On our first morning in Salinas, we were eating a simple breakfast in the hotel restaurant (confusing the proprietor by asking for eggs with our breakfast-whacky hungry bike tourists!) when we noticed the walls covered by posters advertizing the many great attractions of the region. We were intrigued. We were most interested in the pictures of the mummies. See, we´d been told there were mummies on Volcan Thanupa, but since we ended up doing the climb (or as high as we could) from a different town (that whole lack of decent map thing again), we did not see the mummies.

A very nice gentleman at the restaurant told us these were great ruins, over 5000 years old (yep, 5000), and promised lots of mummies. In fact, he hand-drew a map (the nicest yet) and told us it´d take about an hour by bike, with a big climb and a big decent, and we´d be able to see the other salar from the top. He even estimated it to be about 10k.

It took about two minutes for Andy to suggest that we stay in Salinas another night (the hotel was awfully nice, and the owners incredibly friendly) and take care of laundry, resupplying, and then go see the ruins.

Indeed it was a big climb, but without our bags I felt like we flew up the mountain. OK, we aren´t quite acclimatized enough to go super fast at this altitude, but it wasn´t that hard. Down the other side, and voila, another road sign! We took the turn through the very small pueblo of Alcaya, and observed the road become a track, then a path. Ahead of us, we could see a small figure of a man decending what seemed like a steep path.

He met us at the base and asked if we were here to see the ruins. Introducing himself, he said he was a guide for the museum, and we could please put our bikes at the bottom of the steps. (Note-the guides didn´t speak any english, but it´s Bolivia-their spanish is perfect Castellano, and they tend to speak very slowly and clearly, so I was able to understand about 70% of the tour, and ask lots of questions.)

We were led into a museum unlike anything I have ever experienced. Up and up to the first “exibit”-cave like holes beneath overhangs, containing ancient human remains. These people were over 2 meters tall, and redheads. They died because when the climate changed, about 5000 years ago, they could not adapt to the sun light. They became “people of the moon” but since you can´t really grow or harvest crops by moonlight, they died out. There were warrens of caves underneath the rock, and it was still under exploration. So far, about 10 families had been found.

There were also displays of clothing (woven guañaco wool) and broken pottery.

“Pasalo, pasalo” said the guide. (Come on, this way.)

Up and up, on rough steps, some hewn straight out of the rock. At a platform, the guide handed us over to Padre, another guide. Padre had a wad of coca leaves the size of my fist in his mouth, and seemed to think that the best way to communicate with forigners who didn´t speak spanish was to speak very, very loudly. This did not in any way diminish his charm.

Padre took us up and up some more, to an ancient city of the Chulluparas. This city was, in it´s epoch, one of the largest in the region, comparable to New York. These ancient people built round stone structures, two rooms in each (kitchen, and living area), cultivated quinoa, and made beautiful weavings of guañaco wool. The women wore make up, and they put their deceased children in ceramic balls for burial. Their pottery was painted with images of the constellations. Their status in society was indicated by the number of braids they had in their hair- more braids, more status. Much was known about these ancient people because although they did not have a written language, the language is still alive (or something similar), and spoken by the Chipaya people, some distance to the northwest.

Up and up more stairs (”Tenga maximo cuidado, por favor” yelled Padre in my ear) to a gazebo. Padre explained that this site was sacred to the communities even now, and we could see offerings of coca and cigarettes left there as gifts for Pachamama, mother earth. Continuing up through more ruins, until finally, out of breath we came to a gazebo and saw the whole city under us. It was magnificent.

On the decent, the museum became more museum-like. There were more mummies (nicknamed La Reina and La Princessa), more bowls and bodies and wool. It was clear that these items had been catalogued, and were gently arranged under rock overhangs and screened in. Padre explained that it would destroy them to put them behind glass, especially the preserved bodies. They had already been exposed to the elements for 5000 years, why move them now?

And down we went, the air getting noticably thicker, Padre answering my questions about the museum itself (run by the Bolivian government, for the people) and reminding us to be careful.

We left the site after paying the entry fee of 10 bolivianos per person (a little over $1.00us each), enchanted, awed, and incredibly happy that we had made the journey.