Pretty much since I arrived in Huánuco, I've been hoping to visit the Incan ruins at Huánuco Pampa, and so I took the trip up the hill for part of one afternoon while in La Unión. The taxi driver ended up being my companion, despite offers from everyone else in the car. I was glad for a second guide, one that you have to tip, who showed up at the ruins. Wandering around a high plain exploring ruins is better with two strangers than one.
Huánuco Viejo is a temple-fortress on the Incan "royal highway" between Cusco and Quito. Mmm, don't have many of those in Eugene, Oregon, do we? At every ancient site I've visited in Peru, there is evidence of how closely the culture is tied with astronomy. Usually angles are lined up so the sun shines through just so on winter solstice. I thought that was the case here, but actually this is just a small viewer in the temple that lines up with each of the doorways through which the Inca would have walk to reach the temple from his home.
Peru's natural, rugged beauty is complemented by its fascinating cultures, including those that we only know about through their ruins. I feel privileged to have the chance to visit such culturally important sites when I can. Even more importantly, I'm glad to hear that so many of my Peruvian friends have visited these sites, at least those nearby, as well. They have an incredible heritage!
The puma design marked a lot of the corners and tops of buildings and doorways here. You can see how closely the stones fit together. Sacsayhuaman's stones (in Cusco) have an even tighter fit so maybe they were just learning at Huánuco Viejo, hee hee.
This puma is perched at top corner of a staircase.
All of my Peruvian friends really chuckle at the picture below, but I LOVE these little huts that folks build in their fields to house them as they guard their crops, usually their family's main income. I want one! To go with my cow (long story).
