restday Leymebamba: mummy museum

March 11, 2017

A restday today. Because we need it after the last couple of days, and because Leymebamba has an acclaimed museum that houses mummies and artifacts from the Chachapoyas civilization that were discovered in 1996 at neary Laguna de los Condores. The museum opens at ten so we have a leisurly morning, breakfast and some time for internet catch-up. We take a mototaxi for the five kilometers back uphill to the museum.

The place is pretty deserted, we have to ring the bell for a caretaker to come out, take our money (15 soles each) and let us in. The place is wonderfully constructed with a series of interconnected buildings. There are many beautiful pieces of pottery, tools and artifacts, but sadly there are very few English language signs. All we can do is look at the pieces and try to string together their meaning with our meager Spanish language skills.

The main attraction for this museum are the mummies, but these are all stashed away on shelves in a climate controlled room. You can look at them through a window, but from a distance. We are a little disappointed. In about an hour we are through, wondering what the big deal was.......but also recognizing it is something to see.

On our way out we again meet David and Barbara, the travelers from Oregon we met the day before yesterday on the big hill. They have spent the last two nights at a fancy hotel near the museum and are now on their way to Chachapoyas. After we separately take a mototaxi back to the Plaza, we talk for a while and exchange information, we might meet them again later in Ecuador.

Another great lunch at LucyBell and more time just hanging out in our Plaza-view room. It rains for a while in the morning, then clears out in the afternoon. The predictable weather from the west side of the mountains is a thing of the past, it seems like it can rain here anytime.

A car load of avocados. We wonder where they drove up from.

The mummies were wrapped in a crouched position to keep them as small as possible.

Skull and bones at the Leymebamba museum.

Leymebamba museum and mummy room. We were expecting to get a little closer for the gory details.

David and Barbara from Oregon, travelling around South America.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0