Day 10: Taking some time as a tourist.

Today was a fun day.  We did some satellite sampling throughout Ayacucho, although no one was interested in letting us into their homes to sample for control homes.  It seemed to work out alright though – we took some soil samples and adobe samples from the homes.  Driving through Ayacucho was interesting because there’s a lot of construction and rebuilding going on.  The people in Ayacucho are really trying to improve their neighborhoods by building new homes, paving streets, and making the streets more aesthetically pleasing.

After the sampling was finished, we drove to the Wari ruins, near Quinua, which is about an hour from Ayacucho.  The Wari were a dominant civilization beginning in about 500 A.D. through 700 A.D., began a decline around 800 A.D. and had abandoned their empire by 900 A.D.  The Wari empire covered a majority of the coastal area in present-day Peru.  The Wari ruins in Quinua are the best preserved ruins from the civilization.  The walls they build are wider than my wingspan.  The living quarters, sacrificial table, and tombs are all very well preserved, as is the rest of the site.  My pictures kind of speak for themselves.  It is incredible how well preserved the places and things from thousands of years ago actually are.

After we left the Wari ruins, we went to the site of the Battle of Ayacucho, the place where the final battle that ultimately gained Peru independence from the Spanish took place.  There is an obelisk commemorating the battle, with a poor excuse for a museum inside.  You can also climb up and out onto a ledge and overlook the battlefield, but considering how rickety the ladder was and my fear of heights, I chose to skip that part of the journey.

After returning from Quinua (without having been stopped and searched by the drug police patrolling traffic from the jungle), we had some lunch at Via Via Café, did a bit of walking and shopping, had a few drinks overlooking the plaza, then had dinner at Via Via as well.  After dinner, I finally got my chocolate ice cream cone, and man, did it taste like heaven!  Tomorrow we head to Lima, which, to say it will be an adventure is a gross understatement.