July 24th Seeing the Ice Maiden

July 24th

AH Sleep....It felt so great to rest in the monastery hotel in Arequipa. I looked out my window and saw the view of the El Misti Volcano. When I started the morning, the breakfast was terrible. Bread that was too thin, butter, and jelly. The fruit was tasteless. Imagine a pineapple that had no juice and no taste. The scrambled eggs they make here are toorunny and without any spice or extra flavoring. There is never any salt or pepper on the table. Lunch was great especially if you have a taste for pigs feet or guinea pig. I was served a huge mounded plate with rice, runny egg veggie goop, a stuffed pepper with beef and cheese, and some raw onions that hid the disgusting pigs feet.. I loved the potato with cheese and the rice and stuffed pepper...but much of it went untouched! Everyone who ate guinea pig loved it!

We went to see lots of churches and into the cloistered convent where we learned a lot about the Dominicans and the way they gained vocations in the 16th-18th century. The second daughter of every family had to go to the convent. She was a novice for 4 years and then became a nun. Her parents had to pay a large sum for her to enter the convent. The nuns had servants who lived with them. They prayed and worked and spent their lives in the convent away from people. The 2nd son became a priest and went to the monastery or seminary. This was only the way for the middle class to keep vocations. But in a way it was not so bad a lifestyle. Back then you had arranged marriages and many women died in childbirth. There was a lot of suffering in married life since the husband could be really cruel.

Then we went to the museum to see the Inca Maiden. It was a wonderful place. We learned about the ritual involved in the sacrifice to the gods and how these children were prepared for their gruesome sacrificial life. The climb up to the top of the volcano was difficult enough, but then they had to drink a narcotic and lay down in the tomb in the fetal position dressed in beautiful clothing and adorned with gold and figures and pottery that they would need in the afterlife. They were then slammed hard on the head with a blow from the high priest. The figure of Juanita, the mummy, was in perfect condition. We could see her mouth opened in a scream of pain. Her eyes were opened and the skin was still on her body. It was kept in a perfect state at 20 degrees. She was found with 4 other children at the top of the mountain. I really was amazed by this mummy.

We can feel the tremors. The tremors actually hit here 30 times per day! The altitude gives me, and many others a headache too!

Maryann
Indiana