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Swim, swim little fishy
Yeah I know I know I’ve been slacking. I haven’t blogged in way too long. Means I’m having too much fun right? I suppose. Well I just get right into it…Last weekend I went to my first Pre Colombian ruins about 20 min outside of Trujillo. And it was incredible. I am such a history nerd. Huaca Rajada is the remnants of the deeply rich and well organized culture, Moche. There are two large remaining pyramids, mostly eroded from the sand. They were constructed with adobe mud bricks around 2000 years ago…TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO. One pyramid celebrates the sun, while the other the moon. The sun pyramid was used for Administrative affairs while the moon pyramid was used for sacred rituals. This is also considered one to the most important archaeological discoveries. Their artifacts were only discovered twenty years ago! There are nearly untouched by looters aka Spaniards (bastards). There are several layers to the pyramids and archaeologists are still unearthing new finds everyday. It’s so well preserved that the original paint still remains. Insane. Two thousand year old paint…where can I buy some of dat? The Moche culture disappeared around 550 to 650 AD, so well before the Spaniards arrival. There is speculation that natural disasters played the largest role in their demise, specifically El Niño. The Moches aren’t a considered war faring society, like, for example, the Incas, but they do have a history of human sacrifice. During their time of crisis, they believed their gods were angered and so the ritual of human sacrifice was practiced. The volunteers…yes.. it was considered a great honor…were given a drug derived from a plant to eliminate any pain and then they were beheaded. Pretty intense. What’s so amazing to me is that the more we learn about history, the more we learn that humans haven’t changed all that much. We’re still driven by fear of the unknown, like the Moches.
Well I have to mention the freaky dogs I saw at the site. They are a Peruvian hairless breed well over 2000 years old…did not even know they existed. They’re rumored to have special healing powers. Their body temperature is naturally higher than all other species of dogs. They were often used to help cure respiratory infections…listen. I better be in a freakin coma if you are going to put that ugly ass creature on my body. Because I got to be honest..it looks like it’s got some disease. Sick.
After my wonderful tour of Chiclayo I was taken to a small local lake where you can watch the crazy sand boarders scale down aka tumble down the sandy hill. Looks awesome yet also super dumb. I can’t wait to try it. After a little lake time I headed out to Huanchaco…the beach! It was beautiful and I’m definitely looking forward to some beach time in the future. I don’t know how I always end up by the water. Valencia, Spain…Montpellier, France…and now Trujillo, Peru. Maybe because I’m a Pieces? Either way I’m loving it.
