We were lost! Yep, you heard right! We were driving around trying to get to the Teide Observatory. The directions kept telling us to turn around and take a different route. I felt like we were going in circles around different parts of the island. Finally we needed gas and I asked directions. "The roads are closed to the Observatory!" A-ha! That explains it!
As we drove away Eli pointed to something that looked like pyramids. I remembered seeing an advertisement for the Pyramids of Güímar at the information center. Lo and behold we had gotten lost in Güímar, exactly where the pyramids were located! Onward!
With the Premium tickets and the audio walking tour, we began with the Casa Chacona Museum that housed all sorts of information regarding pyramids all over the world.
As soon as we stepped into the Casa Chacona, we realized we were stepping into a large part of history of the world and civilization. I had no idea pyramids were everywhere! Large Maps and pictures of pyramids covered the museum walls.
There's even one in Etowah, Georgia! If you're into pyramids, you'd definitely would have fun traveling all over the world trying to find all the pyramids that have been discovered over time.
By the time we left the massive space of the museum we were a bit hungry and loopy. The exit lead us to the outdoor exhibits. It was time to grab a quick bite and explore some more. (The cafeteria offered snacks and food at reasonable, not touristy, prices.)
But first, who wants to hold the world in their hands? Want to guess how many takes it took to get these pictures? Ha ha ha
The further outdoors we went, the more fascinating we found this place to be. Who knew we would be in such a unique location full of history or controversy. Lava stone structures possibly dating back to the 19th century may have been a stopping point for voyagers between ancient Egypt and the Mayan Civilization. Or could they have just been rocks piled up by local farmers over the years?
There are 6 pyramids that were recently uncovered in the 1990's and anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl's quest for answers regarding the connections between the possibility of these pyramids being a link from Egypt and Central America proved to be captivating not only to me and Scott but even to the boys! These pyramids were built with a purpose...more on that in a few.
I have heard of Thor Heyerdahl but I never really knew the depths of his hypothesis regarding Kon Tiki, Ra and other boats he built to prove the connection between the Egyptians and Aztec cultures. His biggest theory was that Polynesian came from South America, by way of the westerly winds from South America to the Polynesian Islands.
The exhibits regarding the pyramids, the connection with Thor Heyerdahl and more intrigued us.
Naturally, this was going to be a part of our homeschool studies for a while. Yes, we did go home and see the Kon Tiki documentary that won an Oscar.
For the record, I still can't get over the views from almost everywhere on this island. The day couldn't have been more perfect!
Okay, let me trail back for a second about the pyramids and the controversy. Remember I said some people thought they were just rocks piled up by farmers in the past? Did you know they face the sun? There is also a "double sunset" during the Summer Solstice and the pyramids just so happened to be built with the purpose of being able to see the sunsets!
Back to Thor and his connection with Tenerife and his research. His life research is well documented here with a second replica of Heyerdahl's boat, Ra. The first replica was damaged by weather. Fortunately a second life size replica was created and protected by being housed in this glass observation case. There is also an auditorium with a 15 minute show regarding the pyramids and Thor Heyerdahl.
Yes, WINE! Aside from plátanos (Canary bananas) and sugar (from Canary sugar canes), wine used to be a primary export.
I can't stress enough how cool it was to have the audio tour with us to learn not just about the pyramids, but the agriculture, the wine, the different trees, etc. Even Enzo thought the Drago tree (the only tree in the world with red sap) was pretty cool....until
Until he saw the playground. Ha ha! Neither boys wanted to move on, it was time to play. Thick clouds provided the right amount of shade while the boys played.
This playground is well strategically placed as this place is so big and with so much information, it can literally zap your time (and energy) before you know it. Time for an adult break while the kiddos play!
We had less than an hour left before the museum closed and we weren't even halfway through all the exhibits. The boys were getting tired so we tried our best to see as much as possible.
As we were walking through the different gardens, picnic areas and checking out the pyramids we came across an exhibit regarding the colonization of Polynesia......wait, uh, what? Scratch the record....yes, I did say Polynesia, as in that area in the Pacific Ocean about 15,000 km from the Canary Islands!
I'm telling you, we were just as shocked to see this exhibit. But then again, it's all part of Thor Heyerdahl's research. It's fascinating and the clock was ticking. We had to move through the exhibits quickly. I was pressing different numbers of the audio walking tour as fast as I could but it was just too much information. Oh we have to come back!
We got to the entrance/exit just as the clock struck 6pm, missing out on so much and shaking our heads in disbelief at the wonders of this ethnographic park.
The pictures and the short blips I have written about our experience just doesn't do justice to what we experienced at the Pyramids of Güímar. However we do know that it is a vast area of land that requires time, and lots of it. In fact, so much time that there needs to be a plan B for the kiddos when they begin to get tired (think playground, picnic, etc.).
The cool thing is that we did get to go home and watch the Documentary, "Kon Tiki." I think we were more invested in the documentary having just walked through Thor Heyerdahl's living exhibit at the Pyramids of Güímar.
They Pyramids of Güímar website didn't prepare us for the amazing things we discovered and learned. Wow, it truly blew us away!
We aren't surprised though. With each excursion, each time we leave our apartment, Tenerife continues to provide us with awe and wonder.
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