On the Road to Lake Titicaca, Peru: Huaro, Raqchi, and Pukara

August 2011

Like the ancient Incas, we claimed Cusco as our  "capital" (home base) for our first week in Peru, as we took excursions to the rainforest and Machu Picchu.  But it was finally time for our journey south--ascending to the city of Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world  (3827 meters; 12,500 ft.).  It was another early morning start as we headed to the depot for our tourist bus departure to Puno at 7 am.  There is a special, luxury pullman-car train that runs a few days a week to nearby Juliaca, but we were very satisfied with our comfortable and uncrowded bus that was perfect for taking photos and naps.  The advantage of the bus was that we were able to make several interesting archaeological stops while finally enjoying a leisurely day.  The best part of all was that the highway was fully paved and smooth, unlike our treacherous route into the Manu Rainforest (see sidebar for Manu post).

Leaving Cusco, we passed a mix of modern buildings, crumbling mud homes, and roadside tented dwellings while enjoying that wonderful Peruvian round bread that was supplied by our kind guide.   We passed the ancient Inca gates of Rumi Qolqa (Rumicolca) which protected the narrow entrance into the Sacred Cusco Valley (see Sacred Valley post).  The protective Inca stone walls were built on foundations of the earlier Wari civilization.

Then, not far south of Cusco, we stopped at the quaint village of Huaro. Our original itinerary had planned a visit to the nearby town of Andahuaylillas to see Peru's "Sistine Chapel"  with its beautiful gilded paintings, but instead we were taken to this more humble site of the Jesuit Temple of St. John the Baptist, originally built in 1571.  The church and its paintings were not well preserved and are now undergoing massive restoration.  However, they are still charming, and the beauty of the interior paintings is easy to imagine.

Originally, local artists painted the walls from 1675-1699 which were later covered in 1802 by more formal paintings by the renowned Tadeo Escalante of both Spanish and Inca descent.  So the dilemma--which layer to restore? There are elements of native folk art and Spanish-Moorish motifs in the decorations.  Photos were not allowed in the interior, so I caught some of the exterior painting and bought postcards. Though it was still early morning,  colorful souvenir stands were already competing for the day's tourists.

We entered a landscape of lakes and fields where rural farmers used animals to pull old wooden plows and adobe bricks were made with straw and set out in the sun to dry.  Yet, here and there, we could see the modern touch of a home satellite disk.  Unlike the hills around Cusco, there were more flat plateaus with mountains rising above them.  In contrast to the yellows, browns, and pine greens, there were also numerous patches of  light blue-green eucalyptus trees that had been imported from Australia.  These trees were brought because they grew quickly and provided good wood for building and firewood.  However, they also rob the soil of the nutrients and water needed for local trees to grow, so they now pose a problem in the areas they were meant to help.

We next stopped at the little village of San Pedro de Cacha with its little church and large plaza, perfect for selling more souvenirs.  I caught the expression of a discouraged vendor and thought about how hard it must be to set up each day in hopes that some stranger would choose your wares.  And, sadly, with luggage limitations, I bought from very few vendors in Peru.  But this little town was once the great Raqchi, an Inca site where the beautiful temple of Wiracocha stood beside palaces and the ever important granaries.  Today it is considered one of the most beautiful and impressive Inca sites.  It is amazing that its tall walls still stand to attest to Inca building skills.  Nearby, there was a family-owned silver shop where we got "good deals" on some lovely pieces and befriended their llamas and alpaca.

Continuing on, we climbed through snow-topped mountains until we reached the division between the regions of Cusco and Puno at another convenient tourist stop in the middle of almost nowhere.  We had actually ascended to the highest point of our journey (4338 meters or 14,232 feet) at the base of Apu (Mount) Chimboya (with a peak at 5700 meters; 18,700 feet).  Souvenirs had shifted from Inca-style pottery to warm alpaca caps and rugs.

After traveling through the yellow fields of the high Collao Plateau with grazing cattle and llamas, we arrived in Pukara in the late afternoon.  Before coming, I had not heard of this town or the advanced pre-Inca civilization (Pukara) that flourished here from 250 BC-380 AD.  We visited the town's small house-like museum with the typed explanations in Spanish of these remarkable stone sculptures and intricate pottery unlike others found in Southern Peru.  The Pukaras had a well-organized society, although their "population control" method seemed to be periodic warfare to choose the new leader.  They believed in the "decapitating god," as did groups we would later meet in Northern Peru, and so we found statues of bodies standing next to the statues of their upside down heads.  Not how I would want to end up (or down).

Dusk was descending as we drove through the busy industrial city of Juliaca, and a full moon rose as we went on to the lakeside city of Puno, completing our 228 mile journey from Cusco in about 12 hours.  We repacked overnight bags for an early-morning boat departure on Lake Titicaca.  Next post: Floating Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca

Click link below for slideshow:
On the Road to Titicaca

Music:  Tito la Rose, "Lucero de la Manana,"  Lo Mejor de Tito la Rosa: Meditacion
Additional Information:
The Essential Book:Discovering  Peru  
Insight Guide: Peru