Moving Mountains
tierra movida
At 3.23pm on May 31st, 1970, a devastating earthquake struck the coast and highlands of central Peru. Measuring 7.8-7.9 on the Richter scale, the earthquake caused major destruction in the Cordillera Blanca region of the Andes.
It is estimated that it took the lives of 80,000 people, destroying roughly 200,000 homes and buildings. Some 800,000 people were left homeless over a space of approximately 65,000 km2.
The Andean town of Yungay was acutely affected by this disaster. Located at the foot of the the Huascarán, the fourth highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Yungay was buried by a landslide that was triggered by the earthquake.
The catastrophic tectonic movement caused tons of rock and ice to break away from the glacier-capped rock slope that formed the west face of the North Peak of the Huascarán. On its path downwards, the mass incorporated melted snow from glacier surfaces and accumulated superficial debris. It transformed into a debris-flow – known in Spanish as the “aluvión” - that travelled down the valley of the Rio Ranrahirca.
The debris flow gathered speeds of over 300km/hour, and descended around 11km, falling some 3600m. At 3.26pm, it covered the town of Yungay, obliterating this almost in its entirety, along with neighbouring village Ranrahirca, and nearby houses and hamlets.
Aerial photographs of the valley demonstrate how Yungay was, quite literally, wiped from the map. The precise number of survivors is unknown. Some say around 400 people were saved from the town, whose population numbered approximately 8000.
Within a year of its destruction, Yungay was rebuilt 5km away from its original site. Today, the remains of the old Yungay are known as the Campo Santo. In the past five decades, the new Yungay has grown to engulf its former physical location.
This website seeks to place Yungay back on the map. It marks some of the most important geographic locations in the town. It charts its history before and after the landslide. It documents the voices and experiences of survivors.
For some, the old Yungay has become a timeless, mythical place that is coloured by pain and nostalgia. But it is also a site of constant change, shaped by shifting memories and material interests. The key sites represented here show how the old Yungay and the new Yungay are both inseparable and mutually distinctive.
In April 2023, a small group of entrepreneurs build a quadbiking track on the northern side of the Campo Santo....
Read more about the Quadbiking Track »
In 2021, the municipal government announced that it would allow for a motocross track to be constructed on the eastern...
Read more about the Motocross Circuit »
Several survivor camps sprung up around Yungay soon after the avalanche. One of the biggest camps was in a place...
Read more about the Camps »
The avalanche orginated at the North Peak of the Huascarán. A huge block of ice and rock fell from the...
Read more about the Source »
The Spanish Conquistadors arrived in the Cordillera Blanca valley in 1532 and founded Yungay in 1540. They were accompanied by...
Read more about the Santo Domingo Church »
After the earthquake, aid was sent to Peru from all corners of the globe. Along with the USA and China,...
Read more about the Russian Houses »
If we understand a place to be its buildings, roads, and houses, then the old Yungay has disappeared. But if...
Read more about the Memory Sites »
The legal status of the Campo Santo is nebulous. It is known as an “zona intangible” (intangible zone) where building...
Read more about the The Border »
Like the north side, the south side falls outside the usual visitor’s remit in the Campo Santo. Walled gravestones mark...
Read more about the South Side »
Despite the general absence of buildings, the Campo Santo still retains the colonial layout of the old Yungay. It is...
Read more about the Cochahuaín »
This tower was constructed after the disaster to be used as a viewpoint over the Campo Santo. It stands in...
Read more about the Watchtower »
The raspadilla is a sweet ice drink that is typical of region. It is made from blocks of ice that...
Read more about the Raspadilla »
The Plaza de Armas was the town’s main square and a hub for social and religious gatherings. Like many Spanish...
Read more about the Plaza de Armas »
Before the landslide, Yungay aspired to be an important tourist destination. This aspiration has not disappeared. For some, the remains...
Read more about the Plan COPESCO »
The Campo Santo has welcomed tourists for decades, under the watch of the municipal government. This is the entrance that...
Read more about the Municipal Entrance »
When the earthquake struck, there was a circus performing at the site of the local football stadium. On lower ground,...
Read more about the Stadium »
The cemetery compacts many layers of history into its concentric spiral shape. It sits atop the ruins of a pre-Incan...
Read more about the Cemetery »
