Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl noticed that the upturned
prows of the
caballitos are remarkably similar to those
found on rafts built by Polynesians, and in 1947 he set out on a
4,300-mile odyssey in a small balsa boat called the
Kon-Tiki. Aided only by stars, ocean currents, and the
prevailing winds, Heyerdahl's remarkable journey proved that
centuries ago Peruvian mariners could have explored Oceania. "The
world thinks Polynesians were the first
Pacific Ocean explorers,
but in fact, Peruvians may have been the first,"
Toledo says
between bites of freshly caught sashimi. "How else can you explain
the fact that early European explorers found potatoes, a vegetable
native to
Peru, on Easter Island and in the Galápagos?"
In addition to its rich fishing and
surfing, Peru's arid north
coast is also home to two of
South America's earliest
civilizations. The Mochica dominated the region from the third to
the seventh centuries and were known for elaborate ceramics,
anthropomorphic paintings, and truncated pyramid temples. They
were supplanted by the Chimú, who ruled from the 12th century until
their defeat by the Incas just prior to the arrival of the Spanish.
The Chimú were accomplished engineers who built aqueducts, many of
which carried water to the fortress city of Chan Chan. Located 10
minutes northwest of Trujillo, Chan Chan in the 15th century had
50,000 residents, covered 28 square miles, and was the largest
adobe citadel in pre-Hispanic America. Today it is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site that exists largely intact. The city walls,
elaborately decorated with embossed geometrical figures, zoomorphic
shapes, and mystical imaginings, funnel visitors into a series of
labyrinths that link nine palaces, several pre-Columbian shopping
centers, and terraces of town houses many modern Peruvians would be
happy to call their own.