The Valley of the Volcanoes

Between the deepest canyons in the world, Cotahuasi and Colca, in the region of Arequipa, sits an impressive natural site dotted with craters, the Valley of the Volcanoes, 32 volcanoes surrounded by thick lava fields spreading across the landscape with cacti and other native plants.

In the Valley of the Volcanoes, visitors can enjoy exciting adventures on horseback, trekking, mountain bike, rafting, llama trek, SUV 4x4 off-road trips, fishing, and climbing huge rocks. Tourists can also enjoy cultural tours where the locals host visitors, a first-hand experience of the way of life of these Andean communities.

The best time to go is between April and November, the dry season. Among the many natural attractions to visit are the beautiful lakes of Pumajallo, Mamacocha, and Chachas; the petroglyphs of Toro Muerto, as well as archaeological sites from different ancient cultures; the hot springs of Orcopampa and the curiosity of the Kallana Maura volcano, which crater has been fit as a bull fighting arena.

http://www.caretas.com.pe/Main.asp?T=3082&S=&id=12&idE=768&idSTo=0&idA=31822
http://www.geocities.com/athens/3857/toromuer.html

An Inca roadway uncovered in Sacsayhuaman

A neat Inca roadway has been uncovered near the recently discovered temple in the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman; it connects the oratory of Qenco and Sacsayhuaman, where the huge rock walls stand. The archaeologists assume that this road is part of a 10km network of roadways that connect all the “huacas” around the park, which may have been used for different pilgrimages done by the Incas through these sacred sites.

More than 200 meters of the ritual roadway have been unearthed. The road is 6m wide and has borders, which are 70cm high and 60cm wide; its neat floor is well preserved and has a water channel on one side. The research continues in order to identify and expose more parts of this Inca road network that has been covered for centuries.

Bryan Adams shot Machu Picchu

After delighting an audience of thousands in his performance in Lima, Bryan Adams headed to Machu Picchu for a visit long overdue where he practiced his other passion, photography. He spent the day in the archaeological site with his girlfriend and members of his band before flying to Quito, Ecuador, to continue with his Latin American tour.

Incas: Sound and Light

A new cultural attraction in Cusco, “Incas: Sound and Light”, brings the epic history of the Incas back to life in a show where the audience enjoy historic dramatizations, Andean rituals and traditional dances; a performance of light, sound and special effects, featuring top local talents.

“Incas: Sound and Light” is a dazzling 60 minutes show performed at the Qosqo Center of Native Art in the city of Cusco; show times are Wednesday to Saturday at 8:30pm.

Organic quinoa for the world

One of the main food staple of the Incas, quinoa, has been classified by the United Nations as a “super-crop,” since it contains more protein than any other grain, 16.2% compared to the second-highest, wheat, with 14%. Quinoa contains all eight essential amino acids as well as iron, calcium, vitamin E and B, among other healthy nutrients.

Communities in the region of Puno, high in the Altiplano, cultivate organic red quinoa, which is supervised and certified by NIISA Corporation for its export to the world. The community members are excited with the new techniques they had learned from NIISA in order to avoid the use of fertilizers and pest-control products. This may be the beginning of a new era for one of the sacred crops of the Incas, known as “Mother Grain,” which researches in Germany and Austria have concluded that it will be the food of the future.

http://elcomercio.pe/impresa/notas/navidad-sabor-quinua-canihua/20091211/379929
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15749697
http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/25216592/Quinoas-Natural-Comeback
http://www.quinoa.net/

Meteorite of Carancas challenges scientists

The meteorite that crashed in Carancas, Puno, in southeastern Peru, creating a 26-foot wide crater in September 2007, broke the thesis that only metal meteorites reach the ground without disintegrating. According to Peter Schultz, geology professor at the Brown University in Rhode Island, in theory, this rock meteorite should have disintegrated in the atmosphere way before reaching ground; however, it came down in one piece and may have crashed at 24,000 km per hour.

A small object like the Carancas meteorite, with the size of a basketball, usually slows down in the atmosphere and when it reaches ground it makes just a small hole, not a crater. This meteorite came down “at a speed 40 to 50 times faster than it should have been going” (Peter Schultz, 2008).

http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2008/03/carancas-meteorite
http://www.terra.com.pe/noticias/noticias/act1171197/meteorito-puno-destroza-teorias-cientificas.html

An Inca temple discovered in Cusco

Peruvian archaeologists discovered an ancient temple in the area of Sacsayhuaman, nearby the city of Cusco. The temple is a 250 square-meters building, with 11 enclosures in different sizes, which may have been used to keep mommies or idols. According to Washington Camacho, director of the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman, among the discoveries are many architecture structures featuring funeral characteristics as well as Inca ceramics.

A Marriott Hotel will open in Cusco

After the good news regarding the designation of Machu Picchu as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, local and international hotel groups are currently aiming to increase the demand for luxurious tourism, which targets travelers with a spending average of US$500.00 a day. Among these hotel groups, JW Marriott Hotels is currently restoring and converting the Augustine Monastery in its 5-stars hotel in Cusco.