Day 10, Puno & Surroundings

The Amaru doorway was rediscovered by Jorge Delgado when he saw it in a dream.

One of the legends is that when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Peru and looted gold and precious stones from the Inca tribes, one Incan priest of the Temple of the Seven Rays named Amaru Meru fled from his temple with a sacred golden disk known as "the key of the gods of the seven rays", and hid in the mountains of Hayu Marca. He eventually came upon the doorway which was being watched by shaman priests. He showed them the key of the gods and a ritual was performed with the conclusion of a magical occurrence initiated by the golden disk which opened the portal, and according to the legend blue light did emanate from a tunnel inside. The priest Amaru Meru handed the golden disk to the shamans, and then passed through the portal "never to be seen again". Archeologists have observed a small hand sized circular depression on the right hand side of the small entranceway, and have theorized that this is where a small disk could be placed and held by the rock.

We three pressed our foreheads to the indentation....and I asked that it open for me....but we
remained in this reality.





Silvia, assistant to Jorge Delgado, is preparing a magnificent
despacho. It was all I could do to not grab the beautifully died alpaca wool in it. I hope Pachamama appreciated it as much as I would have!


Ceremonial bundle showing coca leaves and a condor feather.




Doreen is holding the offering, while Silvia pays her respects.














Silvia gave us an hour and a half free before meeting us again at the hotel for our tour to Sillustani. We spent it lying down for a half hour, and then walking into Puno for a soup lunch.
They make the best soups in Peru!!!

Cold. Desolate. At first, I hated it.....then, became fascinated as I relaxed into it and stopped fighting with it. The sky wasn't really blue....It was drained of color just as the landscape was. It was necessary to relax to be able to see the color. A perfect setting for a Steven King movie.


What the place lacked in beauty, it made up for in "strangeness".
I would love to have had the opportunity of being at Sillustani when I was feeling better. It looked quite "other worldly", and the energy was strong.
The rocks seemed to be alive.







This is what's left of an ancient sundial at Sillustani, and I strongly felt the presence of a great and wise energy.

For the most part, llamas and alpacas are taken to "pasture" in the early morning, watched all day by elderly women or children, and then herded back home. It's a job I can see myself doing!:-) This herd was being tended at Sillustani by a little boy and an elderly woman. I sat and observed while Doreen and Silvia climbed higher. The little boy was using a switch on the animals, and it was all I could do to keep from interfering.


I know everyone believes I have a special love for cats, but the truth is that I believe I could easily have been an Alpaca farmer in another time. I yearned to kiss every single one of them on their cute white nose! This one has not had its shearing, obviously. The wool, if it comes from the very first shearing is called "baby alpaca"....soft as a cloud....though babies don't have enough wool for shearing. I bought a couple of baby alpaca items, and when it's cold, I will happily remember these sweet animals.