Brunyfire Abroad Again: Peru – Day 2.

Friday April 5th, April – La Mora Patisserie and café, Av. Grau, Miraflores.  Breakfast at the European style La Mora Patisserie and café in central Miraflores….….

………..before heading off to visit Huaca Pulcllana: The Temple of the Worshippers of the sea.

Huaca Pucllana is an enormous adobe pyramid located in the Miraflores district of central Lima. It served as an administrative and Ceremonial Center of the Lima Culture, a society that developed on the Peruvian Central Coast between 200 AD and 700 AD, and was ruled by priests who governed the valleys of Chancay, Chillón, Rímac and Lurín.

Built from seven staggered platforms of small, vertically arranged adobe bricks with infills of rocks and pebbles, the construction of the architecture was a masterpiece in engineering, particularly as the area was (and still is) known for its earthquakes. The bricks were tempered with crushed shells and air dried.

One of the the pyramid’s structures is a terrace formation some 23 meters high and constitutes the ceremonial sector. The administrative center was located in another section – the area of public squares and ramps – where political, as well as community matters, trade activities, storage, ceremonies and summons used to take place.

The most significant aspect of the belief system at the time revolved around the importance of water and the sea and this is represented in numerous decorative motifs……

……..like the large jar on the left that depicts the jaws of a shark. These works are housed in the small museum on the site, that outlines the archeological work that is ongoing.

Artesanias Las Palles, Barranco. Welsh-born Mari Solari………

………(pictured with Brunyfire) immigrated to Peru in 1967 and has since become Peru’s leading specialist in the area of Peruvian native folk art. Solari welcomed us like old friends when we visited her colourful home and gallery.

Las Palles, located on Cajamarca Street in the hip bohemian district of Barranco, is packed with traditional crafts sourced by Mari Solari from all over Peru. She learnt about Peruvian folk art by working in her mother-in-law’s gallery in San Juan de Lurigancho in the early years. It was during this time she started meeting artisans, learning about quality and the different native techniques used around the country.

Solari opened her own shop Las Pallas in 1986 and has created a unique collection of native folk art, the providence of which is without question. Stocking folk art from the coast, Andes and Amazon regions of Peru, she showcases work of the highest quality (all of which she hand picks personally), and more importantly, pays the artisans directly and fairly reflecting the respect in which she holds them and their work.

The Colours of Barranco – from a very chic café opposite Marie Solari’s place……..

……..Brunyfire and Miss W roamed through Barranco’s colourful streets and designer galleries with its smartly renovated old colonial and Republican-style ‘casonas’ or mansions that overlook the Pacific Ocean.

Isolina, San Martin, Barranco is well known for its robust and generous servings produced by chef José del Castillo who created Isolina in 2015 as a tribute to his mother’s culinary passions which sought to rescue the forgotten flavours of Peru from cookbooks of old. The papa rellena con harto relleno……

………or stuffed potato with minced meat, eggs, olives and served with criolla salsa and aji cream was served up on a no nonsense tin plate and accompanied with a Pisco Sour……

………heavenly!!

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