Perú
Slide 1:
Peru, where many Incan and pre-Incan sites have been recovered and preserved, is one of the world’s
greatest testimonies to past civilizations and a virtual playground for archeologists. The lands of Peru
were once the center of the largest indigenous civilization of the Americas, the sun-worshiping Incas.
Peru continues to be a land of awe and wonder with tales of treasures, mysterious places, and a rich
cultural heritage. Much of the indigenous past and culture are shared with its neighbors Ecuador,
Bolivia, and Chile, a culture that continues to impact present-day Peru as nearly 50% of the population is
indigenous. For many Peruvians, Quechua, a language descended from Incans, is their first, and
sometimes only, language. Another prevalent indigenous language is Aymara.
1. Lima’s Plaza de Armas, established in 1535, is the historic center of this colonial city. The
colonial Spaniards erected their political and religious buildings around this square: el Palacio
Nacional, la Catedral, and la Municipalidad de Lima. A bronze fountain, presented in 1651, sits
in the center of the square.
2. At 7000 feet above sea level, Machu Picchu was hidden from modern civilization among the
Andean peaks for hundreds of years. Archeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built to house
high priests and chosen women.
3. Arequipa is a colonial town at the foot of the Misti volcano in southern Peru. Misti, an active
volcano, is one of the world’s least difficult high summits to climb.
4. The Sacred Valley of the Incas, between Pisaq and Ollantaytambo, had the ideal climate and soil
for establishing settlements. The long narrow valley includes several sites of Incan ruins, such as
Sacsayhuaman, Pisaq, and Moray, colonial towns, and salt flats.
5. The Incans and pre-Incan cultures used, with very few exceptions, every form of weaving known
today. Even 2000 years ago, their textiles were as intricate and high-quality as modern textiles.
The Andean civilizations wove because they needed warm clothing to protect themselves from
the harsh mountain climate. Unlike Native Americans from other areas, they had access to wool
from llama, alpaca, guanaco, and vicuña. They also grew cotton along the western coast. Today,
descendents of the Incan and pre-Incan cultures (Quechua and Aymara) continue to weave and
sell their shawls, handbags, and other products in local markets or to exporters.
Credits handbags: © Brand X Pictures/PunchStock; Machu Picchu: © Brand X Pictures/PunchStock; Plaza
de Armas: © Brand X Pictures/PunchStock; Arequipa: © Digital Vision/PunchStock; Sacred Valley of the
Incas: © Glen Allison/Getty Images
Slide 2:
1. When the Spaniards finally launched an aggressive invasion on the Inca’s final stronghold in
Vilcabomba to wipe out the last of the Incan dynasty, both the Incas and the Spaniards were
unaware of the abandoned city, nestled high in the Andes above the Vilcanota river. Almost 440
years later, Yale professor Dr. Hiram Bingham made an expedition to trace Simón Bolvar’s steps.
In Peru he became fascinated with lost cities of the Incas, like Vilcabomba, so he returned two
years later with a seven-man expedition to find lost Incan them. During this mission, he
discovered Machu Picchu, mistakenly thinking it was Vilcabomba. The mistake was corrected
about fifty years later, but the purpose, the history, and the abandonment of Machu Picchu
continues to be a mystery. Most archeologists agree that the 200 buildings perched on what
would have been a sacred place for the Incas were occupied by about 1000 residents, many of
whom were high priests. The city may have been abandoned for reasons as simple and practical
as the water supply running dry. UNESCO inscribed Machu Picchu as a World Heritage Site in
1983.
2. The Nazca lines, sited as a World Heritage Site in 1995 by UNESCO, are biomorphs and
geoglyphs that stretch across the plains of the Nazca dessert in Peru. Compared to other
geoglyphs around the world, the Nazca lines are the most remarkable and mysterious. Covering
roughly 400 square miles of the desert pampas, there are about seventy biomorphs and 900
geoglyphs etched into the sand. Because they are almost impossible to detect from the ground,
the images were not discovered by modern man until 1930, when a pilot who was surveying the
area crossed over the lines. Seen from above, the biomorphs, grouped together in one area of
the plain, include a dog, a spider, a hummingbird, a monkey (pictured here), and a pelican that
stretches for 1000 feet. Archeologists believe these were drawn around 200 B.C. They speculate
that the geoglyphs were created about 500 years later. These enormous straight lines, spirals,
triangles, and trapezoids include a nine-mile straight line. The origin and purpose of the lines
remain a mystery. Other colossal landscape images of Peru are found in the Atacama dessert
(the Giant) and along the Pacific coast (the Candelabra).
Credits Machu Picchu (top panoramic): © Digital Vision/PunchStock; Machu Picchu (left): © Getty
Images; Nazca (both photos): ©Jimmy Dorantes/LatinFocus.com
Slide 3:
1. In 1986, UNESCO inscribed the ruins of Chan Chan as World Heritage Site to protect ancient and
now fragile capital of the Chimu kingdom, the most important pre-Incan establishment in Peru.
The Chimor civilization was descended from the Moche. Their 7.7 square mile capital, built
between 850 and 1470 A.D., was home to anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 inhabitants,
making it the largest pre-Colombian city in the Americas. The complex adobe structures of this
city reflect the rigid social stratification of the Chimor. The eleven walled citadels in the center
of Chan Chan were probably occupied by the aristocracy, and included the living quarters, burial
grounds, storerooms, gardens, and walk-in wells, as well as labyrinth-like passageways.
Archeologists believe that each king would build, live in, and be entombed within his own
citadel. The extensive storerooms were probably used to store the valuable manufactured
goods that were made and traded by the Chimu artisans. The lower classes, who were probably
not allowed within the complex walls of the central citadels, lived in the more modest
surrounding structures. The tall adobe walls of Chan Chan are intricately carved with of realistic
and stylized images in relief, depicting fish, pelicans, and other marine life, as well as tools such
as nets. The marine figures reflect the city’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
2. Sacsayhuaman, which means “satisfied falcon,” is another walled compound that served as a
fortress and ceremonial center for the Incas. Completed around 1508, Sacsayhuaman
represented the head of the puma, an animal that represented Incan dynasty. The belly of the
puma was represented by the main plaza of Cuzco, and the river Tullumayo was the spine. Only
about 20 per cent of the original Sacsayhuaman structures remain, because, until as late as
1930, stones were plundered or moved from the fortress by colonials to build other structures.
Although only the largest stones remain, the uniqueness of this structure is still evident.
Scientists are not sure what methods were used to move the giant boulders, nor how they were
stacked and made to fit so perfectly together. The large boulders, weighing as much as 360 tons
and towering as much 33 feet, were used on the lower levels of the tall wall and make this as a
megalythic structure. Sacsayhuaman is visited each June by thousands to celebrate the annual
Inti Raymi Festival.
Credits Chan Chan (both photos): © Jay Frogel/LatinFocus.com; Sacsayhuaman (middle left): ©
DAJ/Getty Images; Sacsayhuaman (bottom): © Digital Vision/PunchStock
Slide 4:
1. The colonial buildings of Arequipa were built with sillar, a pearly white volcanic stone, giving this
southern city a unique and intriguing architecture. Founded in 1540, Arequipa is the secondlargest city of Peru, and one of the most beautiful. La Plaza de Armas, the city’s hub of social
events, has a central fountain and gardens and is surrounded on three sides by two-story
colonial arcades. La Catedral, originally built in 1656, stretches across the entire length of the
northern side. The Misti volcano, visible from almost anywhere in Arequipa, looms over the city,
and major earthquakes rumbled through the city in 1687, 1868, 1958, 1960, and again in 2001,
one year after its inscription by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In June of 2001, an
earthquake that measured 8.1 on the Richter scale toppled one of the towers of the Cathedral.
2. During colonial times, Lima was one of the most important cities of South America, and often
called la Ciudad de los Reyes. Perched on the Pacific coast and at the foot of the Andes, Lima is
an important port and gateway to the rest of the country. In the center of the colonial area, la
Plaza de Armas, also called Plaza Mayor, is fit for a king with its bronze fountain, old street
lamps, and colonial buildings. La Catedral, a Baroque-style structure modeled after la Catedral
de Sevilla, was built over the foundation of an ancient Incan temple. Also found in la Plaza are
el Palacio de Gobierno, also called la Casa de Pizarro, and la Municipalidad (the town hall). This
is part of the historic center of Lima that was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in
1991.
3. Inscribed by UNESCO in 1983 as a World Heritage Site, Cuzco, which means “navel of the earth,”
was the capital of the Incan empire and is the oldest continuously inhabited city of South
America. After defeating the Incas, the Spaniards preserved the basic layout of the city, but built
their own Baroque-style administrative and religious structures over the Incan ruins, including
the original town square. The Incas called their ancient plaza Haukaypata, which means “warrior
square,” and believed it was the exact center of their empire. The current Plaza de Armas,
although not as large as the original square, is a spacious town center, surrounded by a
cathedral, churches, shops, and archways. La Catedral (on the left in the photo) was built over
the foundation of the Incan Viracocha palace and is currently flanked on either side by churches:
la Iglesia Jesús María and la Iglesia El Triunfo. The large building on the right is yet another
church, la Iglesia la Compañía, one of Cuzco’s most ornate churches.
Credits Arequipa: © Digital Vision/PunchStock; Lima: © Brand X Pictures/PunchStock; Cuzco: © Digital
Vision/PunchStock
Slide 5:
1. Although the city has preserved its colonial, historical center, Lima is a modern, chaotic city,
with some sprawl and many modern amenities. Miraflores is the most upscale and modern
district of Lima. Limeños and tourists alike enjoy visiting el Centro Comercial Larcomar in
Miraflores. Offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and beaches during the day and a
wide selection of restaurants, bars, and dance clubs for a vibrant nightlife, this is one of the
most fashionable shopping centers in Latin America.
2. Just up the coast from el Centro Comercial Larcomar, sits el Parque Salazar, also overlooking
the Pacific Ocean. The park once marked a western limit of the city, but was modernized about
twenty years ago. The park now includes an outdoor auditorium that attracts hundreds of
people for classical and pop concerts.
3. In the indigenous rural indigenous communities, many residents continue to wear traditional
clothing. Traditional clothing can also be seen in urban areas, especially during festivals and
among Quechua and Aymara residents. These Quechua girls with their llamas probably live in
the outskirts of Cuzco.
4. Every January, limeños celebrate the foundation of their city. This is a summer festival,
complete with parades that always include traditional costumes and folkloric music and dance.
The participants in this parade are playing the zampoña, an Andean panflute.
Credits Larcomar: © Jimmy Dorantes/LatinFocus.com; Quechua girls: © Jimmy
Dorantes/LatinFocus.com; Parque Salazar: Jimmy Dorantes/LatinFocus.com; parade: ©Jon
Bursnall/LatinFocus.com
Repasemos:
1. Which indigenous group once occupied most of Perú?
2. What is the name of the famous ancient city in the Andes Mountains that was discovered by Dr.
Hiram Bingham?
3. What is the capital of Peru?
4. What is the unique desert feature called that can only be seen from the sky?