🌀 My trip to Peru was very impulsive – I felt a sudden urge, and it took only two weeks until I was on a plane to Lima. So this modern interpretation of the Chakana replaced my talisman six years ago.

⛰️ I bought this Andean cross from an old man on a hill in Sacsayhuaman. My intuition led me, on my first day in Cusco directly to this mysterious place, where an estimated 20,000 people once worked on its construction. I sat with the man on the hill for about half an hour, and he explained his interpretation of the Chakana to me, along with this site, which was likely used for military and ritual purposes.

🌐 The original Chakana existed about 2,000 years before the rise of the Inca Empire. The triangle is a modern variation for tourists; however, it symbolizes the trinity of the condor (upper world), puma (this world), and snake (underworld), and perhaps the three moral principles "do not lie", "do not steal", and "do not be lazy". The four planes represent the cardinal directions, seasons, and stages of life. It has 12 edges, like the months of the year. In the center, as a unifying element of origin, is the sun, a central deity.

🏔 The traces of the Inca were visible throughout my entire journey. Rock carvings, often with animal motifs, can be found on almost every mountain. Every mountain is alive, and many are sacred. It was a deeply nature-connected, inquisitive, organized, and spiritual culture. In Quechua, "Chakana" roughly means "acting as a bridge". The old man told me – even if it was his imagination – that the Inca at Sacsayhuaman would repeatedly undergo ritual cycles of the cosmos here before setting out to other places, like Machu Picchu. My journey also led me toward Machu Picchu a few days later, and the pendant accompanied me on this exciting adventure.

🧭 A few months later, I created "megagroundsloth," and to this day, I wear this pendant daily because, for me, it’s not only a powerful memory but also a symbol of guidance and encounter.

Traditionally, coca leaves are consumed in the Andes. You get it offered on every corner in plastic bags. The original form of consumption is by chewing the leaves. Mate de Coca is something of a national drink in Peru. It's also available in small tea bags, but I always had loose leaves. There's even chocolate with coca leaves! Very often there are restaurants and bars that somehow refer to coca.

The leaves are used as a stimulant, as a dietary supplement, for ritual and medicinal purposes. They help suppress hunger, fatigue and cold and are very effective against altitude sickness as they improve oxygen uptake. Also, the coca leaves have always had a spiritual meaning.

I found it similar in effect to black tea. There are no known side effects and you won't get addicted to it. It would take about 300 grams of dry coca leaves to extract 1 gram of cocaine by chemical extraction.

And please don't misunderstand, I'm absolutely no friend of the drug cocaine. People who snort this in order to feel superior, thereby contribute to terrible atrocities such as murder and trafficking.

In such landscapes on the way from Cusco to Hidroeléctrica (Machu Picchu) one comes from the amazement out hardly! ¡Extraño mucho al Perú! 💓