SPECIAL: PERU WITHOUT MACHU PICCHU – Machu Picchu is closed. It will stay that way through all of February at the very least. Do you have your flights booked and are wondering what to do next? Should you cancel or put off your trip to Cuzco?
February 4, 2010 | Travel and Places
Curandero – witch-doctor or medicine-man in English, but the most direct translation is healer. The tradition of the curanderos still runs strong in the Muchik northern coast of La Libertad and Lambayeque, particularly around Chiclayo. The traditions and techniques of theses healers date back to pre-Colombian times and the the civilisations of the Chimú, Sicán and the Moche before them. Archaeologists have recently been given a glimpse into this period of time with the discovery of the 800 year old tomb of a Sicán curandero.
January 23, 2010 | Archaeology, News, Traditions
Does toiling under the hot desert sun heaving bricks up a ladder to rebuild collapsing walls interest you? What if the walls were many hundreds and hundreds of years old and part of the world’s largest adobe city, one of the largest cities of any kind in the ancient world? A city home to the rulers of the Peruvian desert coast, the Chimú imperial heart of Chan Chan. Does a couple of days of hands-on archaeology at one of the world’s most important archaeological sites interest YOU?
January 12, 2010 | Archaeology, History, La Libertad & Trujillo Guide, News
Terrible news for lovers of Peru’s ancient history and archaeology enthusiasts: Peruvian school children viciously attack one of the greatest works of their ancestors.
The group filmed themselves throw rocks, kick and scratch the ancient friezes of the Huaca Arco Iris, also known as the Huaca del Dragón, to later post on You Tube to show off to friends. One, putting on a Spanish accent, films them saying “kick it, kick it, this is how you love your Peru, no?”.
January 9, 2010 | Archaeology, Commentary/Opinion, News
After eight months of careful excavation, archaeologists of the Brüning Museum in Lambayeque have discovered, next to the Huaca Chornancap pyramid, what is thought to be the sacred temple of Naylamp, a supposedly mythical ruler that according to oral legend was the founder of the post-Moche Lambayeque civilisation.
December 5, 2009 | Archaeology, Lambayeque & Chiclayo Guide
Researchers scouring the Lambayeque region for decades in an attempt to discover more about its most ancient past have directed their attention towards the archaeological site of El Chorro, located in the district of Pomalca.
Their efforts were successful.
November 25, 2009 | Archaeology
The discovery of 17 wooden statues at Chan Chan are enough to change our understanding of the Chan Chan urban centre. Embedded in the walls of the later Ñain An complex, also known as Bandelier, the figures are thought to have bid farewell to the deceased leaders.
October 20, 2009 | Archaeology, News
The ancient capital of the Chimor Kingdom, the grand city of Chan Chan, has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. After 500 years of abandonment in the desert outside Trujillo, it has been damaged by 500 yearly rains that have washed away large parts of the walls of the adobe city. Restoration has been under way for years, but with limited resources it is a slow process. The site needs all the help it can get to avoid deteriorating more – that’s where the housewives come in.
September 3, 2009 | Archaeology, News
It almost defies belief that a mining company would summit an application to mine for iron ore in the ruins of the capital of the once powerful Chimu kingdom. The sprawling archaeological zone of Chan Chan is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the largest adobe constructions on earth.
Thankfully, Peru’s geological authority in charge of granting permission (INGEMMET) has no plans to approve this particular application.
June 28, 2009 | Archaeology, News
The Sicán abandoned the old center of their civilisation at Batán Grande and relocated to the current site of Túcume. Built entirely of adobe mud bricks between 1000-1100 AD, the site flourished for nearly a milenia under Sicán, Chimú and Inca rule until the arrival of the Spanish in 1532. Spread over more than 220 hectares, there are 26 enormous pyramids standing in ruins.
January 1, 2008 | Archaeology, Lambayeque & Chiclayo Guide
A myth still lingers in Northern Peru, said to be a myth passed on by by-gone civilisations, particularly associated with the Sicán but also the Chimú. It goes something like this…
December 16, 2007 | Archaeology
One of the most interesting and often-visited Chimú constructions other than the city of Chan Chan is the Huaca Arco Iris, the rainbow pyramid, otherwise known and the dragon pyramid. This Chimú temple gets these names from the decoration the covers all of it walls
December 16, 2007 | Archaeology, La Libertad & Trujillo Guide
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Photos and Text are Copyright © Stuart Starrs 2006-2010 unless explicitly stated in the specific article.
Photos may be used only with permission - High Resolution available.
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