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Chavin de Huantar
The ruins of Chavin de Huantar are located to the east of the Cordillera Blanca,
about 110km from Huaraz, and at an altitude of 3250m. This fortress-temple was
constructed between 1200 and 300 BC and is the only large structure remaining
from the Chavin culture. It is thought to have been a major ceremonial centre.
In 1985 UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Trust Site.
Most visitors come here on a day trip from Huaraz. It is a long 4-hour drive
along a largely unpaved twisting road, but things should improve in the future
when the road is fully paved cutting the journey time in half. The most
convenient way to visit Chavin is by means of an organized tour from Huaraz (Try
Chavin or Pablo Tours). Prices cost around US$15 per person including entrance
fees. Tours typically depart at 9am and return to Huaraz at about 8pm.
The Chavin are considered to be one of the most influential people to have lived
in the Andes prior to the Incas (who arrived some 2000 years later). They were
certainly one of the most sophisticated.
The site contains a large central square, slightly sunken below ground level,
with an intricate system of channels for drainage. Much of the site comprises a
series of underground chambers. A broad staircase leads up from the square to a
large pyramid structure called the Castilla. In the heart of the
underground complex is the crowning glory of the Chavin religion: a 5m-high
carved rock known as the Lanzon. This dagger-like monolith depicts
important deities worshipped by the Chavin culture: the Serpent, the Condor and
the Feline (jaguar or puma).
Other important artefacts from within the temple, including the Tello Obelisk
and the Raymondi Stela, were removed and are now housed at the Museo de la
Nacion in Lima.
There is a small museum at the entrance with carvings and some examples of
Chavin ceramics.
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