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John Servayge | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> ORO DE LOS ANDES tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

ORO DE LOS ANDES

A journey through Peruvian history. On this route we discover little visited corners of Peru. The intrepid traveller will be impressed by the beauty of the landscape and the imposing ruīns of 3 ancient cultures : the thousand years old magic of Chavin de Huantar, the Inca city of Huanuco Pampa and the Kingdom of the mysterious Yarowilcas.
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Huanuco 21.jpg Just beyond Pativilca, a paved road turns east for Huaraz in the Cordillera Blanca. Vast sugar-cane fields dot the landscape The sugar-cane fields are now farmed by a co-operative, but formerly belonged to the US-owned Grace Corporation Sugar-cane farmer at work near Pativilca
Local farming products drying in the heat of the day along the road to Chasquitambo Farm art Red pepper festival The small town of Chasquitambo
Pictural art honouring the inca chasqui runners Who were the chasquis ? Statue of a chasqui runner in Chasquitambo Chasqui on the inca road
The road climbs gradually from the coast and passes lots of unusual rock formations The rock where the Inca cried... The Rio Santa rises near a chilly pass at 4080 mtrs close to the Laguna Conococha Old Yungay as it was just before the single worst natural disaster in the Andes
The earthquake of May 31,1970 loosened some 15 million cubic metres of granite and ice from the west wall of Huascaran Norte The town of Yungay and almost all of its 26,000 inhabitants were buried alive A huge statue of Christ on a knoll overlooking old Yungay faces the Huascaran The earthquake killed about 50,000 people in other parts of the Callejon de Huayllas
One of the survivers acts as a guide in the Campo Santo The old cemetery under a layer of rock and mud A wrecked bus is one of the few witnesses of the 1970 disaster Remnants of the old catedral lie scattered around
Another piece of the old catedral is all that remains of the devastated village A replica of the old catedral has been erected to commemorate the thousands of people that lie buried beneath the visitors feet A huge original kero has survived the earthquake and the avalanche The road from Carhuaz to Punta Olimpica is one of the most spectacular in Peru
The road takes you into the Quebrada Ulta gorge up to well above the snow border The Carhuaz-Punta Olimpica road passes the southface of Peru's highest mountain, the Huascaran (6768 mtrs) Flowers and the snow of Huascaran in perfect harmony The curving road counts more than 50 hairpins before it reaches Punta Olimpica
Contrahierbas Mountain Statue of the Holy Mary in the rocks close to the Punta Olimpica pass Passing by travellers make a gift to thank for a safe passage The Holy Mary of Punta Olimpica
Mountain lake close to Punta Olimpica Teleview of the south flank of Mt. Huascaran Punta Olimpica pass at 4890 mtres The beautiful Laguna Cancaraca just after the Olimpica pass
The light greenish Laguna Cancaraca Rustic Chacas is considered the most lovely village around Huaraz Chacas women proudly posing on the Plaza de Armas Chacas is famous for its wonderful woodcutting art, which can be seen on every balcony around the Plaza de Armas
Chacas is wellknown for its houses in typical Spanish style The Plaza de Armas in Chacas One of the many wooden balconies in Chacas Fine example of Chacas' woodcutting art
Detail of a splendidly carved balcony in Chacas The Taller Don Bosco, a woodcarving workshop run by Italian priests Chacas, the Taller Don Bosco Beautiful religious woodcarving produced under supervision of the catholic organisation Don Bosco
The large sanctuary to Nuestro Seņor de Pumayukay is built by Italian priests The sanctuary of Nuestro Seņor de Pumayukay The dome of Nuestro Seņor de Pumayukay The Laguna de Purhuay offers splendid views,trout,exotic birds and even a quenua forest
The Laguna de Purhuay offers a microclimate at 3.500 mtrs where the animals,insects and flowers are more like a tropical jungle Purhuay : a fantastic place for ecologists and photographers Chavin: this stone relief portrays a feline deity holding a section of the psychotropic mescalin cactus - San Pedro Maquette of the Castillo, a fortress temple built about 600 BC and only large structure remaining of the Chavin culture
The Plaza Hundida, or sunken plaza, covering 250 mtrs2 with a rectangular,stepped platform to either side The Castillo is a massive, almost pyramid-shaped, platform in dressed stone with gargoyles attached (though few remain) The inclining walls of the Castillo are remarkable The beautifully dressed stonewall of Chavin's Castillo
Some of the main attractions of Chavin are the marvellous carved stone heads (cabeza clavos) The main entrance to the Castillo leads to underground passages, an exceptionnal feat of 3000 -year-old engineering The figures carved on the stones at Chavin indicate that the resident cult was based on the feline,birds and serpents The awesome Lanzon, a prism-shaped rock of carved white granite, which tapers 4 mtrs down from a broad feline head
Along the Callejon de Conchucos runs a good but narrow dirt road from San Marcos to Antamina The Conchucos region has seen only few foreign tourists and some discretion is called for The fertile lands around San Marcos Visitors to Antamina are obliged to travel with escorte provided by the Altamina mine
When leaving Antamina for La Union, the weather deteriorates... One of the very few farms on the road between Antamina and La Union Bienvenidos a Huanuco Pampa (Viejo) El Inca pasa.. .El gringo no...
From the gigantic usnu of Huanuco Viejo houses and platform temples radiate in a circular pattern Entrance to the usnu of Huanuco Viejo The perfect stonework of the usnu is remarkable The views of the pampa,surrounded on all sides by mountains, are beautiful
The usnu walls are still in perfect condition Huanuco Viejo, without doubt one of the most complete existing examples of an Inca provincial capital and administrative centre In the northern part of Huanuco Viejo are the huge military barracks/eventing halls also called Kallanka's The Kallanka's stretch out over a long distance
Beyond the military barracks are the remains of suburban dwellings. Here lived an estimated 30.000 people... The extensive administrative quarters of Huanuco Viejo Entrance to a separate enclosure devoted to the 'chosen women' An inca road runs straight through the city
Remarkably worked out inca doorway in Huanuco Viejo Feline ornaments crown an inca doorway in Huanuco Viejo Dominant feline sculpture flanking doublejambed entrance Gringo mounting the guard at one of the palace entrances of Huanuco Viejo
The palace of the Inca (Huanuco Viejo) Huanuco Viejo : the perfect stonework of the Inca palace Encounter with centuries old villages like Anda on the road between La Union and Tantamayo Anda church between La Union and Tantamayo
Side street of Anda village Quipan and it's famous lion (of Huanuco) Quipan youth curious about gringos The crumbled church of Chavin de Patriarca. Earthquakes are not far away in this area...
The belltower of Chavin de Patriarca still stands. What to think about these strange creatures called gringos ? Japallan fortress on top of the mountain,guarding the entrance to the valley leading from the spectacular Maraņon canyon The church of Tantamayo is dating from the 17th century
The plaza mayor of Tantamayo seen from inside the church Santiago, guardian angel of a nice polychrom altar in the old church of Tantamayo Santiago is omnipresent in Peru, even at the end of the world here in Tantamayo Inside Tantamayo church
The lady suffers from old age. Who blames her ? Tantamayo : pulpit estilo 17th century... Tantamayo kitchen anno 2004 Let's get the hell out of here : it is cuy on the menu tonight !
The Yarowilca fortress of Susupillo The Yarowilca fortress of Susupillo Leaving Tantamayo behind us when hiking to Piruro Piruro, one of the most elaborate ruins of the Yarowilcas.
Piruro has high-rise stone dwellings and was presumably a ceremonial centre Los rascacielos de Piruro/The skyscrapers of Piruro The main buildings of Piruro count 5 to 6 floors and have spiral staircases inside All Yarowilca buildings have been constructed at extremely high altitudes, some at more than 4.000 mtrs
Typical Yaro construction at Piruro The hillsides around Tantamayo are dotted with Yarowilca ruins Yarowilca fortification near Tantamayo El Trencito or El Granero : the ruins of Selinin are just above Pariash
The impressive Maraņon canyon near Tantamayo Along the road from Tantamayo to Huanuco The spectacular Maraņon canyon is a feast for the eye In search of a new Andres Mendoza...
The location of the Temple of Kotosh, the earliest (?) evidence of a complex society and of pottery in Peru, dating from 2000 BC Plan of the Temple of Kotosh Scale model of the Temple of Kotosh Kotosh, the Temple of Crossed Hands
Huanuco, an attractive andean town on the Upper Huallaga
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kcgallery19-Dec-2009 20:23
fantastic gallery
Alfred Rongess from Russia 28-Aug-2006 18:16
It is a rich and beautiful collection of pictures I enjoyed very much. I will probably never visit Andes but what you posted here makes a splendid impression of that really miraculous place
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