1. Vacation to Peru – (part 1) Lima

2. 18 March While the real Day One was spent flying from El Paso, TX to Lima, our First day of the planned activities took us on a tour of Lima. We stopped for tours of a couple old churches, had lunch at a local restaurant, and toured the museum. The guides were great, giving us information on everything from history to politics and everyday life. The bus driver was a real “pro!”

3. Main Square-Group lecture

4. Main Square-Presidential Palace

5. Main Square-Church

6. Main Square Fountain (circa 1533)

7. Going inside…

8. Breath-taking beauty

9. Conquistador Pizarro's final resting place

10. Detail of mosaic

11. The crypt

12. Mosaic behind crypt

13. Mosaic in another side chamber

14. Exquisite detailed carving

15. Pulpit

16. A monastery not far from main square

17. Catacombs below monastery contained many bones, the bodies of which had been dismembered by grave robbers.

18. Madonna statue repainted to be a Christ figure. I call him Gay Jesus the cross-dresser.

19. 19 March Day two of the trip started with a visit to an archeologist's lab. Dr. Guillermo Cock excavated a burial site containing thousands of “mummy bundles.” A high point of our trip, we got up close and personal with several really old guys and gals. Artifacts found in the “bundles” were on display, in considerably great shape! Numerous “bundles” were stored in any vacant space waiting to be unwrapped. National Geographic has several articles about these mummies, and even used one of the “heads” as a cover around May 2002.

20. Dr. Cock explains how the body was positioned prior to mummification.

21. A “foxy lady” from the 15 th century.

22. The bodies were wrapped with fabric, sometimes many layers, which contained artifacts. The “bundles” contained up to 7 bodies.

23. The quality and quantity of fabric wrap seems to indicate the social status of the individual.

29. National Geographic Cover Boy

32. Barb and our tour “director,” Ruben outside the lab.

33. Not near enough time to ask all our questions and hear Dr. Cock’s tales, we went back to check out of the hotel and head to the airport for a flight to Cusco on the other side of the Andes mountains. Join us, with part 2.