Huaca Huallamarca, Lima, Peru

[Martin Hash]

There’s few places in the world where millennia old buildings are embedded in modern cities: Cairo, Egypt; Rome, Italy; Hanoi, Vietnam; London, England; Luang Prabang, Laos; Bagan, Myanmar; Kyoto, Japan; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Athens, Greece; and some others I’ve never visited; but the most amazing is the ancient ruins in almost every neighborhood of Lima, Peru. Everyone knows of the Inca, but they are relative newcomers in the Peruvian timeline, which goes back to some of the earliest human settlements.

Pyramid.JPG

My grandson was born in Lima, so my wife, Gwynne, and I have been there many times. Every time we go, we try to see something different, and there are many archaeological sites, many within walking distance. One, Huaca Huallamarca, is not more than 10 minutes away walking. It’s a single pyramid with a tiny museum, but impressive none-the-less, with modern high-rises built right up to its base. What a remarkable view for all those apartments that look out onto such history. We walked with our grandson to the top where he played in the dirt; the same dirt his ancestors walked two thousand years ago. It doesn’t get any more genealogical than that.