After spending the better part of three days trekking from Olleros (which you should have already read about if you actually care about me), the gate leading to the ruins of Chavin de Huantar was a welcome sight. As planned, I had risen early enough in the morning that even after a 3 hour walk, I was the first visitor to actually set foot on the grounds, which was especially nice considering that by 1 or 2 in the afternoon hundreds of people, many of them fat but not necessarily American, are crawling all over the grounds like ants on an abandoned Astropop. Right.
Scholars seem to agree that the ruins at Chavin date back to at least 900BC. The complex at Chavin de Huantar represented the center of Chavin culture, which was profoundly influential throughout much of what is modern day Peru and became an important part of the Incan empire and it´s culture, which the Chavin pre-date handily. In fact, some estimates put approximately 60% of the so-called Inca roads as actually originally being of Chavin construction and then adopted by the Incas when they overtook the Chavin empire. While that estimate might be a little high or low, the point is that the Chavin built a lot of infrastructure. A pretty good timeline from the Metropolitan Museum of Art can be found here, and a good site for exploring the general layout of the complex here. Since I don´t have any pictures, I´m just going to focus on some general impressions that I had of the site, and let you explore it in more detail if you´re interested.
Ahvin de Huantar existed, as far as scholars can tell, as a massive spiritual complex and center of power for the large Chavin population that inhabited the surrounding valleys. While there is some debate as to how large this population was and where there main residence centers were located, the last day´s walk from Olleros brings one past literally hundreds of dwellings and several towns scattered along the river valley. It is not hard to imagine that thousands of people inhabited this and the neighboring valleys before the downfall of the Incan and Chavin empires. What was especially impressive to me is that many of the people that I met and saw on my trek were undoubtedly direct descendants of the Chavin, their ancestors having lived in those same valleys, used those same valleys and pasture lands for literally thousands of years. Awe inspiring.
Immediately upon arriving at the ruins I was impressed by their sheer size. Although much of the complex was buried by a rock slide in 1972, what has been dug up or remained above ground is impressive nonetheless. For instance, the main wall surrounding the grounds stands over 10m high, which is pretty damn high, especially when everything is built with gigantic blocks of stone. This outer wall was originally adorned with gigantic carved stone heads, approximately half a meter tall, depicting the transformation of a temple priest into some sort of feline form. Unfortunately, only one of these heads remains on site as it was originally installed, but one can still imagine how intimidating it would have been to approach the temple walls and see these terrifying faces staring down.
Despite how much is located above ground, the majority of Chavin de Huantar is to be found underground in a system of tunnels, labyrinths and chambers. This was the case even before the rock slide struck and buried the ruins, as the main features of the temples were said subterranean constructions. Iconography alluding to the ritual use of the San Pedro cactus by the priests at Chavin abounds. The San Pedro cactus contains a very high concentration of the potent hallucinogen mescalin and by slicing up the cactus and then boiling it for several (on the order of 12 or so) hours, a mucus like hallucinogenic brew is concocted. In fact, some of the heads that formally adorned the outer wall at Chavin featured great streams of mucus trailing from the nostrils of the cat/priest, an allusion to the use of San Pedro. Some theorize that the tunnel systems existed as a complex sort of spiritual initiation device where priests or citizens souped up on San Pedro would be placed within to wander around. In evidence of this are the complete lack of any carbon deposits from the use of torches in the tunnels. Although there is no outside light in the tunnels, the extreme optical dilation that ingesting the San Pedro brew causes would have allowed those within the tunnels to see and move within almost complete darkness. Not that I´ve ever done intense hallucinogens, but if I did I would prefer not to be trapped in a complex underground labyrinth. Thanks, but no thanks.
While exploring the tunnel system, I ran into an American whose been living in Chavin for the past few years. He showed me around pointing out some of the more interesting bits and then brought me to an entrance branching off of one of the main arteries with stone steps leading down into the darkness (many of the tunnels, especially those accessible by tourists, are lit). I gave him a puzzled look and he handed me a flashlight and told me to go ahead and take a look. I looked him over first, just to check my initial assumption that I could take him in hand to hand combat if need be, and then heading down into the black. A dozen or so steps led down into another section of the tunnels and at first I couldn´t figure out what he wanted me to see, and then I realized: the tunnels here were much taller than those above, almost twice as high in fact. While the other tunnels had been excavated by archaeologists, they had never bothered to dig all the way down to the original floor. On the other hand, this section was found completely intact, and showed the full scale of the construction. It doesn´t sound like much, but the difference between a 6 foot and 10 foot tunnel is substantial, and the latter is quite impressive.
The highlight of Chavin de Huantar is undoubtedly the large stone sculpture known as the Lanzon. Although its current name is derived from its lance-like shape, most scholars now agree that it´s strange shape was most likely meant to elicit that od the traditional foot-plow used across the Andes. The sculpture, which is nearly 10m in height, is carved
with the image of the principle anthropomorphic deity of Chavin, which is part cayman, part bird and part monster. You´re probably wondering why the deity takes the form of the cayman, a massive jungle reptile, when Chavin is located high in the Andes. That´s one of the mysteries of the Chavin, and whether it´s simply because there domain encompassed the amazon basin or that they migrated from the lowlands we´ll never really know. Anyway, the Lanzon is absolutely massive and the skill with which it was carved is breathtaking. The top, notched portion of the statue sits in a slit in the ceiling that is open to the roof of the temple above while the bottom, blade portion extends into the ground below. The chamber in which the Lanzon is found is cruciform in shape, the only such chamber in Chavin. An odd channel is grooved into the stone, starting on the top of the sculpture running down the front of the notch and then ending in a cup shaped depression above the deity´s head. The theory is that blood from human sacrifices performed on the temple roof above would be poured into the groove on the top of the statue, from where it would flow into the cup shaped depression and then over the image of the deity itself. This seemingly outlandish theory was supported by the discovery of several human skeletons and skulls, apparently from sacrificed victims, arranged in ritualistic patterns in some of the tunnels and chambers. In fact, due to marks and breaks on some of the bones, it is believed that ritualistic cannibalism was performed on site. Charming and fascinating.
Besides those meant for human initiation, sacrifice, whatever, an unknown number of tunnels engineered for ventilation and drainage criss-cross the Chavin complex, going under and through the temples and plazas. While engineered out of necessity due to the region´s wet climate and man insisting on breathing air, even when whacked out on San Pedro and wandering around tunnels, these more utilitarian constructions could serve more interesting purposes as well. For instance, when walking across one of the main plazas one has to be careful not to fall into one of several square, stone lined holes in the ground. At first these holes seem completely random, but upon closer observation one notices that all are of different depths and intersect drainage tunnels at different levels. It turns out that these holes were part of a sort of water organ, which would make different sounds based on the depth and size of the hole as well as the amount of water flowing through the tunnel below. Yep, these people were smart, industrious and intent on making the most intense cactus trip known to man.
That pretty much wraps up the observations that I´ve got about Chavin de Huantar. Definitely worth the trip, even if it did take me three days. Still, if that´s not your cup of tea you can always just take the 3 hour bus ride from Huaraz.
Until next time.............
Scholars seem to agree that the ruins at Chavin date back to at least 900BC. The complex at Chavin de Huantar represented the center of Chavin culture, which was profoundly influential throughout much of what is modern day Peru and became an important part of the Incan empire and it´s culture, which the Chavin pre-date handily. In fact, some estimates put approximately 60% of the so-called Inca roads as actually originally being of Chavin construction and then adopted by the Incas when they overtook the Chavin empire. While that estimate might be a little high or low, the point is that the Chavin built a lot of infrastructure. A pretty good timeline from the Metropolitan Museum of Art can be found here, and a good site for exploring the general layout of the complex here. Since I don´t have any pictures, I´m just going to focus on some general impressions that I had of the site, and let you explore it in more detail if you´re interested.
Ahvin de Huantar existed, as far as scholars can tell, as a massive spiritual complex and center of power for the large Chavin population that inhabited the surrounding valleys. While there is some debate as to how large this population was and where there main residence centers were located, the last day´s walk from Olleros brings one past literally hundreds of dwellings and several towns scattered along the river valley. It is not hard to imagine that thousands of people inhabited this and the neighboring valleys before the downfall of the Incan and Chavin empires. What was especially impressive to me is that many of the people that I met and saw on my trek were undoubtedly direct descendants of the Chavin, their ancestors having lived in those same valleys, used those same valleys and pasture lands for literally thousands of years. Awe inspiring.
Immediately upon arriving at the ruins I was impressed by their sheer size. Although much of the complex was buried by a rock slide in 1972, what has been dug up or remained above ground is impressive nonetheless. For instance, the main wall surrounding the grounds stands over 10m high, which is pretty damn high, especially when everything is built with gigantic blocks of stone. This outer wall was originally adorned with gigantic carved stone heads, approximately half a meter tall, depicting the transformation of a temple priest into some sort of feline form. Unfortunately, only one of these heads remains on site as it was originally installed, but one can still imagine how intimidating it would have been to approach the temple walls and see these terrifying faces staring down.
Despite how much is located above ground, the majority of Chavin de Huantar is to be found underground in a system of tunnels, labyrinths and chambers. This was the case even before the rock slide struck and buried the ruins, as the main features of the temples were said subterranean constructions. Iconography alluding to the ritual use of the San Pedro cactus by the priests at Chavin abounds. The San Pedro cactus contains a very high concentration of the potent hallucinogen mescalin and by slicing up the cactus and then boiling it for several (on the order of 12 or so) hours, a mucus like hallucinogenic brew is concocted. In fact, some of the heads that formally adorned the outer wall at Chavin featured great streams of mucus trailing from the nostrils of the cat/priest, an allusion to the use of San Pedro. Some theorize that the tunnel systems existed as a complex sort of spiritual initiation device where priests or citizens souped up on San Pedro would be placed within to wander around. In evidence of this are the complete lack of any carbon deposits from the use of torches in the tunnels. Although there is no outside light in the tunnels, the extreme optical dilation that ingesting the San Pedro brew causes would have allowed those within the tunnels to see and move within almost complete darkness. Not that I´ve ever done intense hallucinogens, but if I did I would prefer not to be trapped in a complex underground labyrinth. Thanks, but no thanks.While exploring the tunnel system, I ran into an American whose been living in Chavin for the past few years. He showed me around pointing out some of the more interesting bits and then brought me to an entrance branching off of one of the main arteries with stone steps leading down into the darkness (many of the tunnels, especially those accessible by tourists, are lit). I gave him a puzzled look and he handed me a flashlight and told me to go ahead and take a look. I looked him over first, just to check my initial assumption that I could take him in hand to hand combat if need be, and then heading down into the black. A dozen or so steps led down into another section of the tunnels and at first I couldn´t figure out what he wanted me to see, and then I realized: the tunnels here were much taller than those above, almost twice as high in fact. While the other tunnels had been excavated by archaeologists, they had never bothered to dig all the way down to the original floor. On the other hand, this section was found completely intact, and showed the full scale of the construction. It doesn´t sound like much, but the difference between a 6 foot and 10 foot tunnel is substantial, and the latter is quite impressive.
The highlight of Chavin de Huantar is undoubtedly the large stone sculpture known as the Lanzon. Although its current name is derived from its lance-like shape, most scholars now agree that it´s strange shape was most likely meant to elicit that od the traditional foot-plow used across the Andes. The sculpture, which is nearly 10m in height, is carved
with the image of the principle anthropomorphic deity of Chavin, which is part cayman, part bird and part monster. You´re probably wondering why the deity takes the form of the cayman, a massive jungle reptile, when Chavin is located high in the Andes. That´s one of the mysteries of the Chavin, and whether it´s simply because there domain encompassed the amazon basin or that they migrated from the lowlands we´ll never really know. Anyway, the Lanzon is absolutely massive and the skill with which it was carved is breathtaking. The top, notched portion of the statue sits in a slit in the ceiling that is open to the roof of the temple above while the bottom, blade portion extends into the ground below. The chamber in which the Lanzon is found is cruciform in shape, the only such chamber in Chavin. An odd channel is grooved into the stone, starting on the top of the sculpture running down the front of the notch and then ending in a cup shaped depression above the deity´s head. The theory is that blood from human sacrifices performed on the temple roof above would be poured into the groove on the top of the statue, from where it would flow into the cup shaped depression and then over the image of the deity itself. This seemingly outlandish theory was supported by the discovery of several human skeletons and skulls, apparently from sacrificed victims, arranged in ritualistic patterns in some of the tunnels and chambers. In fact, due to marks and breaks on some of the bones, it is believed that ritualistic cannibalism was performed on site. Charming and fascinating.Besides those meant for human initiation, sacrifice, whatever, an unknown number of tunnels engineered for ventilation and drainage criss-cross the Chavin complex, going under and through the temples and plazas. While engineered out of necessity due to the region´s wet climate and man insisting on breathing air, even when whacked out on San Pedro and wandering around tunnels, these more utilitarian constructions could serve more interesting purposes as well. For instance, when walking across one of the main plazas one has to be careful not to fall into one of several square, stone lined holes in the ground. At first these holes seem completely random, but upon closer observation one notices that all are of different depths and intersect drainage tunnels at different levels. It turns out that these holes were part of a sort of water organ, which would make different sounds based on the depth and size of the hole as well as the amount of water flowing through the tunnel below. Yep, these people were smart, industrious and intent on making the most intense cactus trip known to man.
That pretty much wraps up the observations that I´ve got about Chavin de Huantar. Definitely worth the trip, even if it did take me three days. Still, if that´s not your cup of tea you can always just take the 3 hour bus ride from Huaraz.
Until next time.............
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