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We had heard some fairly
negative reports about the road to Chavin, and since the tours to there
are only ten dollars we opted to go that way. Whether or not that was the
best decision is still open to debate. We did find that the information
we had was pretty accurate, and we probably would not have made it on the
bikes. But as far as the tour goes it was not one our best experiences.
To begin with the tour operator was 20 minutes late picking us up at the
hotel. He then took us downtown and deposited us in a bus where we sat
for another 20 minutes. Finally they decided we didn't have enough people
to warrant the large bus and they herded us along with the other 5 passengers
and the guide into a small 4-wheel drive van. The turn off to cross the
Cordillera is about 23 kilometers south of Huaraz. Before we had reach
it we had been stopped three times by police checkpoints, two of which
required small bribes. About a mile before the turnoff we had a flat tire
on the van, only to find there was no spare.
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The driver flagged a
ride and assured us he would be back in 10 minutes. Forty minutes later
he arrived in a taxi, and in another 10 minutes we were finally on our
way. The road is paved for another forty kilometers or so, and the tour
is supposed to include a rest stop at a mountain lake near the pass. Our
guide informed us that the flat had put us too far behind and that the
tunnel at the pass is only open between noon and 1:00 because of road work
on the other side.
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We had made the tunnel
with just 5minutes to spare, but when we exited on the other side we were
told to back into the tunnel because they were preparing to blast. Above,
as dust from the blast settles, men prepare to push the debri off of the
road so that we can pass. Further down the road we were forced to wait
another hour while a slide about ten feet high and 75 feet accross was
leveled enough to pass over it. We all had to exit the bus and help to
push it over the loose debris.
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Most of Chavin's best
pieces are in musems, although work continues there even now. Chavin is
characterized by symbols that reflect dualism and convergence. The imagery
is full of anthropomorphic figures with feline features. There is also
evidence of heavy use of halucinogens. The temple (above) was engineered
with water canals that could be manipulated to make the temple seem to
"roar." The lower portion had been faced with black and white stones with
finely carved images. Most were destroyed by looters trying to saw the
carvings off of the thick stones. Below is the only one of more than 70
tenon heads that remain en situ (note the feline fangs). At
right is one of the feline processions from one of the sunken courts.
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