heading south out of downtown Lima, I passed Miraflores and Barranco both upscale suburbs of Lima. Past Barranco I entered the village of Chorillos filled with open air markets, dirt roads, and appeared to be the “end of the city”.

Lima and its surrounds are filled with edifices, trees, parks and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. As I left Chorillos, I was astounded to find myself in the midst of a desert that rivaled the sand dunes of the Sahara’s! Where the Pacific Ocean met land, a vast desert spread out before me filled with sand dunes and dotted by poverty. I headed south on the Pan-American Highway for 25 miles. In the midst of the desert were small villages, children playing soccer on a sandy field, homes without roofs, and shantytowns.

Twenty-five miles later I found myself in a historical oasis in the midst of the desert and the poverty, such a stark contrast from the capitol city I had left only thirty minutes ago. The site was Pachacamac.

Pachacamac roughly translates into “he who animated the world” in the Quechua language. Not only is this a great day trip from Lima, but also well prepared me historically, culturally, and spiritually for my future adventures to the Nazca Lines and the Mysteries of the Andes. Most travelers are curious and fascinated by the famous Incan culture, but the ruins of Pachacamac not only cover the Incan Empire but also are predated by the Wari Culture many centuries before the arrival of the Incas. Built centuries before the time of the Incas, Pachacamac is noted for its great temples and for the remains of frescoes adorning its adobe walls. Culturally and chronologically, it’s related to the Cuismancu Empire, including the Wari. The site was once considered one of the most important religious centers of the indigenous people of the central Andes.

The fist occupation of Pachacamac began around 200 AD. With the arrival of the Wari culture in 650 AD, Pachacamac’s influence extended to other zones of the central and coastal Andes. It was after the collapse of the Wari Culture around 800 AD that the majority of the current architectural compounds and pyramids were constructed.

Arriving last, the Incas occupied the site from 1450-1532, and adapted the preexisting temples and structures to their culture and added the Temple of the Sun and the Palace of Taurichumbi. As is the case with most ancient civilizations, the site was conquered by explorers and fell into disarray.

As I wandered around the site, which takes about three to four hours, the vastness, the starkness, and the beauty of the site overwhelmed me. Perhaps, the highlight of this site is hiking the long dusty road to the Templo Del Sol (Temple of the Sun) on top of one of the pyramids. As I climbed to the apex of this ruin through a labyrinth of terraces, I could still see scrapings of the original red and yellow paint that at one time completely covered all the walls. Atop of the Templo Del Sol, I was greeted by a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean dotted by coastal islands and rock formations.

The other highlight of this archeological site is found within the small and modest museum that contains the original Idol of Pachacamac. Pachacamac is the mythological God of “fire and earthquakes” that controlled the balance of the world. It was believed that if Pachacamac was angered he would send fires and earthquakes to the people. The Idol, carved of wood, depicts a human figure with felines and serpent features in the Wari style.

The site also contains a small café and visitors center. Pachacamac can be reached by taxi, car, or bus and some are inclined to bike the 25 miles out of Lima. The site offers guided tours or one can wander along the ruins alone with a small map. The entrance fee is one dollar and fifty cents (or 5 soles).

As I headed back to the hustling city of Lima, again passing the squalor of the shanty towns and the vastness of the desert, I had not even realized that this day trip had historically, culturally, and spiritually prepared me for the more famous sites of Nazca, Lake Titicaca, and Cuzco filled with it’s wonderment of not only the Inca empire, but also the traditions of the Wari, Ica, and Quechua cultures. Aside from the site of Pachacamac, the road to Pachacamac can be enlightening with its drastic contrast to the city that I was returning. Realizing that hopes, dreams, and survival transcend all people, all times.