Ballestas Islands & Paracas
Some 11 miles off the Paracas peninsular are a group of islands, the Ballestas Islands that are now a wildlife preserve, being the nesting grounds for large numbers of seabirds. In earlier times, the guano produced here were a main source of Peru’s foreign exports.
On the way to the Ballestas Islands we saw the Paracas Candelabra. Little is known about this 170-metre high tracing on the hillside, which can only be viewed properly from the sea. Is it a 2,000 year old religious work related to the Nazca Lines? Or is it a more recent carving by an opportunistic local guide? The Peruvian government has designated it as a national heritage site. Whatever, I just managed to get the obliging pelicans flying by.
Apparently there are more bird species to be found in Peru, than in any other country in the world. After visiting the Ballestas islands, I wouldn’t argue with that.
As we came up to the islands, we could see that the birds had nested in just about every available space on the rocks.
I believe that the birds in the photo on the right are the Blue-footed Peruvian Boobies. (Anyone out there knowing better, then please do e-mail me!)
Some of the other many residents of the Ballestas Islands
A Snipe?
Humboldt penguins are frequent visitors.
The Humboldt current off Peru is the source of vast shoals of fish, which makes for very lazy Sea Lions. Hence the Sea Lions we saw were all sunbathing.
Back on the mainland, Ann & I are partially blocking an eroded part of the coastline, nicknamed “The Cathedral”.
The Paracas Museum concentrates on the pre-Inca Paracas cultures. The Paracas culture (700 BC to 0 AD) buried their dead in a foetal position. The logic being, that that was the position you were in prior to entering this life, so that was the position they placed their dead, ready for the next life.
Babies skulls were often deformed for aesthetic reasons. Examples of trepanation (where metal plates are used to replace broken sections of a skull), an early form of brain surgery, are also found on some skulls.
On the right is a Trophy Head of a defeated enemy. Note the carrying handle. Shades of the North American Indian’s scalping their defeated enemies.
