Lords of Sipan

Today was a double header. Two museums. Four and a half hours. Tired feet. But these two museums were the reason we came to northern Peru, the land of the Lords of Sipan.

We visited the older museum first: Museo Arqueologico Nacional Bruning. Lots of pictures later . . .

Then we stopped for lunch. Were served a hot drink called "Tiger's milk" at El Pacifico, a heady concoction of salty seafood broth, spiced with lemon and chiles. It nearly burned the cold right out of my throat! Resting feet. Enjoying yogurt and fruit (a grape as large as two thumbs).

Then we walked over to the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan, which showcased Walter Alva's sumptuous find, an untouched tomb discovered in 1987, featuring the first clear picture of what life (or death) was like in the Moche Kingdom for one of its major rulers in a tomb that was unlooted. The treasure trove is truly amazing.

The museum is set up like a Moche temple. We entered at the top, and just as the archaeologists did, we worked our way down through the layers of burials, so carefully unearthed by Alva's team. For breathtaking images (not in public domain), go to this site of the Museo Tumbas Reales de Sipan

I coiuld say my favorite was the Decapitator God, but I'm also partial to the Crab God of the Sea and the ear plugs of turquoise, or the sun pectoral of tiny beads of coral and seashell.

We spent a long time in this museum and regretted nothing at all (except maybe tired feet). Then, back to our hotel, dodging these very fast three-wheeled "Moto-Taxis" which are quite picturesque when three of them are bearing down on you!

Larco Museum, Lima . . .

Yesterday we visited the Museo de la Nacion here in Lima. First, our guide took us through the third floor's bewilderingly exhibition, organized not around cultures but around the common themes that cross all Andean indigenous peoples. No dates. No neat little cards naming the artifact, where it was found, or which culture it came from. But we did gain an understanding of the main themes that underlie these cultures from prehistory (about 2,000 BC) to the time of the Spanish Conquest (1432).

Downstairs, we could wander through a more traditional chronological ordering of artifacts, each case highlighted a different Andean culture. And despite what Lonely Planet said, yes, you can take photographs. I will return with camera.

Today we traveled across Lima, a small town of 13 million souls, in a gas-belching, heart-stopping, lurching co-operativa bus, the kind that keeps moving when you leap on and off and that stops inches behind the car in front. But we traveled to the Larco Museum, properly called the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera, famous for its thousands of artifacts, not the least being some of the most beautiful pots I've ever seen -- and textiles. This private museum combined equisitely selected artifacts with careful notations. Larco was a thoughtful expert, classifying Andean cultures into a timeline. Even the Moche pottery was subdivided into 5 distinct categories. The museum notes explained how sacred beliefs developed over time, what elements stayed consistent between different cultures, and how this relates to our understandings of these people.

Characteristics of birds, serpents and felines (physical and supernatural) appear repeatedly to combine the sky (heaven, the source of rain), the land (this world), and the underworld (source of fruits of the earth and where the dead went). Notice the beautiful bird headdress of this Moche portrait sculpture (read more at Wikipedia). The Moche sculptures are beautifully realistic; most have an otherworldly look, almost trance-like. Interestingly, none of these Moche sculptures are of women, but nobles, priests and acclaimed artisans. These remind me of the painfully realistic portrait sculptures of the Romans, who borrowed and copied from the Greeks. We may return again, for the gardens, for the tasty lunch in the museum restaurant, but most certainly for more time with these beautiful pieces, from the earliest times to the Conquest. Even two more quippus -- and an exquisite Incan mantle made entirely of tiny blue and yellow feathers.

And if you are interested in am ancient sea god with the golden tentacles of an octopus returned to Peru in 2006, read more here.


One of the continuing controversies is over the looting of many Peruvian antiquities, which are slowly being returned from museums around the world. And of course I didn't buy an antique textile from a street vendor. Truly.

Hello from Santiago . . .

We’re in the heart of old town, Santiago, half a block down from the intersection of Paris and London Streets, those narrow, tree-lined, funky, cobblestoned bohemian streets populated by roving bands of students wearing long hair and dark glasses. At the little café next to our hotel, the Hotel Vegas, we can sit and sip cortados, demi-cups of strong coffee with milk, that first taste reminding me again that coffee came to the world from South America.


Today we had a Chilean national dish for lunch, Pastel de Choclo, a delicious main dish casserole of sweet corn, all ground up and crusty on top; inside, savory beef, large chunks of chicken on the bone, olives, grapes, and boiled eggs, somewhat flavored with milk, cumin and powdered sugar. I know. Is it possible to cook without garlic? But this was absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to cook it -- once I have a kitchen again.

Yesterday’s highlight was visiting the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino with artifacts from 4,500 years of Andean culture. Exhibits are beautifully arranged with maps, timelines, and notes to help clarify the different groups and their overlapping cultures. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sophisticated codes in these artifacts, and we’re at a loss without an English library.

But, here are my favorites. This Moche monkey has such expressive human hands (Zoomorphic stirrup-form bottle (monkey), Moche IV 400-800 BC, that’s over 2,000 years old. I took this picture at the Anthropological Museum at Vina del Mar).



And from the Museo de Chileno de Precolombino, these two images of textiles show complicated and sacred figures still vividly colored. The round painted cloth from the Chavin culture is over 1,000 years ago (700 BC – 500 AD), and seems very accessible to me, for its frayed edges showed that many generations have cared and protected this rare artifact.


This beautiful tapestry from the Chancay culture is dated between 1000-1430. Click on any image to see the details, please!


I'm left without words to describe our two week cruise around the Horn of South America, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Valparaiso, Chile, with Gordy and Lynda, and Henry and Jamie. Each day was so full, the sights nothing like I expected at all. We started with breakfast, looked out over the ocean from the 9th floor of the Norwegian Sun, and enjoyed every luxurious moment. For me, it will take a little more time to sort it all out -- but, fortuitously, Jamie has posted a wonderfully vivid travel blog with pictures. I hope you will visit and enjoy her comments at her new blog, Jamie Away.