Colcas and Tampus

The next day, armed with a rich hydrating cream, my hat, and a high-necked and half-hand covering gym top, I figured I was ready for our last field trip: Raqchi.

This was a longish drive, about 2.5 hours. On the way, our driver got pulled over for some violation, we never did figure it out. But we were headed to a place that had the best-preserved tampu, or way-station/inn in the area, and more than 100 colcas or warehouses. We also were going to scan an apacheta or roadside marker.

 At the front of the site is the Temple of Wiracocha. Incredible how the walls and towers are still standing. And with the stunning blue skies of the morning....

 Interestingly, UNESCO had just declared the Inka Road a World Heritage Site a few weeks before, and they had a delegation touring Peru while we were there. They were at Tipón this day, headed to Raqchi the following day. Crews were all around, cleaning up and getting ready.

 And the colcas. Not all are well-preserved, but they are impressive. There are many theories of how they worked, from air circulation to insect repelling. They were used for collecting and storing goods, not just agricultural but also textiles and other. We imaged and scanned the main one with the roof.

 Looking back to the Temple.

Once again I stayed with gear while part of the team went to document the tampu. We gave up the idea of scanning the apacheta -- another long hike with heavy gear which would have taken probably four more hours in total. So while the video team was off at the tampu and the scanning team was still working on the colca, I went back to the vans to get the snacks. We were so glad we'd finally figured it out! They disappeared in no time.

On my way back I spied this lady ahead of me on the path through the wetlands. This is actually a part of the Inka Road that remains and is still in use today.

And some llamas grazing the site too. This one would only look up when I wasn't trying to take its photo.

Part of the reason we canceled the other imaging site was the long drive to get back to Cusco, and we were supposed to stop in this community on the way to document the continuing tradition of ceramics. Somehow, that didn't happen, and I never quite did understand what happened. This was another town, like Pisaq, where I was told to go to the market to get some of the items on my list, and that didn't happen either. 

Still, it was a good and successful day. And despite my best efforts, and keeping to the shade all day, I burned my scalp. Fifth trip to the Andes? First time I've had such trouble. Ah well. The next day would be paying bills in town, doing the rest of the shopping, buying another suitcase, organizing travel logistics for the following day, touching base with the home office, and other assorted last details before a final group dinner.