Return to Peru

Peru is riddled with archeological sites dating back sometimes for thousands of years. Many of these sites are not protected or conserved. As a result there has been a lot of looting. Nevertheless, they continue to be eloquent witnesses to vital and creative human presence long before Europeans arrived. During my last visit some years ago, I spent time in a small town inland from the coast, in the Andean "foothills" at an elevation of 500 meters. One day we went to visit an ancient site where assemblies were held and ceremonied performed. It was a large open circle. The large stones that marked the perimeter were still evident. It was late afternoon and the sunlight was already dimming. The entrance to the circle consisted of large stones forming an open doorway. And then I noticed that two small owls had positioned themselves at each side of the door. For us, Westerners, owls sometim are seen as signs of wisdom; for the Peruvians they were protectors. There they were, still protecting the site after so many centuries!

The rocks are immense