Well worn paths

Yesterday we did a bit of exploring outside of the cozy little town of Huanchaco to see some ruins of the Chimu culture. The site was called Chan Chan, which is thought to have been built around 850 A.D., and lasted until the Incas took over. It seems the Incas got their comeuppance when the Spanish came. But the Incas were not as destructive to the architecture. Chan Chan is remarkably well preserved and/or restored. I could get a bit of the feel of being one of the 30,000 to 60,000 citizens that lived there, attending one of the ceremonies or just going about my daily routine.



Some say it is too restored and not authentically portrayed according to the effects of time and weather. I am not an archaeologist nor am I interested in the detailed science that goes into trying to figure out all the dating of things. I am curious about the people and especially the women. What was daily life like? Were women just seen as part of the property? Did they have a job, a duty? This culture definitely intrigued me. It is still being excavated and theorized about. It was only recently uncovered in the 1800s which is a short amount of time by archaeological standards. Much to do still.

After the ruins we sat on the beach. It was such a nice, relaxing day, which doesn't even truly express it.

We then found that one of the first people I met in our travels (in Cuenca, Ecuador) was also staying here. A very friendly and easy going girl from Holland. She had just arrived the day before and told me about other people she met along the way that were also in Huanchaco and staying at the same hostel. We had a great time sitting on the rooftop of our hostel, drinking wine and playing a new card game called Yani. We learned the game from a British woman also traveling in a similar direction as us and our friend from Holland.

It seems that this is a mecca for travelers. It is a well worn spot along the Gringo Trail, from what I've read. I understand why. A beach and an ancient city. You can soak up sun and culture at an easy pace.

For the full set of our pictures from Chan Chan, and a video of Brian explaining the "Sala de 24 Hornacinas", visit the part of our flickr feed tagged "chanchan". You can also view our pictures of Huanchaco.