Ancient site discovered in Amazonas

A group of students and teachers discovered what appears to be a pre-Incan citadel in Utcubamba, in the region of Amazonas. The site was found on a mountain called Pachallama at 2,200 meters above sea level. Some of the structures that are not totally covered by the jungle look similar to the archaeological site of Kuelap, located in the same region. A couple of caves were also found with ancient objects made of ceramic.

Kuelap was built around 800 A.D by the Chachapoyas, a fierce people that for years resisted the Incas colonization. Kuelap’s three entrances are narrow alleys between high walls of stones that become narrower as they reach the upper levels. In the citadel are 420 circular stone buildings made with rhombus and zigzag designs around them as well as carved stones with animal and anthropomorphic motifs surrounded by beautiful orchids and bromeliads.

More security in Mancora

Security in the sun destination of Mancora and nearby beaches, in Northern Peru, was improved for the summer season. More police and lifesaver units offered a secure environment to visitors between January and March in 2009.

Christmas in Cusco

For over 70 years, Christmas Eve in Cusco have gathered hundreds of people in the Plaza de Armas, the main square, to enjoy the season while shopping and admiring exquisite Christmas art in the Santuranticuy, “Saints Sale” in Quechua; Santuranticuy is a provisional village market with a fiesta ambience, featuring skilled artisans from many Andean communities that come to show and sale their handicrafts from early in the morning to just before midnight. This traditional village market could soon be declared a National Cultural Heritage in Peru.

http://www.cusco-peru.org/cusco-festivities-cusco-december.shtml
http://www.andina.com.pe/Ingles/Noticia.aspx?id=Hw2LpAIX3Cg=

Barack Obama featured in a Nativity Scene of Chincha

On the 2008 Christmas Season, artisans in Chincha, Ica, built a Nativity Scene depicting Afro Peruvian characters made of fine ceramics from Ayacucho that included the then elected president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, as a guest. The image of the president was added to their work as a testimony of the current times, which bring changes and hope in Peru and the world.

Underground passage discovered in Chavín de Huántar

A subterranean passage was recently discovered beneath a circular plaza in the archaeological site of Chavín de Huántar. A small cavity on the side of the plaza leads to the passage, which has a stone staircase that ends two meters down into the tunnel. The passage connects with the Mosna River and is 400 meters long.

According to the American archaeologist John Rick, this place may have been used for offerings. Among the archaeological objects found in the passage are pieces of ceremonial ceramics, animal and human remains as well as some metal items.

Cahuachi secrets revealed from space

Italian scientists discovered, with the help of satellite infrared images, a structure that looks like a pyramid buried in the archaeological site of Cahuachi, Nasca, in the region of Ica. The structure appears to be halve-built and has at least four terraces with rising levels.

Since 1982, the Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Orefici and his team members have been excavating in Cahuachi, 28 kilometers from Nasca, where they have found a walled building complex with four groups of large constructions. Among the buildings that stand out are the Great Pyramid, the Great Temple and the Stepped Temple. In 1998, a deposit with 200 textiles was discovered, some depicting unknown myths. These are ceremonial garments for children and adults.

Cahuachi is the largest mud ceremonial center in the world, covering an area of 24 square kilometers. It was an important center for the Nasca culture, BC 400 to AD 400, and it was mostly used to make agricultural offerings. The Nasca Culture is known worldwide because of its lines and gigantic figures drawn in the desert.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/10/03/peru-cahuachi.html
http://www.caretas.com.pe/2003/1758/articulos/cahuachi.phtml
http://www.rpp.com.pe/

A year of a thousand discoveries in Sacsayhuaman

The research and excavations done in the area called “Cruz Mocco” at the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman in Cusco have yield 19,309 objects this year so far. Recently, Peruvian archaeologists found the remains of an Inca personality who was buried in 1532 with several ceremonial objects including a couple of small gold sculptures in a tomb 40 centimeters deep.

Cruising Peru

Thousands of cruise passengers will visit Peru from December to April, sailing on cruise lines that now stop at two Peruvian ports, Callao and Pisco, offering visitors a few days to enjoy the main tourist destinations of the country such as Lima’s Historical Center, the Nasca Lines, Cusco and Machu Picchu. Among the ships that will arrive to Peru are Star Princess, Tahitian Princess, Royal Princess, Queen Mary 2, and Carnival Splendor.