As we made our way from Salta to Humahuaca,
it became obvious that we were heading into territory unlike any we had
previously seen in Argentina.
Colonial Spanish architecture made way to small scattered villages of
white-washed adobe huts; the inhabitants went from Mediterranean in appearance
to the more traditional look of the brightly coloured Quechua women with long
swinging plaits and bowler hats; and a nights entertainment changed from a
flashy bar in Palermo to a folk music pena.
Quechua women
Salta itself had been a turning point. It had
a big town feel, but was clearly still true to its indigenous roots. The
highlight of our stop here was a trip to the Archaeological Museum of High
Altitude, which housed relics from the ancient Inca era that had been perfectly
preserved due to the favourable conditions of low pressure, low humidity and freezing
temperatures of the Andean peaks.
It was fascinating to learn how
the Incas, much like their Roman counterparts in Europe, had conquered large
parts of the Andes and South America largely due to a complex network of roads.
Inca roads however were through some of the most mountainous terrain known to
man, the favoured spots sometimes reaching 6,739m above sea level.
Their penchant for high altitude was down to a belief that it brought
them closer to God. No surprise then that these were favoured places of
worship. However, that still didn’t prepare us for the perfectly preserved
remains of 6 year old Inca boy who had been sacrificed 500 years earlier.
Child sacrifices were chosen due to their physical perfection and high
ranking parentage and were offered during special celebrations. They were given
a draft to make them fall asleep and once they had drifted off they were carried
up and left on the mountain to die of exposure.
Shocking and very hard for us to comprehend and it wasn’t clear whether
the children themselves knew of their exact role in the celebrations. Crucially
however, these children weren’t viewed by the Incas as simply “dying” but as
joining the Gods to look after the remaining Inca people.
Inca boy found at the peak of Llullaillaco volcano
We left Salta
and arrived at Humahuaca at about 9pm. It was freezing cold and we had no map.
The mission: To find somewhere to stay before our legs gave way under our
backpacks!
We stopped to take breathe and an opportunist woman taking a baby out of
her car offered us a place to stay out back of her house. Due to a distinct
lack of other options, we jumped at the chance and 10 minutes later found
ourselves in the family kitchen making ourselves dinner!
Making myself at home!
So our little impromptu stop-over had been fun, but we set off the next
morning, with the aim of finding something a little more conventional. We found
it in Posada del Sol, one of the afore-mentioned cosy adobe little whitewashed
huts, with llama blankets piled three deep on the bed to snuggle under and
escape from the harsh desert cold.
Posada el sol
With our accommodation taken care of, we turned our attention to
discovering the natural wonders that Humuhaucaca had to offer. Carlos, the
hostel owner, recommended a local guide to take us to out to the Snia. Hornocal, an awesome multi-coloured rock formation, and we
jumped at the chance.
Our guide, Gustavo, picked us up just after the blazing mid-day heat and
we started to wind our way, past cactuses and rugged terrain.
Cactuses of Humahauca
We quickly understood that this tour would be 100% in Spanish, a feat
that 7 weeks ago would have been unthinkable, but as we moved from topics such
as agriculture to geology to ancient Inca history, we realised that with a bit
of patience, some hand gestures and a Spanish/English dictionary – we could
understand Spanish! Now, that’s what I call progress!
We stopped half way to our destination, to have some coca tea to waylay
any altitude sickness (we were heading to dizzying heights of 4,000m above sea
level) and a little history lesson about the surrounding area. All we could see
was dusty scrubland, but apparently, before the Spanish came along and put a
spanner in the works it was a fertile and prosperous area, the main crop being
quinoa. Anyone who has watched Gillian McKeith in action will know that quinoa
is a superfood, known for it’s health giving properties. Well the Spanish
realised this too and changed their crops from quinoa to wheat in order to
create a less healthy, plumper and more sluggish group of folk which were therefore,
fortuitously for them, alot easier to manage.
The barren landscape of Humahaca
We then made it to our destination – the Snia. Hornocal. Wow! Hiding away behind all those rugged hills was
a kaleidoscope of pinks, whites, browns and reds.
Superimposed at the snia. hornocal
To finish off our stay at Humuhauca, we couldn’t leave without sampling
the regional specialty of a Llama and quinoa dinner. We were a bit reluctant a
first, having had the impression that eating a llama might not be dissimilar to
tucking into a tough, smelly old boot! But at Gustavos insistence that it
wasn’t a strong flavoured meat, but like a mild tasting beef with the
consistency of pork, we relented to give it a go. And by jove it was! Completely
inoffensive!
Old Gillian M was right about the quinoa though, I felt virtuous just by
eating it. Nutty and delicious and, if truth be told, much more up my street
than the side order of llama!
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