Peru's Coastal Region (1949)

for [Music] the high per Ian Andes run the full length of the country and effectively divide it into contrasting strips on the East the mountain slopes Fade Into The Great jungle Plains of the [Music] Amazon on the west the coastal strip is a long vast desert but it contains Lima the capital and other towns in the transverse BL which are watered by andian streams seeking Outlets to the Sea much of the Andes is above the timber line but Lamas graze in the high pasture lands and agriculture is possible on the plate and in the Mountain Valley east of the Andes the forest growth is heavy and on The Plains of the upper Amazon the jungle is so thick that from the air only the larger Rivers can be [Music] seen A Barren West Coast desert is a startling contrast Mountain Spurs run into the Pacific the pounding surf carves out Bluffs the winds whip the sand into roving [Music] Dunes however stream originate in the Rainy mountains and cut their way to the Pacific in their flat valleys life is [Music] possible Barren Sands plus water equals Rich crops this is the formula for the West Coast desert the barren Sands are rich in minerals since no warm rains have leeched the soil with controlled irrigation the desert becomes rich farmland this lesson was learned centuries ago and still applies today not far from the present town of trilio are the ruins of the ancient city of chanchan built by the Indians several centuries before the coming of the Spaniards in 1532 it covers 11 square miles with buildings enclosure walls pyramids streets reservoirs and the remains of irrigated Garden walls of these early buildings were decorated with relief clay arabesques in textile patterns some of the pyramids had Terrace sides and these too were ornamented but with designs of fantastic birds in some places a bricks were arranged in checkered wall patterns in other places the falling debris has covered many of the wall designs in Inca times the graves were circular pits the burials in flexed positions traces of the original cloth wrapping are found and the burials are accompanied by the implements needed for the journey to the Land of the Dead in Far earlier times the moocha or early chimu peoples buried their dead in extended positions in well-made rectangular Graves niches were constructed in the grave walls for the ceramic vessels the graves were carefully covered sometimes with poles sometimes with Adobe bricks which formed arched [Music] roofs Pottery vessels were made especially for burial purposes and from their modeled and painted designs much can be learned about the life of the times the larco erera museum at chlin contains one of the best collections of these early archaeological specimens in the world room after room is lined with Pottery vessels excavated in the graves of this region the oldest vessels are from the so-called kis Nik or Chavin period but still show remarkable modeling the skillfully modeled vessels of the moch period are so realistic that they are justifiably called portrait [Music] jars a chief is represented Seated on his throne some figures combine human and animal elements and undoubtedly represent deities beine fangs are typical of the god supernatural beings are shown fighting each other the houses portrayed in the modeled vessels are interesting because of their gabled roofs in a region of no [Music] rainfall animals birds and fish are Faithfully represented it doesn't require an expert to identify this as a [Music] duck a hair washing scene is a sample of the detail of Life recorded in the Ceramics important individuals wore large earplugs some of them inlay with turquoise other earplugs were made of hammered [Music] gold in 1535 the Spaniards founded trilio on the coast and the Indian civilizations faded away the Spaniards introduced a new way of life but one still based on the fertility of the rich Coastal Valley today the town of trilio is still flourishing buildings are made of sunbaked adobe bricks as in the past but with the addition of carved wooden balconies after the fashion of Spain elaborate designed window grills exemplify the colonial Spanish [Music] art today the coastal valleys of Peru are still devoted to agriculture controlled irrigation produces Acres of sugar cane cotton rice wheat and grapes J aenda is a typical sugar Plantation of the North Coast the growing of sugar was put on a commercial basis in 1884 sugar was for years the leading crop and today is surpassed in importance only by cotton the coastal valleys are ideal for sugar and six crops can be harvested from a single planting the cane is ground in local Mills and then sent to the refineries a sugar oanda like chlin is a complete community in itself with houses and shops for the [Music] workers schools are maintained for the children as well as hospitals and dental clinics playgrounds are part of the [Music] education instruction is not limited to academic subjects folk dancing and singing are also taught [Music] adult sports are also encouraged and the field is maintained for the favorite soccer called football enthusiasm and Inter Plantation rivalry are [Music] great at Christmas time the central figure of the fiesta is nestro seor Dea the image is richly adorned with fine cloths and silver trinkets the whole aenda participates in this anual celebration the fiesta is not altogether religious for instance there are always demonstrations by skilled writers on the endus fine horses which are a pure Peruvian stock descendants of the Ste of the conquistadores and then there are the dances in which the costumes and the steps reflect long standing Peruvian traditions this one had its Origins long ago in the highlands of the Cusco [Music] region great Urban centers have grown up on the desert coast of Peru the capital city Lima is the largest and Depends in large part on the coastal agriculture as well as on the mountain mines and the recent growth of Industry Parkways line the principal thoroughfares for Lima is proud of its beauty today the fertile Coastal valleys are linked by the hard surface Pan-American Highway way which runs the length of Peru Nature Made the West Coast a desert but man has controlled nature and turned it into a beautiful and productive [Music] region