lunes, 27 de junio de 2011

ARCHAEOLOGISTS MAKE NEW DISCOVERIES IN PACHACAMAC TEMPLE

ANDINA. A group of archeologists, lead by Katiusha Bernuy, recently discovered the entry to the Calle Norte –Sur (North-South street) of the temple of Pachacamac, in southeast Lima.

Such entry would be the original entrance to this pre-Hispanic center, and this space is expected to be opened for visitors in 2013.

Exploration works, which are part of the Pachacamac Management Plan Project, suggest that the Calle Norte –Sur dates back to 1380 to 1440 D.C.

This street was an important route to the temple complex, which was defined and delineated by tall walls of stone and adobe. The road currently is 332 meters long and between 2 and 4.7 meters wide.

In addition, the archaeologists found the tomb of an important figure with cranial deformation, surrounded by women, and who was buried with a ceremonial kero, textile and vessels.

Also, a gigant spondylus and a bone carved with a feline face were found.


CHAN CHAN, KUELAP, MACHU PICCHU DECLARED 'SISTER CITADELS'

ANDINA. Peru's Ministry of Culture has formally declared the archaeological complexes of Chan Chan in La Libertad, Kuelap in Amazonas and the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu in Cusco as 'sister citadels'.

The official recognition was granted by Supreme Decree No. 004-2011-MC, published in the legal notices section of the daily newspaper El Peruano.

According to the document, the three famous citadels share common aspects and have significant cultural value, which in the cases of Chan Chan and Machu Picchu has earned them Unesco world heritage status.

"They were the main settlements of the ancient Chimu, Chachapoyas and Inca cultures and are examples of architectural, aesthetic and scientific achievements of pre-Hispanic Peru," it adds.

Another aspect shared by the three sites is the harmonious adaptation to the natural environment as Kuelap and Machu Picchu combined with the Amazon and Andean jungle, while Chan Chan is specially adapted to the coastal desert of Peru.

The Peruvian government said that Chan Chan, Kuelap, Machu Picchu are symbols of regional identity, and the latter succeeded in becoming one of the most representative expressions of national identity.

Chan Chan is located approximately 5km west of Trujillo in northern Peru

OLYMPIANS TO RUN THE INCA TRAIL

ANDINA. Winter Olympic medalist Martin Koukal from the Czech Republic and fellow Olympian Roberto Carcelen from Peru are leading the running expedition called “Joining the two lost Inca’s cities – from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu” from July 1 to 13.

Over a period of five days, the two professional cross-country skiers will cover a 50-mile-long route that exceeds 30,000 feet of elevation gain.

Roberto Carcelen was a runner and surfer before his wife introduced him to cross-country skiing.

“Cross-country skiing is considered the hardest sport in the world, and that aspect really attracted me,” Carcelen told the New York Times in a 2009 interview.

Carcelen was the first Peruvian ever to qualify to the Winter Olympics.

The running expedition is coordinated by Inca Runners, LLC, a US-based adventure travel company founded by Carcelen in 2003. As a part of the Inca Runners Ambassadors Program, Inca Runners LLC is inviting a number of world-class athletes to visit Peru.

Carcelen learned of the Chasquis first time he went to the Andes, Livingingperu.com reports.

"They were endurance messenger runners from the Inca Empire, they had the role of posting and delivering goods to the Inca royalty running on the Inca Trail system," he said.

"I got inspired by the ideal of these old Peruvians and the fact the the Inca Trail system is still there, to offer all inclusive running tours on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I ran all those trails several times, they are amazing, best altitude training while visiting the main tourist attractions."

The Inca Runners expedition says its trips have two goals. First, to promote Peru as an attractive high-altitude training destination for endurance athletes who want to improve their overall fitness goals and second to deliver donation care package and interact with kids in the villages along the route.

“Our Ambassador Program has scheduled three more trips to Peru in 2011 and ten trips for the 2012 season. All the trips are lead by Olympians and elite, world-class athletes”, says Hugo Mendez, Inca Runners CEO.





QUETZAL EXPEDITION ROUTE MEMBERS VISITED LA LIBERTAD

ANDINA. Members of the Quetzal Expedition Route, which will run from the Moche desert to the Amazon forest of Peru, visited the main archaeological complexes and natural attractions in La Libertad.

The Regional Directorate of Culture of La Libertad noted that all 350 students and journalists from Latin America and Europe visited the archaeological complexes of Huaca El Sol and La Luna in Trujillo’s Moche district; and of El Brujo in the province of Ascope, where the Lady of Cao’s female mummy is showcased.

After spending the night at El Silencio beach, in Huanchaco district, the expedition members learned about the sowing process of totora and the elaboration of the traditional reed watercrafts kwon as 'caballitos de totora' used by Peruvian fishermen.

They also moved on to the archaeological complex of Chan Chan where they visited the site-museum and appreciated the ancient walls of the Nik-An Palace.

The Quetzal Expedition Route, designed for young people aged 16-17 years old, aims to forge bonds among Ibero-American Spanish-speaking nations including Brazil and Portugal.


 

PERU EMBASSY, NATGEO CELEBRATE MACHU PICCHU CENTENNIAL IN US

ANDINA. The Peruvian embassy to the United States, in association with the National Geographic Society (NatGeo), will celebrate in Washington DC the 100th anniversary of the scientific discovery of Machu Picchu with screenings, photo exhibitions, conferences and artistic shows.

The program will start on June 27 with the opening of the photographic exhibit “Machu Picchu: A Lost City Uncovered” that features pictures taken by the Hiram Bingham during his expeditions to Cusco between 1911 and 1915.
The free-admission event will run until September 11 at the NatGeo museum.

In addition, the conferences “Cradle of Gold: Hiram Bingham and the Revelation of Machu Picchu” and “Weaving Space and Time: The Inca Ceremonial Calendar” by speakers Christopher Heaney and Tom Zuidema, respectively, will take place at the museum.

Meanwhile, the US Library of Congress will host an exhibition of the main publications of Machu Picchu, starting June 29, as well as two lectures on the historical context of the Incas by Anita Cook, and on the Inca citadel by Margaret MacLean.

Moreover, for four consecutive weeks, NatGeo’s Grosvenor Auditorium will screen documentaries and movies from and about Peru where Peruvian filmmakers Sonia Goldenberg and Ernesto Cabellos will introduce their documentaries “Sax Country,” and “Cooking up Dreams,” respectively.

Furthermore, a Peruvian dance festival that includes dance workshops and demonstrations as well as the screenings of Mitchell Teplitsky’s Soy Andina and Gabriela Yepes’ Danzak films will be held at the auditorium.

Machu Picchu exhibit at the National Geographic Society (NatGeo)
museum in Washington DC. (Photo: ANDINA)

PROTECTION OF MACHU PICCHU DURING CENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS IS GUARANTEED

ANDINA. The protection of the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu is guaranteed during the two ceremonies scheduled on the occasion of the 100th anniversary celebration of its scientific discovery, the High Level Commission responsible for the organization of the event said.

The National Service of Protected Natural Areas by the State (Sernanp) made an assessment of the areas to be used for the two ceremonies (one during the day and the other at the night), as well as the technical conditions and the entire logistics involved for the celebrations scheduled for July 7.

Media equipments of both TV Peru and of Iguana Films were supervised in order to verify that they would not affect the sanctuary.

The first evaluation has been positive as it was verified that the High Level Commission has followed the recommendations made by Sernanp and Cusco’s Regional Directorate of Culture.

For instance, using two different locations for each event in agricultural areas, which will guarantee that celebrations will take place far away from the sanctuary’s sensitive areas and, thus, avoiding doing any damage to the monument.