Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CAMPO SANTO
On May 31, 1970, when the most of the world was watching the Mexico-Soviet Union FIFA World Cup opening
match, a nearly 8.0 magnitude earthquake jolted the Peruvian departments of Ancash and La Libertad. The
45-second shake turned an 83-sq km area into a disaster zone, but it was the loosening of an estimated 50 million
cubic meters of rock, ice and snow that broke away from the north face of Mount Huascarán that caused the most
cataclysmic disaster in Andean history. The resulting
aluvión
(debris avalanche) barreled 15km down the mountain-
side at average speeds between 280km/h and 335km/h, burying the entire town of Yungay and nearly all of its in-
habitants by the time it came to rest. An entire town, gone in three minutes.
The site of old Yungay (Yungay Viejo),
Campo Santo
(admission S2; 8am-6pm)
is overseen by a towering
white statue of Christ standing on a knoll above the town's original, Swiss-designed cemetery, from where he over-
looks the path of the
aluvión
. Ironically, it was this very cemetery that helped save the lives of 92 of the town's res-
idents, who had just enough time to charge up its steps and elevate themselves out of the path of the
aluvión.
Those,
along with some 300 residents attending a circus at the town stadium, were the only survivors out of an estimated
25,000 residents.
Flower-filled gardens follow the solemn pathway of the
aluvión,
with occasional gravestones and monuments
commemorating the thousands of people who lie buried beneath the 8m to 12m of soil. At the old Plaza de Armas,
you can just see the very top of the cathedral tower, what's left of a crushed Expreso Ancash bus and four palm-tree
tips that survived the onslaught (one of them remarkably still alive). A replica of the cathedral's facade has been
built in honor of the dead. Nearly every
Yungayano
born before 1955 is buried here in a grave dug by Mother
Nature.
Vendors at the entrance draw your attention to a slew of before and after photos, which are well worth a look to
gain some context of the absolute destruction of this disaster. The entire site has been declared a national cemetery
and excavations of any kind are prohibited.
Sleeping & Eating
Yungay's market, next to the plaza, has several cheap and rustic places to eat.
Hostal Gledel $
( 39-3048; Aries Graziani; s/d without bathroom S15/25)
The gregarious and generous
Señora Gamboa rents out 13 spartan rooms brightened up with colorful bedspreads and
new mattresses. Expect at least one hug and a sample of her cooking during your stay.
This is both the cheapest and best place to stay in town - it's deservedly popular.
GUESTHOUSE
Hostal Sol de Oro $
GUESTHOUSE
