Just another day at the Plaza

changing of the guard- Lima, Peru

We finally got to go back to the Plaza Mayor!! We were actually going to the casa de la Gastronomia - Museum but we got to walk through the Plaza on the way. I love all the little shops along the streets near by; if only I had money to buy stuff! It was neat to see the changing of the guard ceremony while we were leaving after the museum as well.  It seems like a lot of hype to only change the position of a few guards, but it was still fun to watch and listen to as there was a marching band, made up of guards, playing for the event.

map of crops across Peru

The actual museum was another story. There was also music, but it was a spanish woman singing opera on the television in the second room. It left you with a relaxed feeling as you walked through the rooms. The Gastronomy museum was interesting because it was one of the first places we have been to (or that I noticed) that had an explicit mix of old and new artifacts. Some of the pottery went back to the Moche and the Chimu, yet there were plates and other utensils that were from the twentieth century. 

The pottery is what caught my attention since we have been working with the Moche and Chimu a lot on this trip so far. As we have already seen a lot of potter from that time period it was probably already evident, but I didn't notice till we were at the gastronomy museum that the separate cultures tended to make pottery that incorporated the food of their area. It seems fairly obvious that this would be the case, but I'm just oblivious I guess. It was easier to notice here because there was a map by the front door that showed all the crops for each corresponding area. After seeing the map the connection became obvious.

For example, the moche who were in Northern Peru had potatoes and corn as major crops of the area. Below are just two of the ceramics that had been made by the Moche (replicas) , the one on the left is suppose to be in the form of a potato, and the one on the right is a grouping of corn.

 Since the civilizations had to rely so much on what they themselves could grow in the area, the crops could have become a sort of symbol of life and prosperity among their cultures. Hence, why they would depict it a lot in their artwork.

It was also fun to go to the room in the back that we almost missed. The walls were covered with recipes from different places and of different origin. Even Miles wanted to take the recipe book that had been laid out for viewing (so did I).

Miles trying to take the recipe book for us