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The Culture That Inspired Picasso
by Harish Kohli
http://www.awimaway.com
Huanuco Pampa ~ City of festivals
Lanzon ~ the stone of power
Chavin ~ Picasso's inspiration
Stone Temple Secrets
Walking in Peru's highlands alone without a passport or
money can be a forbidden adventure, itself. And if you know
little or no Spanish, well then the situation spells doom.
But such is the bond of trekking that when things begin to
fall apart, the backpackers' begin to bind together.
I had just lost my jacket with my passport, money, credit
cards and last bar of chocolate when I met up with Caroline
from Wales who was trying to polish her Spanish by
travelling through remote villages. We discussed subjects
of mutual interest and soon decided to move on together,
towards the plains of Huanuco.
The wide 'plains of Huanuco' were full of cattle. Sometime
later when we were tired and resting against a mud-house
along the ancient road, a mid-aged lady arrived on
horseback to deliver milk. The owner of the mud-house was
kind enough to offer us stream cooled milk and sweet
yoghurt. I was impressed with his innovativeness; he stored
the milk in a plastic container and lowered the container
into the stream running alongside his house. This "natural
refrigeration" method kept his milk cool and prevented it
from spoiling. I gracefully accepted his kindness and used
the milk to run down the last crumbs of bread that I had
found at the bottom of my rucksack.
Across the road from where we were sitting, we could see
the ruins of what was once the Hunuco Pampa citidal, a city
built for festivals. It lies on the major Inca thoroughfare
that connected Cusco with Cajamarca. In the olden days,
said the caretaker, different ethnic groups who were part
of the Inca Empire, populated the area but why was it known
as the 'city of festivals' is yet unknown. Perhaps it had
much to do with the abundant produce in the region or the
sublime beauty. Perhaps, also because it has traces of the
most ancient human occupation in Peru, the Lauricocha
people, dating back some 10,000 years.
Most adventurers, who come to this region like me, start
their journey from Huaraz, capital of Ancash and the
trekkers Mecca in Peru. Walking down the main street, I
could see trekkers stocking up on vegetables, eggs, tinned
meat, soup packets, marmite and local 'pan' (bread) that
lasts, happily, for over four days. Chav~n, the town, is
three days from Huaraz by llama trek or three hours by bus.
I chose the later (and lost my jacket on it) to explore the
ruins of Chav~n de Hu~ntar, the temple that existed around
1000~200 B.C. a period called the Early Horizon.
Chav~n de Hu~ntar is located in the north-central sierra of
Peru, sandwiched between the desert coast - one of the
driest deserts of the world - and the humid tropical
Amazonian lowlands to the east. The famed Andean
prehistoric states, culminating with the expansive Inca
Empire, were primarily situated in coastal and sierra
environments.
However, what surprised me were the animals and plants,
typical of the lowlands, in the Chav~n art. Most observers
agree that Chav~n de Hu~ntar would not have been the
natural home to the animals like caiman (alligator),
monkey, and plants represented in their art. But the Mosna
River, along which Chav~n lies, eventually leads to the
Amazon where these exist.
Upon looking at the site's structures, a simple sequence of
construction can be postulated. An Old Temple, built in U-
shape around a circular plaza. And a new temple on a larger
scale extending in the south and east direction.
Built underground, its maze of tunnels and air ducts
produced contradictory images in my mind. While on one hand
I marvelled at the engineering skills of the natives, I was
always left profoundly confused by the intricate maze
pattern. In particular, I was struck by one single stone
that stood at the centre; beautifully carved with snake-
like shape having human and feline features. It is
called "El Lanzon" and when I looked at it closely I noted
that it had the form of the eye and tooth of a jaguar, an
orang-utan or a tiger. It is the art that impressed me the
most. But I was not alone in having reached this
conclusion. Even Pablo Picasso had said "Of all of the
ancient cultures I admire that of Chav~n amazes me the
most. Actually, it has been the inspiration behind most of
my art."
"Chav~n" comes from a Quechua word meaning "centre of
centres, the centre of the universe as a magic and sacred
place." Whether Chav~n de Hu~ntar was a temple or a fort
at the centre of the Inca universe or whether Lanzon was
the stone of power or sacrifice is not known. One
archaeologist is of the opinion that, it was a ceremonial
centre with a twist in its architecture ~ with drains where
water could be pushed through, and the roar of the water
could be heard through vents and chambers within the centre
itself. When this was done, the centre literally "roared,"
and one can imagine, easily, how awestruck the innocent
worshippers would have been!
Chav~n had proven links with religious grouping located on
the north coast and in the sierra of Peru. Recent
excavations have clearly proved these links by unearthing
Chav~n ceramics in the surroundings of Puemape, in
Cajamarca.
There are so many of us who have been to Machu Picchu and
there are so many more who know of the famous Inca citadel.
But few have walked through the temple of Chav~n.
Archaeologist John Rick of Stanford University has been
trying to turn this renowned archaeological site into a
tourist interest destination that is equal in importance to
Machu Picchu. Rick, who has been digging in for over 10
years, believes that this is not only feasible but also
possible. The future of Chav~n de Hu~ntar looks promising
thanks to the support of the Global Heritage Fund.
Caroline, my travel partner, told me that she had decided
to study Chav~n art and to stay back in Peru longer than
she had planned. But I had to turn back and return to Lima
to get my new passport and return home. Sitting in the
aircraft I kept weighing the importance of Machu Picchu
against Chav~n de Hu~ntar. If Machu Picchu is grand
testimony of Mayan architecture, Chav~n is an exemplary
work of their advanced understanding and intelligence. The
more I think of it, the more impressive it becomes. May be
one day, we may know the secrets of the 'stone of power',
but till then it will remain shrouded in mist and mystery
and be a constant source of inspiration for all of us who
visit it.
Harish Kohli is a mountaineer, winner of the lifetime
achievement Award for http://www.awimaway.com
National Adventure and a travel author.
His book Across the Frozen Himalayasi
is based on a real life incident of having survived
48 Degrees Celsius temperatures on the summit of
the Karakoram Pass for over 26 hours
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