Getting High in Peru, Year 2: Archaeological Adventures in Yura

Return to Yura was Incomplete

The tourist map for the Yura Region. Arequipa is lower right

I Facebooked some pictures of our return to Yura this past weekend and mentioned near the end that our return there was incomplete. What I did not mention was that Yura has a rich Pre-Inca history. It is not just the terracing that longs for a closer examination, but throughout the Yura district are Pre-Inca ruins. Some of these are pictured on the tourist map, a picture of it is included here, but no specific locations are provided.

I have met with one elderly local archaeologist associated with a local university and museum, but he is unable to take me to the specific locations and no one else at the museum is knowledgeable of the area’s sites. None of the info is available in English, and, of course, my wife could translate the field reports, but that would be too time consuming for her at this point. So, that’s why I mention in the above title that my return was incomplete. If I had my BMW motorcycle here, I know that I could eventually find the sites, but, other than me doing surface surveys of the sites, the information would be very incomplete. 

"Hornos de Cal" in center and below

In addition, the tourist map and my pictures show a “Hornos de Cal” an oven for breaking down Calcium, a reference to an older location for breaking down the limestone into cement. The likely biggest industry in the Yura district is the current and huge Yura Cement plant. These Hornos de Cal are an earlier version of making cement, but how old are they? I suspect early 20^th century or 19^th at the earliest, but who knows around here. Several abandoned houses in Yura have the date of the early 20^th century on a block above the lintel, which is why I suspect that the limestone ovens date to that time. Anyway, with the bicycle club that I have ridden with last year and this year, I have seen much of the Arequipa region, but as an archaeologist, I have not biked the Yura region and find it intriguing archaeologically and for biking as well.  

Recoleta Map showing Arequipa, Yura River, Oasis, etc.  

Above, I have added a map I shot in in the Recoleta Museum of the Pre-Inca Period in the greater Arequipa region, and it depicts an interpretation of the Pre-Inca data with the Rio Yura and an oasis on the trade routes from the Pacific Ocean to the interior of what is now known as Peru. So, Ojalá, I can return to investigate this question further.   

This past Sunday afternoon we returned from a pleasant weekend in Yura, an oasis approximately 45 minutes by taxi and 60 minutes by combi and above 8000 feet (a few hundred feet higher than our place in Arequipa). We came to Yura last year to hike to some waterfalls, and we had lunch in the Yura Hotel. It looked like a nice hotel and the food was good so we agreed back in 2013 that we needed to return for a weekend in 2014. It turned out to be the final ‘free’ weekend before flying to Lima and home next week.

            Saturday we waited about 40 minutes for a combi heading to Yura and hopped aboard for 2 soles each (about 66 US cents) for the one hour ride. One of the treats for going to Yura is its reputation for its thermal baths. Our Yura Hotel room included free access to their thermal baths. More about the baths soon. For 50 soles more, we could have had a Jacuzzi in our room. We’ll do that next time. 

An 1831 house on Hotel Yura grounds

            Our chef, since we were the only ones at the hotel, fixed us an excellent Menu del Dia, a 2-plate meal for only 16 soles (less than $6). The first plate was a stuffed avocado—stuffed with chicken and other savory accents. The main course was roast beef, rice, and vegetables.  

Yura River Valley above and below with Chachani in back

            Then we hiked throughout the village and surrounding area. Like Sogay, the village in which we stayed three weeks ago, Yura too has lost much of its former population. Its heyday, evidently, was in the 1920s and 30s, but now many of its youth have left and continue to leave for Arequipa and other places. The main attractions of Yura are its Thermal Baths and waterfalls, but this currently seems to be primarily a weekend industry. Some of the terraces continued to be farmed as in Sogay, but also as Sogay, many of its houses have been abandoned. Glancing around you could see evidence of mining (silver, I heard on Sunday), and one the major surprises for us was that the main (and only) street was paved with bricks fairly recently. We heard that there was going to be a fiesta Sunday with a parade on Sunday morning. 

A hawk feeding on kill above and below

This bird's Spanish name sounds like 'duck' and its call is that of a duck but what's its English name?

            So, part of the valley with its terraces are green with planting, but there is so much more potential in farming the terraces but Yura lacks workers. It’s downhill from the hotel to the village and you can walk the entire distance alongside the stream of spring water (and thermal springs). So, as we walked back up to the hotel, we walked up a green valley. One of the small industries here uses the soda springs (aqua natural carbonatada) coming out of the mountain to make Kola Escocesa (Scotch Cola), similar to a cherry cola. We were told and did find a natural source of it below our hotel and could see evidence of this dried up bicarbonate of soda on the ground. We were told by the kiosk vendor that they could not make enough of it here in Yura and was available in Arequipa in only a few places. 

Hotel Yura napkin holder advertising Kola Escocesa

The stream with Chachani in back above and below

            We entered the hotel’s thermal baths at 8 pm. Yura has public thermal baths as well, and they were busy earlier as we walked by. Since we were alone, the hotel turned on the lights and we spent time in each of the five pools where bubbles were ascending from the bottom. The thermal waters continue to rise and leave by overflow tubes. I do not have the sense of smell, but my wife said that it smelled heavily of sulfur. Additional minerals were also present in the waters. We were later joined by the other two other guests at the hotel. After about one hour in the pools, we showered and returned refreshed to our room. Two accompanying pictures explain the thermal baths. 

            Sunday breakfast in the hotel was at 8 am, which also was the time their thermal pools reopened. Already there were people waiting to get into the pools. The other couple from the baths soon joined us for the hotel’s Continental Breakfast. (There was one other occupied room, but I never saw them.)

            After breakfast, we walked down to the village and were amazed at the large crowd of people waiting to either watch or to march in the parade. The parade was part of the celebration for Yura’s 140 years and for the regional government to brag about all the improvements they were planning to make over the next years. This was Yura’s regional celebration and it looked like ALL of their students were marching in the streets beginning with pre-school and through their high schools. There were easily more than 1000 students from the region in the parade followed by their teachers, and they in turn were followed by 100s of adults working in the region’s various industries.  

Raising the flag and singing the national anthem

The boy was actually blowing kisses

Just one of the numerous schools

            So, it is obvious that the regional leaders desire the growth of Yura and the surrounding region to keep their youth here in the Yura region. 

Above Yura on the trial to the waterfalls above and below

Looking down at the oasis where the parade is ongoing

The workers working to better the acquisition of potable water

            After we climbed the bluffs above Yura on the trail to the waterfalls, and after we took some pics of the desolation up here in contrast to the oasis below, we descended back to the village to the parade and then to our hotel for lunch. We chose the Menu del Dia again, which today was a potato salad with other tasty morsels, and the main plate was a large pork chop with rice and veggies. As we finished, three others came in, but I do not know if they had stayed here or if they were staying the night. The Yura Hotel is a bargain and the food is excellent. 

On Hotel Yura's grounds above and below

            If I was here for another month or could return for another 5 months next year, I would suggest to the bike club that I’ve ridden with, “Hey, let’s get our bikes to the Yura Hotel, and we can ride and experience the area for two days.” I know that some of them have biked around here, but I did NOT experience enough of Yura and the area. It would be a super biking experience, but I want to do it with friends and not as a solo ride as I have done so many of around Arequipa. And, as you now know, I consider the archaeology of the Pre-Inca to be very important. The archaeology of Peru actually is in its nascent state compared to the archaeology of the Middle East. Ojalá, I can contribute to it. 

Ciao y Paz.