When riding into Cajamarca it was hard not to notice the large hats that were being worn, mostly by the women. The hat is a simple straw hat, but boy, are they large! According to the locals, the purpose of the hat is to protect against the sun, and of course, also a fashion statement. Young and old wear them.
There are 337 burial niches carved into the volcanic rock around Cajamarca. They were used as secondary burial sites for the Cajamarca Khans or high ranking families. When a person died they were buried in the ground for a period of one year. Then they would be dug up and transferred to one of the niches. When the Incas controlled the region many years later, they used these niches as places to store grains and seeds. These burial niches have a very interesting history in the Cajamarca region.
Ventanillas de Otuzco, Peru
