On a morning some 2,700 years ago, a pilgrim set out on a grueling journey to the Center Place. She and her retinue came from the coast of Peru, less than 100 miles away, but it took weeks to reach the sanctuary. They walked up and over towering mountains, leaving behind the sparse coastal desert for verdant forests that thinned to grassland toward the high peaks. Along the way, they met people whose customs were strange to them. But some of these strangers had been to the Center Place themselves, and that made the pilgrim feel more comfortable accepting the shelter they offered.
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