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
In May 2007, US company Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered $500,000,000 of Peruvian gold and silver coins from the sunken colonial ship Nuestra Señora del las Mercedes. Spain immediately claimed the bounty as property of the Spanish crown, as did Peru. The saga begins more than 200 years ago, and is one that is only now coming to an end.
January 15, 2010 | Culture & History, News
As part of a United Nations-backed plan to restore historical architectural gems that have deteriorated into slums, residents of Rimac, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Peru’s capital, Lima, will start registering property titles as of 2010 in an effort to restore the priceless landmarks.
January 1, 2010 | Culture & History, News
On the 10th of December of this year, 185 years passed since Peru won a battle that decisively ended any hope for a Spanish presence in South America. At 3,500 above sea level, on the field of battle of the Pampa de Quinua, thousands gathered to take part in a huge recreation in honour of this occasion.
December 13, 2009 | Ayacucho Guide, Culture & History
San Blas. A blend of ancient, colonial and modern, religious and decadent, peaceful and lively, traditional and new – the district is a bit of a mix to say the least. It’s a hippy hang out, an artists retreat, a backpacker’s home. It’s a tourist puller and a night-life mecca. A religious site that is home to an important parish church, and also a place where locals live in the same homes that have stood here on the same streets, high above Cusco, for centuries.
August 13, 2009 | Cusco Guide
Born José Gabriel Condorcanqui in 1742, he was the great-grandson of the last Inca emperor Túpac Amaru. Like his great-grandfather before him, he was destined to resist the Spanish occupation, and, like his great-grandfather before him, was destined to meet the same fate.
July 29, 2009 | Culture & History, Opinion
![The Andean Sistene Chapel in Andahuaylillas [Featured]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/2982277581_a1f1893c12_m.jpg)
Mark of the must-see travel blog travel-wonders.com visits what locals describe as “the Sistine Chapel of the Americas”. Though he considers that a bit of a cheeky exaggeration, this ordinary-looking church on the outside does not fail to impress once you step inside.
July 27, 2009 | Cusco Guide
The origins of the magnificent ruins of a building that we call Hatunrumiyoc are lost in time. Built with huge polygonal stones, cut and fitted with exceptional precision, it is one of the most impressive structures of ancient Cusco. Its imposing walls hide a number of surprises, from the famous 12-Angle Stone, to shapes of local animals built into the structure itself.
July 13, 2009 | Archaeology, Culture & History, Cusco Guide
Jutting out into the Pacific from the old port city of Callao is La Punta. Despite being attached to the noisy and bustling metropolis that is Lima and Callao, La Punta remains tranquil and pleasant, not unlike a small town in itself. Deeply connected to the sea and sea-faring, this is where private owners of yachts tie-up, where boating clubs reside and where the Peruvian Navy has its naval school. Home to Callao’s middle-class, its streets are attractive and tidy, lined with the mansions of the countries Republican period.
May 25, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide
Starting life as a rocky bay that was the nearest natural port to Pizarro’s capital of Los Reyes, El Callao soon became the most important port in the Spanish colonies. It has witnessed colonial splendour, pirate attacks, disastrous tsunamis, battles, republican splendour and economic collapse. Each of these events have left a mark on the city and the chalacos that live there, many of these marks visible to this day.
May 21, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide
The Fortaleza del Real Felipe is the most prominent landmark in Callao. Built during colonial times, it was used to defend Spain’s most important port in the Americas against pirates and corsairs who would otherwise raid Callao or nearby Lima as they did up and down the Pacific coast. Today it is a tourist attraction and museum run by Peru’s army.
April 24, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide
The Spanish settlers in Spain, upon their deaths, often wanted to be buried beneath the churches they had built on what they considered foreign and certainly un-Christian land. Doing so they thought was the only way of ensuring themselves a place in heaven. The richest or most important Spaniards in Lima were given prime spots – beneath the alter of the city’s grand cathedral. Here, when work on the church’s foundations was being carried out in 1977, a led box was found proclaiming; “Here is the head of Don Francisco Pizarro, Don Francisco Pizarro who discovered Peru and presented it to the crown of Castile.”
January 30, 2009 | Culture & History, Lima City Guide
Camina El Autor - Juancho's Travels in Peru
My Slice of Peru - excellent personal Chiclayo blog
Unpaved South America - Exploring culture, places and people
Rachel in Peru - Commentary on life and events in Peru
An American in Lima - life and times in Lima
Ward Welvaert - life and times in Cusco
Tarapoto Life - Tony Dunnell
What We're Eating - what Peru is all about
All About Peru - snippets of Peru info
View from Peru - Laura in AQP
Peruvian Cuisine - more excellent food
The Ultimate Peru List - moving to Peru? Look no further
Streets of Lima - by Ben Jonjak in Lima
Malarkey en Perú - Alan's stays in the Imperial city of Q'osco, Piura and Cajamarca
Darryl Menges - Exploring Peru, trying to see it all
PeruInside - fotos, entretenimiento, musica, noticias
Bolivia Blog - a blog about Bolivia similar to mine
Brazil Travel Blog - a blog with travel information on Brazil
Travelojos - The Latin America Travel Blog
Karikuy - Honest tour company
IncaRentals - Find a place to rent in Peru
So Much World Peru Hotel Bookings and Travel Guide
Archaeology | Culture & History | Nature | News | Opinion | Peruvian Food | Travel and Places | Amazonas Guide | Ancash & Huaraz Guide | Arequipa Guide | Ayacucho Guide | Beyond Peru | Cajamarca Guide | Cusco Guide | Ica, Pisco, Nazca Guide | Junin & Selva Central Guide | La Libertad & Trujillo Guide | Lambayeque & Chiclayo Guide | Lima City Guide | Lima Region Guide | Loreto & Iquitos Guide | Pasco Guide | Piura Guide | Puno & Titicaca Guide | Tacna & Moquegua Guide | Tumbes Guide
Photos and Text are Copyright © Stuart Starrs 2006-2009 unless otherwise stated
Photos may be used only with my permission - High Resolution available.
