I did not go to Wawi Wasi today. Instead, I returned with Carol and Andrea to the house we were building yesterday. The family, Juliano, Maxine, Mariana, and Franco were so grateful for our help. We worked for about 3 hours, and it was very rewarding. We had to dig holes in the dirt with a trowel, a crowbar, and our hands for the posts. Then, we basically nailed makeshift walls of wood to the posts to create two rooms. The roof consists of tin panels that we just lay on top of the walls. In the meantime, the family has two chickens that are constantly underfoot, and one even bit my hand today. It took a long time because Juliano is in a wheelchair due to a leg amputation, so he would direct while we worked. He and his wife changed their minds frequently. Plus, none of us are carpenters. So, Tony from Martincitos, we volunteers, and Juan Carlos (our driver) basically winged it as we went. We were up and down ladders, nailing boards together and then taking them apart again, and maneuvering long pieces of lumber and roofing around a very small area. I absolutely loved it. It reaffirmed my dream to do a Habitat for Humanity project someday.
After placement and lunch, we went to Pachacamac. The city is named after a two-faced god that was worshipped by the four various tribes that had resided in the area over a span of hundreds of years - the Lima, the Wari, the Ychsma, and the Inca. The name means "creator of the world." The residents themselves lived outside of the religious area. The religious area today is an archaeological dig site that has unearthed dozens of temples. Each civilization just built upon those built by their predecessors. We also saw a cemetery, which looks like a terraced mass burial ground on the hill.
We ascended (by van) up to the Temple of the Sun by the Incas. The temple had been six terraces high, but unfortunately it is only four now due to earthquakes and looters. The priests used to live on the top terrace and used the temple as an astronomical observatory. People would sacrifice guinea pigs and llamas as offerings to the sun god. The area is a perfect location. It's on a river, so there are agricultural fields around for crops. It's near the ocean for fish and shells. And, it's built into hills in the desert. The Temple is on the high
est site of the city.
The last area we saw was a Allacawasi/Mamacino, which is near the Moon Temple. It housed older women and virgins. These women produced goods there such as food and textiles. Some were concubines for the Incan nobles. They would travel with offerings to the Sun Temple. They were most often the prettiest and most intelligent women in the Incan empire. The building is very prototypical Incan with trapezoidal windows and door frames. Although it is now all stone, it was covered with gold and silver hundreds of years ago.
It was an amazing day. We even saw the infamous Peruvian hairless dogs. I myself would never own one-they are quite ugly, and I don't really like saying that about any animal. We are going to go to Barranco tonight for one last night of all of us being together. Most of us volunteers currently at the house are leaving for home or Cusco this weekend. There will only be a few left until the new group gets here on Sunday. So, we all have to make our farewells. Thank goodness for Facebook, though, we won't be far!
After placement and lunch, we went to Pachacamac. The city is named after a two-faced god that was worshipped by the four various tribes that had resided in the area over a span of hundreds of years - the Lima, the Wari, the Ychsma, and the Inca. The name means "creator of the world." The residents themselves lived outside of the religious area. The religious area today is an archaeological dig site that has unearthed dozens of temples. Each civilization just built upon those built by their predecessors. We also saw a cemetery, which looks like a terraced mass burial ground on the hill.
We ascended (by van) up to the Temple of the Sun by the Incas. The temple had been six terraces high, but unfortunately it is only four now due to earthquakes and looters. The priests used to live on the top terrace and used the temple as an astronomical observatory. People would sacrifice guinea pigs and llamas as offerings to the sun god. The area is a perfect location. It's on a river, so there are agricultural fields around for crops. It's near the ocean for fish and shells. And, it's built into hills in the desert. The Temple is on the high
est site of the city.The last area we saw was a Allacawasi/Mamacino, which is near the Moon Temple. It housed older women and virgins. These women produced goods there such as food and textiles. Some were concubines for the Incan nobles. They would travel with offerings to the Sun Temple. They were most often the prettiest and most intelligent women in the Incan empire. The building is very prototypical Incan with trapezoidal windows and door frames. Although it is now all stone, it was covered with gold and silver hundreds of years ago.
It was an amazing day. We even saw the infamous Peruvian hairless dogs. I myself would never own one-they are quite ugly, and I don't really like saying that about any animal. We are going to go to Barranco tonight for one last night of all of us being together. Most of us volunteers currently at the house are leaving for home or Cusco this weekend. There will only be a few left until the new group gets here on Sunday. So, we all have to make our farewells. Thank goodness for Facebook, though, we won't be far!
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