The Garden Of...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 2:38PM 
The real reason we went to Chicuito was something Bob and I didn't tell the kids until we were on our way. It was to see the unusual garden there - the phallic garden. The little town is famous for its' concentration of phallic statues, which have been turning up all over the area for several years. A guy goes to build himself a house - another statue gets dug up.
Apparently at some point in Chicuito's;)
past there was a pretty big infertility problem, and the answer was obvious: carve statues to the gods of fertility in the shape of giant penises. Of course!
Even the church got involved. If you look up on the top you can see a phallic shape, where usually a cross might go. At first I was startled by this, but hey - a missinary's gotta do what a missionary's gotta do, right?!
Somebody recently got a bright idea, and now all the statues are in a little ;)
walled garden, where you pay admission to walk among them, and then go visit the tourist stalls, where the ladies are selling beer openers in the shape of the Chicuito Phalus. Ella loved it. No - not really.
Bob & Brenna Redpath | 13 Comments | Email Article | Stumble, Digg, etc. | in Peru | tagged chicuito peru, chicuito phallic, phallic garden
Reader Comments (13)
Once again ...
Lama can see that he needs to educate his disciples.
The term "Missionsary" which is often used distastefully to describe an intimate situation, is derived from the time when the Spanish missionaries became obsessed with the disposal of these artifacts. Now, you can imagine a poor, underfed man of the cloth carrying the giant stone, umm, thingys all the way to the dump on the outskirts of town. After a long day waging war with the willys, the poor friars would often find themselves flat on their backs, completely exhausted. Time passed, and tired people the world over would crawl home from work declaring, "Man, I'm so tired I could just assume the 'Missionary Position' right here and now!"
Of course, over time, some tasteless individuals have taken the truly innocent meaning of this phrase and turned it to their own tasteless uses.
Lastly, because of the negative connotation, Gulungan devotees refer to themselves as "Monks" instead of "Missionaries," so as not to be made fun of.
Gunga Gulunga,
...The Lama...
Dear Lama,
I think you're a crackpot
Just as I was about to take your so-called religion seriously, you post some STUPID stuff like that! NOBODY buys your crazy ideas and revisionist history. As beside, any idiot can tell you that LLAMA is spelled with TWO 'L"s
DUH!
My dearest Todd Grace,
Lama is very sorry if he has somehow upset you.
Because I am a Holy man, I hope you will allow me to share my peace with you. (Sure glad I spelled 'peace' correctly!)
The title "Lama" means teacher, and I am the "YO" (or 'what's up?") Lama (one "L") of the Gulungan order of formerly reformed brother and sisterhood of the holier than thou.
So, when you choose to insult me, please "check yo-self" (and spellcheck yourself too!) first... For I am the one dropping knowledge on y'all, and NOT the furry long-necked quadraped dropping pellets on the hillside. Ya Dig?
Gunga Gulunga,
...Lama... OUT!
I think the "Lama" is a giant stone phallus.
oh yo yoy.
Mr Lama and disciple.
I like the image of the brave friar carrying a giant stone penis out of the town "skirt". It just makes me smile and smile.
Did it all work? did they get the fertility they prayed for?
My dearest Regine,
Gunga Gulunga to you. Lama would love to comment on your question, but cannot, due to the ongoing legal investigation.
GG,
...The Lama...
That's really interesting! Reminds of another place - Bhutan - where I am told you see big phallus painted on the walls of the houses.
Nice post with excellent pictures. The pictures alone would make me want to go there, because they show how much character the place has!
I like the image of the brave friar carrying a giant stone penis out of the town "skirt". It just makes me smile and smile.
Would love to find some of those treasures
I would love to be able to travel there
Chicuito appears to be good place to visit..
Hope you all had great time at Chicuito. Captures are great and tell themselves about the place..
Thanks for sharing your travel experience...
Regards and Thanks
Mike
Incredible photos! You made me feel as if I was right there :)