Our first destination was the Huaca Pucllana Archaeological Site. Admission for seniors was $7.50 SOL - about $2.00 USD. Visits are only permitted with a guide and that was included in the price! The "huaca" is thought to have served as the administrate and religous center of the Lima Culture (100-700AD) and predates the Incas. The great pyramid is constructed from adobe and clay and was built from seven staggered platforms. The pyramid is about 82 feet high and has a plaza surrounding it.
The excavation of the Huaca Pucllana Site began in 1981 and the museum was created in 1984 as a result of research to safeguard the archaeological objects recovered and are on display at the site to ensure their conservation.
You can see the bricks on the right look different than the ones on the left which are restored bricks. The ones on the right are original. They were placed vertically with space between to prevent them from collapsing during earthquakes!
The picture below shows the original plaster that was painted onto the bricks. It was yellow in color, made from limestone and fish oil.
Other remains have been discovered belonging to the Wari Culture (500-1000AD) which had a direct influence on the Lima Culture society toward the end of its time period. One of the biggest discoveries were about tombs and burial shrouds containing the remains of three adults, two of which have masks, and those of a sacrificed child. This is part of the restoration area where they placed replicas of the mummies.
It's not easy to see, but the back part of the mound shows how the entire site was covered over with stones and what they are excavating.
A small museum contained several artifacts which have been uncovered. This is just one piece of pottery.
The site has been reduced to a third of its original size due to rapid expansion and urbanization in the mid 1900’s. Today only six hectares (about 2-1/2 acres) of the original historical monument remain. Fortunately, the Peruvian government has made necessary preservation efforts to keep the huaca intact for years to come.
They have some llamas and alpacas at the site, too. This first guy is an alpaca and the other two are llamas according to our guide. He said llamas have longer faces.
After our tour of Huaca Pucllana we headed to the Indian Market and the Inka Market to check things out. There were hundreds of shops, all of them selling things we "can't live without." We managed not to spend any money, but had fun looking.
Several buildings had fun art painted on them.
We eventually headed back to Parque Kennedy - yes, named after US President John F. Kennedy. It's a beautiful park, with flowerbeds and about a zillion (mathematically correct) cats lounging and visiting the visitors! The Feline Protection Volunteer Group and the church feed the cats daily, as well as getting them checked at the vets! They have cat condos set up for them to sleep in, or on, as well. They also sponsor adoptions and have cats spayed and neutered. We saw lots of folks with cans of tuna or cat food feeding them - and others getting their cat-fix with lots of petting.
Across from the park is the Miraflores City Hall and the Parroquia La Virgin Milagrosa Catholic Church.
We stopped at this little cart for a small sandwich for lunch. I picked the ham and cheese which was in a baked bread roll kind of thing and looked a bit like a burrito. We shared it and it was pretty tasty - and only $4.50 sol (about $1.25!!).
Back at the hotel, I took a short nap while Tobey went out to get a massage. He said it was okay, but not worth going back. This evening we walked to Mercado 28 for dinner. It is touted as "a bustling street food market with a trendy vibe dishing up international dishes and drinks." It was an interesting food court type of place on the second level of a building which also had more upscale restaurants on the street level. Neither of us was super hungry so we split an order of "Tacu Tacu con Lomo Saltado." It was really delicious! The base is rice and beans with braised beef, onions, tomatoes and yellow peppers in a nicely seasoned sauce. With tip, it was about $14USD and we had plenty to eat.
We walked back to the park and it was still a busy place this evening. Because we shared dinner, we had room to share a dish of ice cream. The guide this morning said we needed to try the "lucuma" ice cream because it was "THE BEST" flavor, so we did. Some people say it has a creamy-citrusy flavor with a hint of caramel. Others compared it to the sweet potato. I would say sweet potato - but not as good. Well, I don't need to try it again.
We're back to the hotel and the "official" tour begins tomorrow so we plan to get a good night's rest.
