Peru At Last!

Wow what an incredible first few days in Peru.  First of all my trip was very nice except when I arrived in Lima my suitcase never showed up on the conveyer.  I specifically remember telling the man who took my suitcase in Waco to make sure that it was marked to go to Lima.  He just laughed.  I guess he was laughing at me.  While I waited for the suitcase at the Lima airport and then waited some more to file a lost bag claim my prearranged taxi must have thought I wasn’t coming.  I was able to use my Spanish to get someone to call my contact at PUCP (Pontificia Catolica Universidad) and she got me to the right taxi company and I got into my hotel at 2:00 a.m. 

The next day, July 1, we gathered at PUCP campus.  It is a very nice and big campus.  I work in the College of Arts & Sciences so I couldn’t resist a picture of their Arts & Sciences. 

Behind this building were open air hallways and classrooms with a courtyard in the middle.  Here is a pic of the campus:

There are several field schools sponsored by PUCP going on at the same time.  We each met with our directors and had orientation and had a tour of Lima including the historical district. 

Here are some pictures in downtown Lima of the Cathedral of Lima originally designed by the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro (conquerer of the Inca).  It dates to 1625.

Love those doors:

The wood carvings at the Altar were gorgeous:

And the church holds Pizarro’s tomb:

and others are buried there too

In the same plaza is the Presidential Palace where the President lives

The answer to my last blog’s question was potato.  The potato originated in Peru (not Ireland) and has been domesticated since 8-5,000 B.C.  Peru had over 3,000 varieties at the time of the Spanish conquest.