Huecos

After class (we let out early at 10am)we were given instructions to take a cab and meet our Professor, Monica, at El Museo Nacional de Arqueología Antropología Historia del Perú. We were all extremely tired and were curious to see what fun filled events we had awaiting us. We were able to squeeze 6 of us in cab and made it in once piece although we paid 25 soles because the cab driver got lost. We found the rest of our group eating lunch at a nearby restaurant and joined them. I ordered Lomo Soltado, my favorite Peruvian dish although I am still quite curious about the Ceviche, a mixture of lemon juice and raw fish. We ate and met in front of the museum, with half of our group going ahead on the first tour and my group, the other half going a half hour later with Monica. When we finally met with our tour guide, I was half asleep and really discouraged from going on the tour. I noticed that the museum was very small and didn’t seem too interactive. We went to different exhibitions, studying artifacts from the Chavin culture and progressing toward the Inca period with Machhu Pichhu as the main focus. In the exhibits, we saw a lot of ceramic pieces that we studied in culture class and during the lectures at FAP. The structure was typical, with a globe shape and two “picos” and a handle known as “asa puente.” The colors were very earthy with a fine finish, typical of prehispanic times. These artifacts were used to hold wine or other beverages during ancient times.

Other pieces included skulls that we had seen and learned about in the Cathedral we visited near the government center. The skulls had holes, typical of the prehistoric culture. It was normal for people back then to undergo a sort of operation (without any anesthesia, perhaps drunk off pisco) that required drilling into their skull (all of which is not fatal or does not affect the brain) to make the cranium area longer and more distinct. People in that era performed this ritual so that they could be distinguished from all the other cultures and societies of that time. A lot of the skulls we have seen thus far seem to have underwent this very operation although I can’t imagine how painful it must have been. Sometimes, the holes were used to drain the brain of disease or evil spirits.

Included in the tour was also “Los Personajes de la Sociedad Moche” and “La sexualidad en el Mundo Moche.” The pieces were very interesting and our tour guide said the pieces in the erotic collection were not pornographic or meant for arousal but represented fertility among other beliefs. However, our Professor, Monica, and I believe it was probably just meant for pornographic reasons. It is slightly humorous the exaggeration seen in the figures, and apparently Peruvian culture feeds off exaggeration. For example, Monica told us that someone who hasn’t seen a friend in a couple months will say in certainty, “I haven’t seen you in 5 whole years.” I thought that was pretty interesting and reflective of the following piece(s):

Another interesting piece of the exhibit was the mummies. We learned in class that the mummies were buried in a fatal position and planted in an egg-like hole in the ground. They were also wrapped in cloth and their preservation is due partly to the dry climate and high salt content of the region.

 I think a lot of people ended up going to Murphy’s that night but I was entirely too exhausted. I stayed home and decided to read my article on Lima like a good student. I remember going to bed immediately after I was done reading, though. It just seemed that I was lacking more and more energy to get by every day. I was grateful, however, for such a rich cultural lesson that reinforced what I had learned in school and in Peru, overall.