Language lessons

Julio C Tello
photo from the Tello Archive
Museo de Arqueología y Antropología de San Marcos 

Tello was already in his fifties by the time of the Upper Marañon river basin expedition. Hernan was still a youngster – in some ways the baby of the group. You can see it in his idealism, in the way he defers to el sabio, in his small gestures of rebelliousness, his irreverent tales about stuffy local gentry, his cheerful playing of the charango. Above all you can sense the delight and pride he took in his work.

Hernan Ponce Sanchez
the artist as a young man

Hernan published the Anecdotes in 1957, when he was forty. He had long left his earlier adventures behind him, and settled down to teaching and running the small art supplies shop he owned in downtown Lima. As it turned out he was to die prematurely only two years later from a kidney infection. 

Sadly I was never able to meet him. But when I first came across his stories I could feel in the pages how special it had all been to him.  In spite of all his gripes about being underpaid and overworked, in spite of the hardships and the frustrations for a young man far from the bright lights and comforts of the city, Hernan had felt he was part of something spectacular.

Tello, for all his capricious temper and punishing demands, inspired that in him. I would go as far as to say that he continues to inspire many Peruvians in the same way today. It´s clear too I think that the middle aged archaeologist felt a genuine affection for his young aide-de-camp. 

In this story Hernan is a fresh faced twenty year old. And he´s about to get some … 

Language lessons
In which 'el sabio' slips ever so slightly from his pedestal

One day the doctor was dictating to me at Mojeque when we were interrupted by a visitor to the camp. It was the manager of the local hacienda whom the archeologist had met a few days before. Tello indicated to me all the drawings that I should make in the campaign log whilst he attended to the visitor and they sat down to chat for a while.

The endless paragraph

The fertile Casma river valley cuts across the coastal desert plain about 320 kilometres north of Lima. Today the valley's main activity is agriculture. 

Alongside the passion fruit, mango and asparagus fields, it is also home to some of Peru's most important archaeological sites.  In the 1930s Tello was the first to explore them. 

Although some people nowadays may question his academic standards, undoubtedly one of Tello's greatest gifts was his method. He initially trained as a medical doctor and he was a scientist at heart. 

It was his insistence on a rigorous methodical approach that was so important at a time when home-grown Peruvian archaeology was in its infancy and plagued by formidable obstacles: no organised institutions, a shortage of national researchers, widespread looting and vandalism, a dismal lack of state funding and general government apathy.

Tello's background as a social scientist - he held an MA in Anthropology from Harvard University - gave him a vital understanding of the importance of context. Sites were meticulously mapped and exact measurements noted. Findings were all lovingly observed and recorded. The team came back from the 1937 expedition to the Marañon river basin alone with eight large dossiers filled with a total of more than 1, 200 handwritten pages of notes. There were also several hundred illustrations, and over a thousand photographic negatives. For three months, the team spread out over the Casma valley which, after an unpromising start, proved to yield up a wealth of archaeological gems, including the magnificent Cerro Sechín site, famous for its granite monoliths engraved with gruesome scenes of death and human mutilation.  Much more recent work on the valley sites has uncovered what is possibly one of the oldest structures in the Americas.

As well as being a detailed log of  the discoveries, the extensive reports Tello dictated to Hernan also included ethnographic, linguistic and geographical information. And of course there are the illustrations: beautiful pen and ink drawings, diagrams and watercolours which are not only a valuable source of documentary information, but also, in and of themselves, artistic. 

The drawing came easy to Hernan, the writing was another story.

The endless paragraph
In which the effects of an unusually large lunch get the better of our young artist

During our stay in Mojeque, each time Tello looked out onto the nearby hills, he declared that on the eve of our departure we would climb up to a certain rock – he pointed to a large crag. And from there, we – he always spoke in the plural – would construct a long report describing the whole of the Casma valley. 

the Casma valley photo taken from the Karikuy blog

On the upper part of the cliff that he pointed to there was a kind of triangular outcrop which formed a small platform from which it was clear that there would be a splendid panoramic view of the vast valley.  Well, we had only a few days left now. The time was fast approaching when we would have to do it, and as the ox is faithful to the shaft, so is man faithful to his word. Sure enough the day came for our report. 

The morning scramble

Here’s one for all you foodies and fitness enthusiasts. Tello and his explorers were obviously pushed to the limits on the expeditions, and tio Hernan always loves to point up the many and varied privations they had to endure, living rough in Peru’s wild and dramatic landscapes. Life was hard but never boring. 

photo by Marco Garro ©PromPeru 

This post is also inspired by a lucky find.  A couple of years ago my father in law gave us tio Hernan’s old diary. This week I discovered this wonderful negative, previously unnoticed, tucked in between the pages.  Hernan’s diary definitely deserves further investigation before it crumbles into dust.

I think the photo may have been taken at the Cumbe Mayo aqueduct site, one of the locations mentioned in this story.  Camping out amongst los Frailones - the Stone Monks - must have been something. Local legend has it that a traveling group of Spanish priests and soldiers once stopped for the night here.  Instead of sleeping, they robbed one another, angering the surrounding hill Gods, who converted them to stone. Hernan’s main preoccupation, however, here as elsewhere in the story, appears to have been food.

I like to think that Tello’s own personal take on breakfast as described here was inspired by his English wife Olive Cheesman.

And one last thing worth mentioning. Pedro Rojas Ponce, the final remaining member of the original team, lived out his twilight years on a state pension in a small flat near Avenida Brazil in Pueblo Libre in Lima.  He continued to practise yoga daily, and died, aged 96, in the summer of 2008.

The morning ‘scramble’ 
In which we hear more about the physical torments of life in the field, and discover the individual and unique gournet talents of (some of) the team. 

The expedition to the Marañón River Basin uncovered a wealth of discoveries. We were ten members and employed more than twenty peons working on the coast for almost three months. The whole expedition lasted in total just over seven months, during which time hundreds of plaster molds and thousands of photographs were taken and sent to Lima.  

The results it produced were outstanding, all the more so considering that there can never have been an archaeological expedition in the history of Peru that cost less. When I think about it, it never ceases to amaze me how we live on so little and produced so much.

Saved by the name

 Who was the inspiration for Indiana Jones?

George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg are said to have modelled him on their childhood action heroes: matinee idols like Charlton Heston playing Harry Steele in Secret of the Incas, and pulp fiction adventurers like Doc Savage.  

There are some real life candidates too: British explorer Percy Fawcett who disappeared in 1925 searching for El Dorado in the uncharted jungles of Brazil, or Hiram Bingham, famous for rediscovering and excavating the lost city of Machu Picchu.

Wherever he came from, Indy´s look is now iconic, and I like to think that someone, somewhere was channeling tio Hernan - especially when I see photos like this one.

The fedora, the battered leather jacket, it’s all here and something tells me our young artist relished the sartorial aspect of being a roving archaeologist. The only thing that’s missing is the bullwhip.

But the bohemian adventurer look is not to everyone’s taste. Tello and his team garnered a certain amount of fame and were held in high esteem throughout Peru. But when travelling incognito, as was often the case, they sometimes drew disapproving looks from the more conservative members of provincial communities.

In these smaller towns and villages, with their entrenched social hierarchies, appearances mattered. What´s more, some people reveled in their role as big fish in small ponds, and took full advantage of their position -  as you will see in this story.

                             

 fig 1

Saved by the name
 In which our adventurers ruffle the feathers of the local powers that be

When we arrived in Abancay it was already after three in the afternoon and lunch was no longer being served at the Chifa Hotel. Nevertheless, the owner very kindly sent for some food to be prepared for us.

Meanwhile, an energetic drinking competition was in full swing in the hotel bar, with much brotherly shouting and slapping of backs. And judging by the rosy hue on the faces of the participants, a very cordial time indeed was being had by all.

The eleven widows of Bischongo

To all of you who may have been overindulging a bit over the holidays. Here’s some more ….. food.

 fig 1 

Lima could just well be shaping up to become the gourmet capital of the world. Peruvian cuisine is nothing short of spectacular. Once you’ve eaten ceviche or papa a la huancaina or carapulcra in any one of the city’s growing raft of elegant, homespun or funky (take your pick) restaurants, I guarantee you will have been spoiled for pretty much any other place on earth.

The last decade has seen something of a food revolution in Peru.  There are even rumours that one of the country’s most renowned celebrity chefs (Gaston Acurio) may run for president in the next general election.

But this story takes place long before fanciful creations such as deconstructed causa or octopus in purple coal made their way onto the menu. A time when foam and sand were usually to be found on the beach, rather than on your plate.

For the longest time I wasn’t able to locate Bischongo on the map, but then when I dug a bit deeper researching for this post, I realized that it was because Hernan spells it differently. I also discovered a theory that says the name Vischongo comes from the Quechua words Wischuq Soncco meaning generous or giver. I don’t know if that’s true but I hope so. It fits this story perfectly. There are definitely none of your avant garde, molecular morsels here. Hernan describes a late night extravaganza, complete with all the elements I've come to associate with a typical Peruvian family food celebration: hospitality, creativity and the need for a digestive tract that can go the distance. 


The eleven widows of Bischongo

In which the ladies of a small Andean town manifest their fervent belief that the way to an explorer’s heart is through his stomach.

Vischongo - Ayacucho

All our archeological expeditions were undertaken on an amazingly tiny budget, and naturally that required a treasurer who could perform miracles. 

If only they were all like that, what a wonderful place Peru would be. But the stringent budget and the harsh discipline it required were not easy for some to bear.  Most new expedition members wore very long faces by the end of the first day, and by the end of the first week many of them had started to grumble and find excuses for leaving. 

Yaro Willka and Wari Willka

Hernan studied at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Lima with another young artist Pedro Rojas Ponce. They both hailed from the Mantaro Valley in  the central Andean highlands and were to become lifelong friends. It was Rojas Ponce who first introduced Hernan to Tello, and the two of them worked together on his team for many years. Pedro was also witness at Hernan's wedding. I love this photo of them, taken in 1936. Hernan wrote on it: the road to glory rises before us, we will strive to realize our ideals; humanity needs our art.  

photo taken from La Ilustración Arqueológica de Pedro Rojas Ponce - Dorothee Rivka Rago

Both Hernan and Pedro studied under the famous Peruvian artist Jose Sabogal, a leading light in the country's Indigenismo movement whose influence can be seen clearly in Hernan's paintings.  Later, in the 1940's, when Hernan founded the Grupo Waman Poma, Pedro joined him. Named after and inspired by Felipe Waman Poma Ayala, this small group of enthusiastic painters and sculptors sought to make their art accessible not only to a small elite public in Lima, but also in the smaller provincial towns and villages.

In doing so they hoped to cultivate a sense of pride and national identity by educating ordinary Peruvians about their rich indigenous heritage, and to underscore their respect for the ancient Andean cultures, they took Quechua names. Hernan was Yaro Willka, Pedro was Wari Willka.

When I first read the Anecdotes, in the depths of that dark winter in the 90's when Peru seemed fragmented and traumatised by terrorism, I was warmed by the cheerful intimacy amongst this little band of adventurers. The bond between Hernan and Pedro is obvious. So is the rather endearing difference in their personalities illustrated in this story. Hernan's original title for it in Spanish was  Mano a mano - Hand in hand.

Yaro Willka and Wari Willka
In which our young idealist pays heavily for a fit of indolence

 Casma valley and the Sechín archeological site 
Sylvain2803 CC BY-SA 3.0 

By the time of the Casma expeditions I had already been working for Tello for a year. He was dedicated and demanding, and as his illustrator and secretary I was used to a tough working environment. the wage paid to the excavation labourers was about 200% more than the meagre salary I received, but I was enchanted by it all because I had a real love of archaeology.  

But the truth is that Tello was relentlessly meticulous, and any error, no matter how miniscule, would throw him into a bad mood.  The longest telling off I ever received in my life happened in Mojeque – a site located ten kilometers from Casma. I think it must’ve set some kind of record because it lasted on and off more or less for two whole days. And this is how it happened. 

El Huaquero

Ancient artefacts that have gone walkabout all over the world are nowadays finding their way back home to museums where they can be enjoyed by everyone. Looted treasure, via unwitting explorers, local grave robbers and enterprising middlemen, can wind up in all sorts of places - from museums, to top end private collections, to the more humble dwellings of ordinary citizens.

In Peru, discoveries are made all the time in remote areas of a country where a rural population still struggles to make ends meet. Add to the mix a lack of trust in institutions, and it's easy for some to argue that there's nothing wrong with a 'pickings for all' approach.

To Tello the real value of an object was not the price it could fetch, but the story it would tell. Indeed his life was dedicated to bringing that story to the Peruvian people.  

He was pitted against looters of all types, as well as negligence and government indifference. Local tomb raiders posed a problematic dilemma .... whilst they were undoubtedly his sworn enemies, they could also help lead him to sites.

Silver and copper alloy headdress - Peru, 100-700 AD

 property of a Swiss gentleman acquired 1960 in the Paris art market. 

Vestervang House Auctions catalogue.

In this story Hernan tells of a chance encounter in the Casma valley which they hope can further their research. But science is not exactly uppermost in the mind of this particular local peasant.

El Huaquero 
In which an enthusiastic entrepreneur almosts gets more than he is bargaining for

Tello was in the Casma Valley one day, exploring every corner of the countryside and making notes on all the geographical features in order to make a detailed report, when we came across a small hut. The peasant who emerged from within could barely speak Spanish. Tello asked him for the names of all the nearby spots and landmarks, but he studiously ignored us, probably because we were strangers. Tello then decided to ask him if by any chance he had any artefacts