Day 5

Today at 4 in the morning I took a plane to Lima and rented a car when I got there. Then I drove to Chavin de Huantar. and joined an organized tour. This place served as a gathering place for the people to worship. It was also used for witnessing rituals, consulting an oracle, and entering a cult. But this religious city fell at the same time as the rest of the Chavin civilization. Its great ritual sites were no longer in use, some were abandoned and some were replaced by villages and agricultural land. For example, the Circular Plaza was replaced by a small village. Chavin de Huantar is separated into two parts the old and new temples. The old temple was built during 900 BC and the new temple was built during 400 BC. There are a lot of major structures, including Temples A, B, and C, and areas and buildings designated as the Circular Plaza, the Old Temple and New Temple. I explored the Circular Plaza, Old Temple and New Temple while I was at Chavin de Huantar. I've learned a lot. The Circular Plaza was used as an open air space within a ceremonial center. The plaza is a perfect circle with a floor consisted of pillow shaped yellow diatomite. The walls of the plaza were made of cut stone, principally granite. The Old Temple is an inward-facing structure built around a circular courtyard. Inside are obelisks and stone monuments with relief carvings depicting jaguars, caymans, and other anthropomorphic forms. In the center is a sculpture of Lanzon which is assumed to be the supreme deity of the Chavin. Inside the temple mortars, pestles, and conch shell horns have been found in the Old Temple. The New temple is also based on a gallery and plaza design and contains many relief sculptures including the Lanzon deity. I explored the ruins until 7:00P.M. and went to my hotel tired and hungry.