Nazca Lines: A place of amazing history and mystery

11:41. Paracas, Dec. 1. Motivations that lure visitors to Peru’s Ica region may be many — from its natural landscapes to its gastronomic offer — but its history and archaeological sites remain the top reasons to arrive in this coastal location. And what better way to immerse into Ica’s legacy than by visiting the enigmatic Nazca lines.

Peru’s emblematic Nazca lines provide a highly attractive destination for Annual Executives Conference (CADE 2016) attendees, who can visit the attraction and learn about this major remnant of ancient Peruvian culture.

The geoglyphs are large, detailed designs depicting geometric and zoomorphic figures covering an area 50 km long and 15 km wide. These magnificent archaeological site can be found between km 419-465 on Panamericana Sur highway.

First reports on these intricate patterns were made by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejia Xespe in 1927. Later, in 1939, U.S. scientist Paul Kosok carried out a number of investigations on the lines as well.

However, it wasn’t until 1946 that more thorough research works emerged, when German researcher Maria Reiche became interested in the geoglyphs. She would dedicate the rest of her life to their study and preservation. 

Various theories have been put forth to explain the origin and use of the lines, and some researchers affirm they date from 550 A.D. 

As for their purpose, the Lady of Nazca interpreted them as a gigantic solar and lunar calendar used by ancient Peruvian astronomers. 

Two traits characterize these markings: their massive size and shallow depth, which ranges from 15 to 30 cm. 

Over thirty of these drawings have been reported to date, including marine creatures, land animals, as well as geometric and anthropomorphic shapes.

The largest geoglyphs are a bird of nearly 300 m, a lizard (180 m), a pelican (135 m), a condor (135 m), a monkey (135 m) and a spider (42 m).

The arid Nazca plains also play canvas to a whale, two llamas and various birds: a heron, a crane, a pelican, a seagull, a parrot and the symbolic hummingbird.

Tourism

There are two alternatives to see these enigmatic figures: from the ground and from the air.

Visitors can climb ‘El Mirador’ (observation tower) built overlooking the archaeological site to appreciate two of the famous lines, the hands and the tree, as well as many other figures carved into the desert.

The other option is flying over the geoglyphs. In this sense, Nazca’s Maria Reiche Airport offers 30-minute tours to take in the view from above and marvel at the main figures.

The Nazca lines and geoglyphs were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on December 17, 1994.

Source: Andina from Peruto The World

Lima-Jaen daily flight to boost tourism in Northern Macro Region

16:59. Lima, Sep. 30. Tourist attractions in the Northern Macro Region of Peru, mainly those of Amazonas region, will experience a strong growth thanks to a Lima-Jaen direct flight that LATAM airlines will operate starting today, Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Eduardo Ferreyros informed.

The airline expects to fly more than 100,000 passengers a year between the two destinations. This way the new route will diversify the tourist experience in Peru.

“This will also improve the Alto Utcubamba tourist circuit with a reduced travel time to Chachapoyas —starting point to visit sites like Gocta Falls, Kuelap Archaeological Complex, Sarcophagi of Karajia, Revash's mausoleums and Leymebamba district,” he indicated.

The good news adds up to the soon-to-be-opened Kuelap cable-car system in Chachapoyas.

Cable cars will run for 4km up to the said site and take 20 minutes. The work has been undertaken by Mincetur since 2015.

The Jaen daily flight will be the 17th destination added by LATAM Airlines, which celebrates its 17th anniversary of Peru service this year.

Source: Andina from Peru to The World

Chan Chan, Sun city

Freedom. The ruins of Chan Chan lie in the Moche Valley, midway between Huanchaco and Trujillo, in the department of La Libertad and covers an area of about 20 square kilometers. It is an archaeological complex formed by 9 citadels or small walled cities belonging to the Chimu culture. It is considered as the city of the world's largest mud.

It is estimated that in Chan Chan, which means "Sun Sun" because many theories say the city endured a great sun exposure, lived from 20 to 30,000 inhabitants and various kinds of architecture can be seen. Visit and follow it with accredited guide tourists to discover the remains of an ancient Peruvian culture, and marvel at the quality of the architecture of the Chimu.

Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimu kingdom, originally covered more than 20 km2 from near the port of Huanchaco to Cerro Campana. Archaeologists estimate that housed more than 100 thousand people.

In its structure plazas, housing, warehouses, workshops, streets, walls and pyramidal temples. Its enormous walls are profusely decorated with geometric figures, stylized zoomorphic and mythological beings. The tour of the archaeological site is complemented by a visit to the museum.

Source: RPP.

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Archaeologists find cemetery pre - Inca in district of Huanchaco

The remains were found on April 18, though excavations began on 11th September in the district of Huanchaco, Trujillo province in La Libertad. The works are part of Huanchaco Archaeological Program, which is sponsored by Peru Innovate Program, the Ministry of Production and the Research of the National University of Trujillo (UNT).

The human remains belonging to the Inca and Chimu cultures, between 500 and 1000 years old, were found in what would be a pre Inca cemetery, in an area of 40 square meters, a few meters from the side of the Virgin church Candelaria del Socorro, a tourist area of the traditional spa. Each found tomb consists of bones, pottery, necklaces and dunks.

Archaeologist Carlos Osores Mendives said eight complete individuals and other loose debris individuals were found. "In total we could it speak eight intact tombs and loose bones of more than a dozen people possibly" he said.

After the discovery of the pieces, these will move into UNT lab for analysis and determine their cultural affiliation and identification of individuals. Still they work in the area archaeologists digging and it is possible find more graves and individuals.

Source: Portal de Turismo. 

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National Museum of Archaeology of Peru will be built in Lurin

National Museum of Archaeology of Peru (MUNA) will be the largest in the country and its rooms showcase the immense historical and cultural center of one of the cradles of world civilization legacy. That will come true in a sector of the archaeological site Pachacamac (Lurin, Lima), to display in the same space more than 500,000 pieces of historical and cultural value of ancient Peru, and present.

MUNA is the acronym for the future National Museum of Archaeology of Peru, the colossus of five levels to be erected at kilometer 31 of the Panamericana Sur. In the MUNA the archaeological heritage of the country will be divided into two main sectors: past and present. In its halls evidence of all cultures and civilizations that developed in the current Peruvian territory before the arrival of the Spaniards, including the 100 tombs found around the museum are displayed in Lima.

Source: La Republica.

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Ninety archaeological sites identified in Arequipa

An important finding in Arequipa. A total of 90 archaeological sites were identified in the district of Ayo province of Castilla, during a field inspection carried out in the last two months of 2015, with the purpose of verifying the cultural and tourism potential that exists in this locality.

In the archaeological inspection platforms identified in 70%, housing sectors by 20% and funerary complexes by 10%. The discovery of walls, towers, platforms and irrigation canals of various dimensions was reported.

Orthogonal architectural structures (rooms and courtyards) and circular plants (chullpas), built with volcanic stone and mud mortar were also found.

In the vast majority of sites fragments of ceramic household and remains a lesser amount of ceramic decorations ceremonial use in high and low relief, in which they have used colors like red, green and white were located; possibly belonging to the Huari culture (600 A.D.-100 A.D.) which they were established in Arequipa and southern Peru.

Source: Peru 21.

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Learn the 5 most popular museums in Peru

For those who want to dive into the history of this country and Latin America, TripAdvisor established a list of the most prominent museums according to its users.

Peru is an ideal destination for cultural tourism, for all its Inca past, how many remains have been preserved and its more recent history, in which highlight various characters.

For those who want to dive into the history of this country and Latin America, the major travel site, TripAdvisor, created a list of the most popular museums in Peru according to its users.

1. Larco Museum, Lima.

2. Royal Tombs of the Lord of Sipan, Chiclayo.

3. Cao Museum, Trujillo.

4. Mate Mario Testino Museum, Lima.

5. National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History, Lima.

Source: America Economía.

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The mysterious Moon Temple Machu Picchu

Located on the steep slopes falling on the north side of Huayna Picchu, Temple of the Moon was already known by Hiram Bingham called the 'Great Cave'. Federico Kauffmann said that must have been a place of worship of great importance for the care with which they were worked walls lining the grotto.

Although at that very moment thousands of people swarmed through Machu Picchu, in the Temple of the Moon was not a soul. And that's the best way to enjoy the Inca monuments in silence. We only came the sound of restless Urubamba river flowing towards more whimsical tropical latitudes.

There are two ways to peer into the Temple of the Moon, the first, most spectacular and courageous, requires climbing to the top of Huayna Picchu and then begin a long descent. The second involves taking a path that branches off to the left at the very base of Huayna Picchu, where you can see live rock made ladders and walls that separate you from the abyss, before the road crash in the jungle. The Temple of the Moon is 2,050 meters high, it is 400 meters less than Machu Picchu.

Source: La Republica.

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Museum of Tucume is awarded Best World Tourism Project

The newly opened Museum of Site Tucume in Lambayaque (north of Chiclayo), was awarded "Best World Tourism Project" award from the Association of British Travel Writers (BGTW) due to the tourism potential of the place and the social work done with communities area.

"The Tucume Museum has been honored with this award thanks to his visit in June this year, the British travel writer and author of the book" Trekking in Peru ', Hilary Bradt, who fell in love with this cultural center, "said Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Magali Silva.

The award was presented in November 2015, but the last last weekend proceeded with the official presentation of this distinction in the new premises of the museum, where they unveiled their new identity as 'eco-museum'.

"This is a new concept for Peru, through which communities can preserve, interpret and evaluate their assets for sustainable development," said Alfredo Narvaez, founding director of the Museum of Tucume.

Source: Peru21.

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Caral continues to surprise to the scientific community and the world

The world scientific community is still stunned with advanced knowledge in agronomy, climatology, engineering, medicine and other sciences that had 5,000 years ago that populated the Peruvian Caral, said the researcher Ruth Shady.

He stressed that to develop agricultural calendars and predict weather events laboratories that allowed them to determine the beginning and end of the sowing and harvesting campaigns, as well as changes that nature has to adapt to them were installed.

"In the field of energy efficiency and fluid mechanics, in Caral force wind took advantage, now known as Venturi principle, channeling it through underground pipes to have very high temperatures in furnaces," he said.

Shady said that when this knowledge was analyzed by physicists from the United States, they are asked how this civilization knew this 5,000 years ago, when Europe was discovered recently in 1740.

"In the field of pharmacology, in Caral We have found that for ailments such as headaches sauce packets containing the active ingredient of aspirin was applied. This ancestral knowledge survives until today," he said.

The researcher of the Caral civilization stressed that other knowledge that continues to surprise has to do with civil engineering, since the earthquake resistance of buildings 5,000 years ago with bases and applied seismic structures.

"A Belgian engineer who saw it said that knowledge that the ancient Peruvians were developed in at least six centuries to Europe and the rest of Latin knowledge of hydraulic engineering, civil, structural and agricultural" he said.

Source: Andina.

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