Modern mosaics and ancient tombs

Out first visit of the day is to the sanctuary in Polloc, very near to where we just spent the night. The church and the courtyard around the water pool are covered with bright modern mosaics which we enjoy. We guess that people come here to take the holy waters. Its all very new and was only finished in 2012. Its smartness stands in stark contrast to the surrounding tumbledown housing. We ponder the Peruvian priorities.

The road into Cajamarca is not too arduous - and not especially entertaining. We divert slightly to visit the Ventanillas of Otuzco. These are a set of pre-inca cliff tombs, dating from around 2000 years ago. Each niche would have contained one body in a foetal position. A few are multichambered. Unlike several other monuments we have visited, this one seems popular with Peruvians and we have company.

It is then a few bumpy but flat km into the city of CajamarcaRead more