Huancaya

Falls and lagoon at Huancaya - filled with trout

Glacier - fed falls - headwaters of the Canete River

Lagoons fill the alpine meadows

The entire Canete River roars through a narrow gorge

The Plaza statue of....a trout - they are tasty

Sunday, we took a ride with a most knowledgeable guide Elvis – yes, 60’s rock & roll culture reached even the Peruvian mountains. We travelled another 2 hours into the mountains to 11,000ft, to the town of Huancaya. More cliff-hanging one lane roads, but without pavement. The farmers here work on very small plots, often terraced and carved out of impossible terrain. Some very tentative rope bridges and cable cars span the river to access the “other side”. The river rages in this area, confined by rocky walls – full of class 5 rapids and falls and crystal clear – a far cry from the polluted, muddy water that exits the river at its mouth in Canete. Along the way are several hydro-electric plants. The most notable, completed just a year ago,  takes water through a 13km long, 4x6m tunnel and delivers it downstream at a 2800ft drop !!!

At Huancaya, the river flattens dramatically, the hard bottom creating a series of lagoons and small waterfalls, amid alpine meadows. A good satellite view is found at :

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Huancaya,+Lima,+Peru&hl=en&ll=-12.202445,-75.797081&spn=0.005694,0.009645&sll=-11.92547,-76.665773&sspn=0.0456,0.077162&oq=huancaya+peru&hnear=Huancaya,+Lima+Region,+Peru&t=h&z=17

Trout fishing and farming are everywhere – children with long cane pole abound. The Plaza features a grand trout statue/fountain and ancient stone church, as well as a museum. The museum houses a dozen mummies and some other artifacts – none of which are much better than what I’ve found at the Cerro de Oro site. The size is just about what we anticipate building. This is great encouragement for the museum project here. If they can support a museum with a few artifacts and a truly remote location, imagine the potential of a museum right on the Pan Am Hwy, along with adjacent ruins and an active archeological dig ??

Elvis happened to be making a trip to Canete that afternoon, so we said farewell to the cool, clear mountain air and descended back to the heat and dust of the coastal desert. Elvis’ aggressive and fearless driving shaved about an hour off the return trip. His constant commentary added much to my knowledge and appreciation of the Canete River valley.