First we went to the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera. It is a museum that was founded by Lima's most wealthy family in the 1940s. This museum has over 4500 pieces of pottery that tell the history of Peru. Since the civilizations of Peru had no written language, every artifact that is discovered gives more clues to their history. From the pottery I learned the types of crops that were grown, the diseases they had, what their leaders looked like, which animals they had, details about their religious ceremonies, about their symbols, and what was important to them.
We also toured the museum's beautiful gardens which has an outdoor restaurant attached. I could have spent the entire day lying in the green grass, smelling the colorful flowers, and photographing every nook and cranny. (Jealous yet? See photo.) Unfortunately, we only had twenty minutes to view the gardens and visit the gift shop. Even so, I made due quite well in both.
As we walked, we saw a building in the process of being built. It had a wood frame that was covered in bamboo. On the smooth bamboo, they will apply a layer of stucco which will be painted. The reason they use bamboo is for the building to be flexible during earthquakes. (See photo.)
Daily Questions:
Makenna Armell- "How is their lifestyle different from yours back home?"
Answer- Lima is a large city of 9 million people. If you have been to one of our large cities, it is similar. There are lots of people everywhere. There are police officers on every block. Our tour guide says this part of the city is very safe. Today we saw people that live in the rural areas sitting on the street to sell their vegetables and eggs. When we get to the Cuzco area, their lifestyle will be very different from ours.
Tailynn Tharp- "How many llamas have you seen since you got there?"
Answer- No llamas yet since they live high in the mountains. We are in the big city so the only animals have seen are dogs and cats. My roommate wanted to pet all the animals with no collars but I stopped her. Kennedy Park has many ferral cats. In many rural areas, they eat cats. The government formed an organization to help save these cats. Here they are putting some of the cats up for adoption. They want people to appreciate them as pets.
Mrs. Struve- "What season are you in there in Peru? Is the standard of living similar to us in Iowa?"
Answer- March is late summer. There have been a couple of quick and light rain showers. It is an old belief that when it rains this time of year the world is coming to an end. Well, so far, I'm still here. The minimum wage here is $275 per month. Police officers and teachers make $600-800 per month. There is no welfare since they believe that need is the mother of invention. People find honest ways to make money. The economy is booming now. Mining is the largest industry; construction is the second largest. Tourism is important but no longer the largest money maker in Peru.
Tuesday we will be flying inland to Cuzco! It is the second largest city in Peru, nestled in the Andes Mountains. The temperatures will be cooler, like what you probably had today in Iowa! There is no humidity compared to 100% humidity here in Lima. We will be shopping and spending time riding to Urabamba where we will stay for three days.
Have a great day!
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