Peru Bureau

AYACUCHO: THE CITY OF THE MANY CHURCHES

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:26:24 +0000

Ayacucho was founded in 1540, and named San Juan de la Frontera de
Huamanga. It was the cradle of the Huarpa and Wari cultures. In the twelfth century, it became an art center that supplied the Spanish crown with works of art. Later, it was the site of the Battle of Ayacucho, one of the crucial battles for independence. In the 80’s the city was stricken by terrorism, but fortunately those days have ended and this beautiful city is again peaceful and a safe destination.
Nowadays, Ayacucho is known as the city of the many churches because it has 33 stone churches of different architectural styles. It is considered the home of artisans, guitar players and dancers of the Danza de las Tijeras (Scissors Dance). It is one of Peru most fascinating cities and is well worth a visit.

AMAZONAS: THE KUELAP FORTRESS

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:21:11 +0000

Chachapoyas is the Capital of the region of Amazonas and it is also one of the oldest cities in Peru. It is surrounded by a cloud forest that
separates the sierra from the jungle. Not very far from there you can find and architectonic wonder: the Kuelap Fortress. Kuelap is located in the district of Tingo. It was discovered in 1843 and it seems to have been built around 800 A.C. The fortress is on a ridge facing north. It has about six hectares and is surrounded by 25 meter-high walls. The walls have three strategic entrances that can be crossed only by one person at a time, a very good way to control enemy infiltration. It also has two platforms from which you have a view of the horizon. Kuelap is the greatest legacy of the Chachapoyas culture and it sure is as
breathtaking as Machu Picchu.

IQUITOS: PACAYA SAMIRIA RESERVE

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:18:17 +0000

Iquitos is the most important city in the Amazon region. It is located
on the bank of the Amazon River, the widest river in the world. You
can get to this city only by plane or by boat. 113.71 mi. from Iquitos
is the biggest reserve in Peru, The Pacaya Samiria reserve, which
is also known as “The Jungle of Mirrors”. Its lakes, better known as
“cochas”, and swamps are inhabited by endangered species such
as the pink dolphin, the manati, the paiche – the biggest river fish in
the world- and the charapa turtle, symbol of the Region. Here in
Iquitos you will have the chance to interact with the native Cocam-
Cocamilla communities, which are the last native people of the
region to maintain their original dialects and their original customs.
Iquitos is a green and friendly city which has lots of things to offer to
the visitor.

HUARAZ: THE HEART OF THE ANDES

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:12:12 +0000

Huaraz is located in the region of Ancash. It is the most important city in the “Callejon de Huaylas”; also know as “Beautiful Prairie”. The Callejon is 432.99 km.2 long and is made up of two mountain ranges: The Cordillera Negra and The Cordillera Blanca, the latter considered the highest in the world. One of the mountains that draw more visitors is The Huascaran (22,204.72 ft.a.s.l.). This snow capped mountain is called “The Ceiling of Peru” for being the second highest in South America. In Pre Columbian times, the territory was the
cradle of Chavin de Huantar, an archeological complex made of stone where you can find the Cabezas Clavas (keystones of projecting blocks shaped as human heads), litho sculptures that have human and animal features, and the Lanzon Monolitico, a 5 meter-high dagger like
rock. Chavin de Huantar was declared Mankind’s Historical Monument in 1985. If you come to Huaraz, do not miss the interesting collection of stone monoliths and other pieces of high historical value exhibited at the Ancash Archeologique Museum on the Main Square. Also take
the time to visit Caraz and Carhuaz two small towns to the north of the city. One of the more visited lagoons is Llanganuco, famous for its beautiful forest of quinoa and puya Raimondi. Here the visitor can camp and do adventure sports.

CHAN CHAN: THE MUD CITY

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:08:31 +0000

Chan Cha, the Capital of the Chimu Empire, is the largest mud city in
the valley of Moche near Trujillo. It was built between the XII and XIV
centuries. It is believed that the city housed around 100 thousand
people and that it was built with 240 million adobe bricks. Chan
Chan is a labyrinth city that consisted of nine Royal Compounds that
have streets, channels, reservoirs, squares and pyramidal temples.
The Compounds have been named after the archeologist and
explores who discovered them or studied them. One of the most
famous and best preserved compounds is Tschudi; Named after
Juan Diego Tschudi, a Swiss naturalist (1818 – 1889), this
compound has only one entrance and twelve meters-high walls
which are wider at the bottom than at the top. The walls have high
relief figures resembling fish. In fact, most of the city walls are
decorated with mythical scenes, geometrical and zoomorphic
shapes and highly realistic figures. In 1985 UNESCO declared Chan
Chan Mankind’s Historical Monument. Come visit the Mud City and
its site museum, and be part of those who have enjoyed this long
lasting magnificent city.

PARACAS: NATURAL RESERVE

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:04:43 +0000

The Natural Reserve of Paracas is the only protected area of the Peruvian coastline. This wild sanctuary a few minutes from Pisco is located in northern Ica, and has an extension of 335 thousand hectares of desert and beautiful beaches, housing endangered species such as sea wolves, the funny Humbolt penguins, the guano island birds and the flamingo or parihuana. This bird is the symbol of the peninsula because the colors of its feathers inspired the national flag. Despite its animal wealth, Paracas has other wonders such as The Cathedral. This rocky slope has the shape of a religious temple created by the strength of the tidewaters. Near here to the north of the bay, on the sand of the desert across the sea is the famous image of the Candelabrum, a mysterious figure similar to the Nasca lines. For its location and size (393.70 feet in height), it is thought to be an emblem of orientation for the sailors of those times. Among the borders of the reserve is the site museum Julio C. Tello. This museum has one of the most important remains of knitted fabrics from the Paracas culture (600 BC) as well as well known multicolored handmade blankets weaved with camelidae fiber and dyed with vivid natural colors. If you want to have a close contact with the animal life of the area, we recommend visiting The Ballestas Islands. These are located a few minutes from the coast. Do not forget to visit the Tambo Colorado fortress, a magnificent military center built of adobe and the Paracas Reserve, an exciting adventure that you should not miss.

THE NASCA LINES: AN ASTOUNDING MYSTERY

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:55:08 +0000

The Nasca lines are one of the most mysterious places in the world. These strange and wonderful figures were discovered in 1927 near Nasca, one of the driest regions of the world on the south plains of the region of Ica. The size and complexity of these geoglyphs, suggest some kind of mysterious origin. However, archeologists state that these drawings were made by the pre-Inca cultures of Nasca and Paracas, who used the 350 Km2 plains as a big drawing board. The designs can be seen from the lookout or from the air, flying on a light plane. The latter is the best option to see the designs, such as the
humming bird, the spider, and the monkey. Maria Reiche, a German
researcher who spent all her life studying these figures, said that these lines, 15 to 20 cm deep, were an enormous astronomical calendar used to track down the different solar phases. She also said the chalk from the desert plains is a magical and natural preserver of these images. It is absolutely very difficult to decipher the mystery but it is definitely impossible not to be enchanted by it.

TITICACA: THE LAKE OF THE GODS

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:46:02 +0000

Lake Titicaca is on the heart of the region of Puno and on one of the
most important points of the South American continent. This wonderful
lake connects Peru and Bolivia. It is around 928.48 feet deep and 118.06 miles long. It is the highest and one of longest navigable lakes in the world. Despite the altitude of the place, the temperature of the water is around 10 Centigrade, ideal for aquatic life. The lake houses a great number of animal species such as wild ducks, different birds and fish (suche), the carachis. The totora, an edible plant used to build floating islands, houses and caballitos the totora (typical boats) is the most representative. From all the islands in the Peruvian site of the lake, Taquille, Uros, Suasi and Amantani are the most important. Uros is made up of many floating islands, which are currently inhabited by the Aimaras, the heirs of customs of the lost town of Uros. The villagers fish with rustic nets and live in huts. Taquille on the other hand is the center of the lake, four hours from the city of Puno. This island is very special; their habitants speak Quechua (the language of the region) and not Aimara. The people are mainly fisherman and weavers that wear beautiful multi color attires as the chumpi or the Ilillas. In the island there is no noise, no policeman, no electricity nor dogs. We recommend taking the challenge of staying in Taquille and enjoy a few quite days away from the overwhelming modern world.

AREQUIPA: THE WHITE CITY

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:40:56 +0000

In Peru Arequipa is the biggest city after Lima, the Capital. It is located on the South of the country in a beautiful and fertile valley and under the shade of the Misti Volcano, which is the emblem of the city. Arequipa was founded in 1540 is a magnificent work of art. It has one of the most beautiful main squares of the country and many astonishment monuments of baroque, neo-classic and renaissance styles. Arequipa is known as the white city due to the color of the
volcanic rock sillar, used in the construction of churches and colonial houses. The Cathedral is on the main square and has two magnificent towers. In the nearby streets, there is the Santa Catalina Monastery, a wonderful work of art in convent construction. This cloister housed many young female nobles and was kept closed for over 400 years until 1970 when it was opened to visitors. The most outstanding religious complexes are La Compañia and San Francisco. The first was home of the Jesuits in the 17th Century. San Francisco has a church, a convent, a small temple and a handicraft fair called Fundo El Fierro. In the outskirts of the city is the Mansion del Fundador (a colonial house), and also La Campiña. Other very important places are the
Colca and the Cotahuasi Canyons, and the Toro Muerto petroglyphs. The city also has several museums, among which there is one of the Juanita mummy, an Inca virgin discovered in 1995. Recently UNESCO declared the city as Mankind’s Historical Monument. Arequipa is a clear blue-ski city where many poets and important icons were born, without a question, Arequipa is a city you can’t miss.

MACHU PICCHU: THE LOST CITY OF THE INCAS

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:34:13 +0000

The ruins of Machu Picchu are the most important attraction of Peru. This lost city was found at 74.56 miles away from the city of Cusco, in the Urubamba valley. Since its discovery in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham, there were built many hypotheses regarding the construction of the city. However, it is know that the Incas built the city in this rough area of the jungle to avoid access and possible attacks of from their enemies. Machu Picchu was the most important Inca center for worship and astronomic observation. Machu Picchu has to important areas: to the south, the agriculture area is made up of terraces, aqueducts, etc. To the north, the urban area is the city with its temples, observatories, workshops, and sacred burial plots. There are three ways to reach Machu Picchu: by helicopter (30 minutes flight), by train (4 hours to Aguas Calientes), and through the trekking route known as the “Inca Trail” (a three day journey). This trail is considered to be the most spectacular routs in the world; this is part of the 14,291.54 miles that the Incas built all around South America. The climb to the Huayna Picchu is the best experience you can probably dream about. The name Huayna Picchu means “Young Mountain” compared to Machu Picchu which means “Old Mountain”. From the top of the Young Mountain you have an extraordinary view of the Machu Picchu complex and of the path that leads to the terraces on the edge of the abyss as well as some ruins of temples. Beyond the myths, Machu Picchu is the expression of the Incas. This city catches the attention of all its visitors who admire its magnificent beauty.