Enchanting Arequipa (Peru)...

Arequipa is a great refuge from the tacky beach towns of Northern Chile. The weather is warm here in the day time and cool at night. You have to respect and admire the awesome mountians, El Misti and Chachani, that give Arequipa it's signature look. El Misti is shaped in a perfect conical form while Chachani has three peaks and a frosty topping. If you visit Arequipa and find yourself drinking an Arequipena cervaza, take a close look at the label and you will see the great El Misti.

Yesterday I toured the Museo Santuarios Andinos which contains the infamous ice mummy, Juanita. The museum had a great collection of artifacts that were found in the graves of the mummies as well as a temperature controlled glass bedroom for the. lovely Juanita. Seeing Juanita was completely awe inspiring for me. When the Incas climbed the 6288m / 20,000+ft Mt Ampato with their minimal hiking equipment by modern standards to sacrifice Juanita, they believed that they had entered the house of the Gods. When the weather abruptly changed while they were at the high altitude, the Incas believed that this was a sign from the God's. The Incas sacfriced Juanita and several children on the mountian to pay homage to the Gods. Juanita was dutifully sacrificed and believed that thru her death she would sit with the Gods on the mountian. At the time of the sacrifices little did the Inca's realize that they were creating an ingenious time capsule that would be discovered some 500 yrs later. I know that my blog will never provide as much tangible information as an ice mummy; however, I only wish that one day the ancestors of my ancestors will have access to this blog and will be able to study and enjoy my observations and pictures.

The museum doesn't allow pictures to be taken, so regretfully I can not provide any for you...guess this makes an excuse for you to see Juanita for yourself in Arequipa.

The excavation of Juanita took place in 1995 under the direction of Dr. Johan Reinhard, who also oversaw the excavation of the mummies that I wrote about during my time in Salta. Attached is a link that will assist you in learing more about Juanita: http://www.mummytombs.com/mummylocator/featured/juanita.htm