Ayacucho is a lovely small city located in the south-central mountains of Peru, founded in 1540 by Francisco Pizarro himself. It is locally famous for several reasons. It has the largest Easter (Semana Santa) celebration in Peru. Abimael Guzman, a professor at the University of Ayacucho, was the founder of Sendero Luminoso, the Maoist terrorist organization that controlled most of central Peru and parts of Lima for much of the period between 1980 and his capture in 1992. A few kilometers outside of town lies the cave of Pikimachay where evidence was found of the oldest habitation in Peru. From 500 to 900 CE the region held the capital of the Wari (Huari), the first expansionist empire that controlled most of the central Andes. Finally, it is also near the site of the last battle against Spanish forces in the quest for independence.
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SEMANA SANTA
The celebration is a two-for-one, at least if you are young and like to drink to excess. Our hotel was located next to the alameda you see being cleaned above. On the other side of the street from the alameda was the Fiesta Sagrada advertised by the banner above which was basically a concert that aired from sundown to 6 a.m. The bass was cranked up so much that our room shook, needless to say we got little sleep. The alameda was full of young people listening to the music, drinking huge quantities of beer and urinating and vomiting pretty much wherever they were standing. I give the city of Ayacucho credit for a quick cleanup since this crew started at sunup and had the place shipshape each day by 9 o'clock.
The second celebration took place in the center of colonial Ayacucho which has been fairly well preserved. The city has 35 churches, one for each year of Jesus' life. The Plaza de Armas, or main square, was the center of activity. On Friday night, the dead Jesus is carried around the square after sunset led by a choir, quite a solemn affair. Leading up to this parade and continuing through the weekend there is a huge block party of families and religious organizations playing music and dancing in the streets.
The celebration is a two-for-one, at least if you are young and like to drink to excess. Our hotel was located next to the alameda you see being cleaned above. On the other side of the street from the alameda was the Fiesta Sagrada advertised by the banner above which was basically a concert that aired from sundown to 6 a.m. The bass was cranked up so much that our room shook, needless to say we got little sleep. The alameda was full of young people listening to the music, drinking huge quantities of beer and urinating and vomiting pretty much wherever they were standing. I give the city of Ayacucho credit for a quick cleanup since this crew started at sunup and had the place shipshape each day by 9 o'clock.
The second celebration took place in the center of colonial Ayacucho which has been fairly well preserved. The city has 35 churches, one for each year of Jesus' life. The Plaza de Armas, or main square, was the center of activity. On Friday night, the dead Jesus is carried around the square after sunset led by a choir, quite a solemn affair. Leading up to this parade and continuing through the weekend there is a huge block party of families and religious organizations playing music and dancing in the streets.
 |  The simple church to the left is the first of the 35 built, dating to 1541. Others are grander. |  |
 Every activity drew a large crowd, always well-behaved around the square.  |  This extended family danced block after block to reach the square.  |  This is the family's band. Off-key and loud but entertaining.  |
The culminating event of the weekend was the Easter sunrise service where a triumphant Jesus, risen from the dead, was paraded around the square on a float carried by 250 people. Fireworks lit up the sky before the sun finally rose behind the cathedral.
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These two women were selling flowers to passersby after the celebration.
PIKIMACHAY
Vestiges of human settlements dating to 15-20,000 years ago were found at Pikimachay, located 25 kilometers north of Ayacucho, making it the oldest known inhabited site in Peru.
Vestiges of human settlements dating to 15-20,000 years ago were found at Pikimachay, located 25 kilometers north of Ayacucho, making it the oldest known inhabited site in Peru.
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With over 40,000 archaeological sites scattered around Peru it's interesting to compare what one finds here with what one would expect in the US. What we arrived there was a sign alerting us to the site. The cave itself is 24 meters wide by 12 meters high with a rock fall almost in the center. The site was surveyed for the first and only time by Robert MacNeisch in 1966 and all he was able to survey was a 3 by 5 meter section of the floor where he found chipped tools, choppers and projectile points along with bone artifacts of horses, camelids and giant sloths. Because there are so many sites to develop and so little money to develop them, nothing has been done at the site since.
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Other than the sign there is nothing here--no park rangers, no ADA compliant access, just a steep, rocky trail up the side of the mountain. There are also no railings to keep visitors out so people get to walk around inside the cave which is a nice touch.
 The view from the cave. The Wari capital is across the way, the battle site one ridge further away. |  |  This woman was herding goats below the cave when she got her foot caught in a rope. She just laughed. |
THE WARI CAPITAL
The Wari were mentioned in others blogs, for example Pisac. Although the empire fell sometime around 900 CE, the cities and towns continued to be inhabited. Many of the building techniques--trapezoidal windows and doors, stonework, terraces, irrigation--for which the Inca are famous were actually pioneered by the Wari. 400 years is a long time to improve skills. The Inca only had about 200 years of empire, cut short by Pizarro.
The whole area encompasses 1600 hectares, of which 400 was an urban area enclosed by an 8 meter high defensive wall. The site is only 5% excavated so there is still plenty to be discovered. Signs of the treasures possibly concealed there were evident in the pottery shards strewn across the paths. Along with the ruins, there is an informative museum. Slide show follows.
The Wari were mentioned in others blogs, for example Pisac. Although the empire fell sometime around 900 CE, the cities and towns continued to be inhabited. Many of the building techniques--trapezoidal windows and doors, stonework, terraces, irrigation--for which the Inca are famous were actually pioneered by the Wari. 400 years is a long time to improve skills. The Inca only had about 200 years of empire, cut short by Pizarro.
The whole area encompasses 1600 hectares, of which 400 was an urban area enclosed by an 8 meter high defensive wall. The site is only 5% excavated so there is still plenty to be discovered. Signs of the treasures possibly concealed there were evident in the pottery shards strewn across the paths. Along with the ruins, there is an informative museum. Slide show follows.
BATTLE OF AYACUCHO
The final battle of South America's war for independence from Spain was fought on the 9th of December in 1824. The outcome of the battle was never in doubt as it was the last stand of a crumbling empire. The site is commemorated by an obelisk dedicated to the soldiers who fought there. Just as at Pikimachay, there is little there beside the obelisk. But there were plenty of Peruvians there to learn about their history during Semana Santa. Just as in much of Peru, it's also a reason to gather to eat and talk.
The final battle of South America's war for independence from Spain was fought on the 9th of December in 1824. The outcome of the battle was never in doubt as it was the last stand of a crumbling empire. The site is commemorated by an obelisk dedicated to the soldiers who fought there. Just as at Pikimachay, there is little there beside the obelisk. But there were plenty of Peruvians there to learn about their history during Semana Santa. Just as in much of Peru, it's also a reason to gather to eat and talk.
 |   It's all home cooking around here. |
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A couple of pictures to end with.
 After waiting 18 months, Sam finally got a ride in a moto-taxi. |  Some people still take Easter very seriously. |
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