Tour Guide, Pisco, Peru
| 12 mins read
Strange wonders and unexplainable constructions are a hallmark of Peru. The geoglyphs at Monte Sierpe are only an exception in that it is the least discussed despite being amongst Peru's most enigmatic and unexplainable mysteries.
The 'Avenida de los Hoyos' [Avenue of Pots] is a geoglyph consisting of a series of large basin-like potholes carved in the tough dry dirt along the ridge separating two dry valleys, appears to slither up the slope for miles. Certainly, Monte Sierpe (the nearby town) has gained it's name after this serpent. While the name 'Monte Sierpe' sounds like 'mountain serpent', the word monte actually means jungle in Quechua we are told by Lucio Hancco Sumire who is Quechua himself.
Very little published information can be found about the strange holes aside from a few notes written about them by Erich von Daniken (in his novel Evidence of the Gods in which he attempts to tie such enigmas into his theory of alien visitation) and footnotes in the works of Federico Kaufman Doig (Peru's famous archaeologist who coined the name 'Avenida de los Hoyos'). Lucio suggests the only source of knowledge is cultural: “We don't know much about pre-inca history because it is not recorded in written language but rather with icons in various forms”.
Our quest for answers to the mystery of Avenida de los Hoyos begins with an expedition to the site. We set out from Paracas, passing Pisco, then another thirty minutes drive past Humay to Tambo Colorado where, Lucio explains, there is another archaelogical site that may help us uncover the meaning and intent of the strange geoglyphs nearby at Monte Sierpe. The drive following the Pisco River is beautiful - a green valley with a contrasting desert mountain backdrop.
At Tambo Colorado we discover a vast site with many crude tombs. “Tambo Colorado has been dated during the Inca period however it is important to remember that while the Incas were conquerers, they did not always conquer other cultures by force” explains Lucio.
Rather, the Incas forged a powerful relationship with the Chincas who were the dominating culture of the area in the time. “They built structures in harmony with older sacred sites to forge their relationship with the inhabitants and we see that here in Tambo Colorado, structures in the style of Inca beside much older structures and crude tombs built prior to and not in the finer Inca style” concludes Lucio. While artifacts and burials from the Inca period have been found in the tombs themselves, Lucio feels that the tombs are likely pre-inca and likely thousands of years old.
Backtracking our route from Tambo Colorado just a few minutes we arrive to Monte Sierpe we find a small town rocked by earthquake in 2007. “The town was destroyed by the earthquake, not a single building was left standing” explains Lucio as he points out the town's former church, partially erect and invoking the strangest of feelings within us.
Our hike begins along irrigation canals then within a few hundred meters we arrive at the foot the Picaduras de Viruela. “This name [Picaduras de Viruela] is terrible - it was adapted by the locals in the 1930's when the holes were discovered by plane and those who discovered it offered the name only by virtue of the glyph's physical aspects and nothing of it's history. We hope to discover it's true name or offer another with respect to the original creators' intent. Otherwise we can settle with Avenida de los Hoyos”.
We find two large rock-lined excavations, similar to those at Tambo Colorado, at the base of the geoglyph. They are still littered with human remains, skulls and bones mostly. The 'tombs' are crudely constructed similar to those we have seen in Tambo Colorado and we are inclined to accept Lucio's conclusion that they are likely pre-Inca as the style of construction resembles nothing of the fine stonework during the Inca period.
One of our crew remarks how odd it is that these bones still lie here strewn about without being catalogued and open for anyone to loot. Lucio helps us understand the urgency of revealing the wonder at Monte Sierpe's true nature: "Peru is full of ancient burial and ritual sites - especially near the coast where the climate is particularly dry and preserves them”.
“With thousands and thousands of such ritual sites our government is forced to choose which can be preserved and which cannot - this is why it is vital that we reveal this enigma's true significance. You can still find artifacts like pottery and other unusual items but already so much archaeological information has been looted, please let us leave what remains in their place”.
Respectfully we regard Lucio's plea and resist the urge to make souvenirs of artefacts we find like the child's jaw bone and what appears to be a female adult skull. We press on along a ridge between two valleys following these strange holes, every once-in-a-while stopping to observe their construction. We find they range in diameter around one meter and a depth of 80cm on average. They are lined with rocks carefully stacked such that they have lasted the ages.
The walk up the ridge is strenuous and testament to the monumental human effort that went into excavating and rock-lining well over five thousand holes that meander up this mountain ridge - tough rocky terrain. We are relieved to reach the plateau before the summit and take a few minutes to hydrate and reflect on the human toil that must have been required to complete such an undertaking.
But before we've had time to atrophy in contemplation, Lucio instructs us to observe the biology of what otherwise seems to be a completely desolate terrain. He shows us a lichen colony thriving on the rocks isolated to this nearby area. Finally the strangest flower blooming, seemingly out of nowhere, at the finality of the holes before the summit. Having past two kilometers of sheer dry desert terrain it is hard to comprehend how this flower blooms where it is.
From the flower's vantage is where we can distinguish the serpents head carved from the summit which had not been clear from our vantage point on the ridge plateau. “Many people miss the head of the serpent - it only becomes clear from a certain point and certain time of day when the shadows give it dimension” explains Lucio.
But even from the height of the ridge plateau we can not make out the entirety of the serpent's body as it meanders over ridge and hill and along valleys. For that, Lucio informs us, we must hike the summit. Although the incline changes dramatically, the rocks seem to make easy steps and we hit the top thirsty but in great spirits.
The view is spectacular, amongst the other mountain peaks we survey the valley and the enormity of the serpent's long body. It is the time for repose and we imagine ourselves standing in the same place where ancients once stood contemplating their monument they had built with their own hands.
It is here that Lucio fills in some of the pieces of the puzzle for us: "I believe that what appears to be a serpent is actually the ancient deity Q'hoa. He was the servant or acolyte of the god of water known as Illapa and his likeness was used in a majority of rituals regarding rain”.
Historically, we know that many civilizations in Peru thrived and perished based on the changing climate on the periphery of the Atacama desert. Many deserts, especially the Atacama, are able to lock in their mineral wealth due to extreme aridity and with rain become highly fertile for farming. And while our modern climate science has unraveled the workings of smaller climate cycles such as the El Niño oscillation, the longer climate cycles are beyond our history of climate record-keeping. It appears that areas in Peru may have been fertile for hundreds of years, then suffered drought for hundreds of years after.Lucio continues describing Q'hoa: “He took many forms but he is consistently depicted with a body comprising of concentric circles that represent water or water-drops. His urination were the rains that brought life-giving water to the farmers. While his face is often that of a feline, his body was made long and serpent-like, sometimes a tribute to rainbows, other times a tribute to rivers that engorged after the rains he brought. In some depictions he had wings and legs and much later on he took the form of an eagle”.
Cultures of several ages worshipped Q'hoa and rituals in his favor were made often in pleas for the rains to come and end droughts. “Civilizations may come to an end but people and cultures simply do not just disappear". As Lucio contends, throughout many periods in Peru, a culture we know little about today, known as the Chavín, assimilated other cultures through religion.
Lucio explains their ability to assimilate with a smile: “their success in assimilating neighboring cultures was their powerful religious figures and San Pedro". San Pedro is a hallucinegic cactus that, no doubt, the Chavín used to convince their neighboring cultures in the existence of their deities. The Chavín introduced and popularized the gods Q'hoa and Illapa and rituals in their name to their neighbors.
This early culture not only brought gods and rituals to new areas, they brought their technology as experts of the day in controlling water. They built canals around their temples and buildings to protect them from the regular El Niño floods which are known to be very powerful in Peru. But for reasons that remain unclear, the influence of the Chavín declined as new civilizations sprang forth.
“Human survival and success demands that we seek greener pastures. Even today we see peoples in depressed areas migrating to lands where there is greater prosperity and the chance of greater success". Lucio's analogy explains the apparent disintegration of the Chavín culture as the Paracas culture came into being.
“While they started out as humble fishermen, the Paracenses later on became great farmers during a period when their lands were fertile and humid. They would dig great canals in locations where the water table was high, just deep enough so that the roots of plants could reach water. During their reign they discovered cotton and textiles and forged trading routes with the highland peoples near them who were also learning to domesticate Vicuña whose fur could also be used in textile making”.
As the Chavín culture gave way to the Paracas culture, so too did Paracas give way to Nazca culture which perfected irrigation and water management for farming. They built great aqueducts that moved water in vast quantities from the river valley to the surrounding plains (probably in response to drought) and they perfected textile craftsmanship and pottery-making. But this great civilization was destined for a great suffering - a climate shift appears to have run the rivers dry:
“Nanazca is a word in Quechua which means pain or suffering. It seems certain this period, the area, and the civilization itself [Nazca] was later named after this great decline”. Lucio's insights into cultural history help us understand their urgency for water and their inclination to appeal to their gods for help. Estimates of the building of the Nazca aqueducts occur during the third or fourth phase of their culture. It seems likely their construction were in response to a great drought.
“I believe that the geoglyph at Monte Sierpe was created during the drought that ended the Nazca civilization - clearly there is the motive. And if we study the shape of the figure we can see strong commonalities with other representations of Q'hoa - the concentric circles representing water or rain, the long body terminating in a head with mouth agape”. Lucio's explanation has convinced us and although the details of the serpent's head are far to weathered to make out the signature feline head found in other representations, the long body and concentric circles are Q'hoa's trademark.
But significance of the geoglyph at Monte Sierpe, as Lucio explains, does not end there: “This geoglyph may be proof that the Nazca civilization believed it could speak and appeal to the heavens using great marks on the earth”. Like castaways on a deserted island forming 'S.0.S.' on the beach to signal passing planes, it is feasible to think that these early cultures might have believed it possible to communicate with the heavens and clouds (their gods) through geoglyphs. And if this notion is acceptable, then the geoglyphs at Nazca may have been part of the same appeal.
“While the Nazca lines and other various geoglyphs in the surrounding region do not necessarily represent Q'hoa, they do certainly represent animals, humans, and life - what might be appeals to the gods to bring rain to bring life to the land. If we consider Kaufman Doig, then the Nazca monkey is also a representation of Q'hoa”.
Lucio Hancco Sumire is a tour guide who is highly interested in natural history. Lucio was born near Cuzco the son of Quechua and Aymara parents and the heir to ancient knowledge and customs of the Quechua until age 16.
Lucio manages his own enterprise in sustainable tourism in natural and protected areas of Peru.