Huaraz

In Huaraz we visited the Languna Llanganuco and the Chavin de Huantar.

The Laguna Llanganuco, is high up in the valley at 3,850 meters, it is surrounded by two glaciers. The lagoon itself has a turqoise glow which is caused by the glacier silt reflecting the sun.

Chavin de Huantar, was the capital of the Chavín culture, which spread across Peru from 900–200 b.c., nearly 2,000 years before the Incas. There are several underground chambers which are maze like halls, they lead nowhere but apparently would have been used when people had hallucinations. Noises would be echoed through the halls to scare the hallucinating people. In these chambers. The halls are made of large stone, and have sandy floors. In the centre of one chamber is the carved statue called the Lanzón. This granite pillar is carved with a frightening mythical being in great detail.