Pachacamac, Museum of Art and Popular Culture, and a Cathedral Tour

On Saturday, June the 8th, the Study Abroad and I went to Pachacamac, an archeological site located south of Lima. Once a religious site to the god Pachacamac, the God of foresight and fire, the ruins have, for some of the area, been excavated. When we got to the site we went through a small tour over different Peruvian civilizations and their creations, and then began going around the site. It was awesome to experience just how large the site was and just how intact some of the buildings were, from the pyramids with ramps to the palaces with their trapezoidal windows. It was very interesting to not only see these buildings for their history and awe, but also how intact their geometric and symmetric structures were, from the simple sloping ramp of the pyramid, to the consistent right angle design of the buildings.











Once we finished looking at the ancient buildings, we walked around some more and climbed up the Temple of the Sun God. Being the highest point in the site, the temple helped us gain an overlook of the rest of the site, as well as some of Lima, from the Beach to the crowded houses. Once we were done examining the temple, we ventured around the rest of the site. It was a very awesome experience being able to view all of these artifacts and buildings that were built hundreds if not thousands of years ago, and I would definitely recommend any future Study Abroad program to go there.

Today, June the 10th, I went to the Museum of Art and Popular Culture, as well as another trip to the Cathedral. At the Museum, we were only able to look around the second floor, due to the bottom floor being closed for some reason. What I was able to see, however, was very impressive and interesting. While the artifacts in previous museums I've been too were noticeably based on ancient Peruvian cultures, the artifacts and art here were a mix of Peruvian and Spanish heritage, from the classic Spanish Bull, to Peruvian ways of creating textiles and clothing, to the Spanish Sombrero. While not the most historical or inspiring thing, the Museum of Art and Popular Culture was none the less very interesting and was a nice way to spend a morning.

After I went to the Museum of Popular Culture, I went back to the Cathedral with Dr. Brown, his wife, and Miles Mashburn for an English tour. Since Mrs. Brown's father helped with discovering Pizarro's remains, the tour was free. It was interesting to add some context to the artwork and artifacts I saw last monday, such as learning that the true remains of Pizzaro were not discovered until the 1980's; before the Cathedral displayed a body which they assumed to be Pizzaro's corspe, until remains were discovered under the alter that, after analyzing the stab wounds of the remains, showed that these remains were truly Pizzaro's. It was also very interesting to learn that almost all of the figurines at the church are not ceramic, but are painted wood. The Cathedral has been one of my favorite places so far, and it was really exciting to add some context to what I saw last week.