Machu Pitccu Peru- The Story Behind this Ancient Culture

Many people in the world have heard of Peru. When taken into consideration it should be noted that Peru has quite the interesting history of culture. There is no doubt hat Peru has a very deep an interesting heritage and culture. Take a look at the following movie that demonstrates the beauty of Peru

Among many cultural sites, one such culture is known as Machu Picchu. It is located in the Cusco region of Peru and is an Inca site from the 15th century. It is known as the "Lost City of the Incas" and is the most popular icon of the Incan civilization. Today it is a fascination among archaeologists and there are still many things that are not known to us. But regardless, here what we do know:

Pachacuti

1) It is believed that Machu Picchu was built was a royal home for Inca emperors and nobles. Others believe that it was once a women's prison arena and even a defense area. It was also looked at as a retreat and home for one single emperor known as Pachacuti.

2) No one ever knew or had a record of Machu Picchu until the year of 1911. An American historian known as Hiram Bingham stumbled upon the city during that year. He believed that he had found the city known as Vilcabamba, the last Incan stronghold, and he gave quite the interesting account of the discovery.

The Temple of the Sun

3) Many excavations of this Incan site have revealed over 50 burial sites and over 100 skeleton remains. It was initially thought that the majority of the remains were female. This would indicate that Machu Picchu would have been matriarchal society. However this has been discredited since recent research shows that the ratio of males and females

4) Places in Machu Picchu such as The Three Windows, The Sacred Square, The Temple of the Sun, and The Intihuatana were all places used for rituals. These rituals would reveal impressive knowledge of the Incas in regards to physics and cosmology.

5) The Incas in Machu Picchu used an interesting technique to build the city structures. They would cut up the stones used for building with the best precision. Therefore the stones would not perfectly and no mortar was needed to bind them. As a result many of the city structures were highly resistant to events such as earthquakes. This method of building has also led researchers to speculate about extraterrestrial help given to the Incas since there was no modern technology back then. In one way or another they built a city whose ruins still stand today.

6) It is said that the people of the city were self-sustaining. Since the city was built high in the mountains it would be difficult for travelers to get to it. Farming terraces in the city area have also been known to add more speculation to this idea.

Since there is so much interest in Machu Picchu and the history of it is still a mystery it has been named as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It was given this honor in July of 2007.

So come on down to Machu Picchu and go back to the ancient times of Peru.

Related post: Chan Chan - Peru's Greatest Adobe City

  
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10 Great Waterfalls in Central and South America. Don't Miss It!

Central America is a vast region filled with beautiful waterfalls. It is not easy to come up with a list of the top 10 waterfalls because this is subjective to personal experience.

Having said that, listed below is a list of some of the breath taking waterfalls.

1. Chorro El Macho

This is arguably the most famous waterfall in the area of El Valle Panama. It is located just a few kilometers north of El Valle near the canopy tour entrance. It is 85 meters high and having a large swimming pool made of rocks below the falls where you can take a refreshing bath. It is best visited during the summer since you can take excellent photographs.

2. Casacada San Ramon-Nicaragua

It's a 40 meter waterfall and offers the most classic hike. You can reach it by taking the morning bus from Moyogalpa or Altagracia and then alight at the ecological station. You then take a 4 hour trek following a clear marked trail to the mossy. The public transportation buses return to San Ramon in the afternoon.

3. Catarata de Chinata

This is a towering 580m waterfall found south of Pedro Ruiz in Northern Peru. It has a flash flood which changes the width of the fall in less than one minute. It is best visited during clear weather where you can appreciate its beauty.

4. Cascada Los Tercios

It is a relatively small waterfall but formation of the rocks is interesting to watch. It is situated in Suchitoto, El Salvador and to visit it, you go south on the road in front of Iglesia Santa Lucia some 1.5 km Down the road.

5. Angel falls

Angel falls

This is the tallest waterfall in the world. It has a total drop of 979m and some 807m uninterrupted fall. It is located deep in the Venezuelan rainforest and the waters originating from the Tepuy Mountain. The waters originate from the soggy clouds of the mountain top making it very memorable.

6. Centro Turistico Pulhapanzak

This is an amazing 43 m waterfall on the Rio Amapa in Honduras. It is surrounded by a well kept park. It is very easy to reach there and once there, the guides will tour you around. It is a popular swimming spot and it costs very little because there are no fees charged but you have to tip the guides 40-60 dollars.

7.Chorro de Las Mozas

This is the most accessible of the many waterfalls around the El VALLE Panama. It is also known as the Young women Falls. It is a very popular spot for swimming since it has the near perfect spring weather all year round.

Iguassu falls

8. Iguassu falls

It has a brink distance of about 2 km and an average flow of 1000 cubic meters of water per second. It falls among the best waterfalls in Central America and also the world. It consists of 275 separate waterfalls and cascades. It offers an intimate view of the surrounding rainforest.

9. La Catarata Del la Fortuna

This is a sparkling clear water ribbon of 70m that pours a canyon of dark volcanic rocks. It is located in La Fortuna and around in Costa Rica. It is about 4km from the turnoff on the road to San Ramon. You can also choose to walk and enjoy the spectacular view of the Cerro Chato through the farms and the many hotels along the road.

10. Centro Turictico Catarats Nauyaca.

It is located in Costa Rica in Quepos TO Dominical. It is owned and operated by a Costa Rican family and is home to a number of wonderful waterfalls protected by a primary and secondary forest. Since it is privately owned there are no vehicles going there but you can hire a horse. Having noticed the family in advance, a tour guide can be arranged, accommodation with the family and a guided ride.

As mentioned earlier, Central America is a very large region and you cannot possibly say these are the top most waterfalls in the region. It is highly recommended that you visit the place and experience it for yourself.

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Chan Chan - Peru's Greatest Adobe City

Chan Chan which is located in Peru, near Trujillo (header image), and has been declared as the largest Pre Colombian city. To be precise it is located in the region of La Libertad in Peru. The excavating of the city was lead by archaeologists Carol Mackey and Michael E. Moseley under the Harvard University Moche Valley/Chan Chan Project. The city is well known for its archaeology

and culture.

Talking about the architecture of the city there are ten walled citadels that has got temples, residences, ceremonial rooms and various types of reservoirs. If you see the city from the top it will resemble a triangle surrounded by walls that are almost 50 to 60 feet tall. The walls are designed beautifully with intricate designs carved on the surface and the walls are covered with adobe bricks. The designs on the walls have different patterns such as small mammals, fish and birds. A labyrinth of passages results due to the several walls constructed throughout the city.

The City of Chan Chan

The agricultural practice that was followed in the city of Chan Chan is quite interesting. The food plants that were mainly cultivated here were squash, gourds, cotton. The cultivable land consisted mainly of the river flood plain. 

Initially, when this city was formed people used to depend on wells, which were almost 15 meters deep, to obtain water for agricultural and other purposes. However, when people permanently started settling in the city of Chan Chan they required more agricultural land for cultivating of food crops. As results of this, canals were dug to distribute water from the river Moche to different parts of the city. In this city there were water reserves that were known as hauchaques.

Food habits in Chan Chan were a little different. Their main source of food was marine wildlife. This was mainly due to the fact that this city was located very close to the sea. The people consumed sea lion, shallow water fishes, mullet, shore birds, rays, sharks and purple mussel.

There are no significant accounts in the form of written record or painting to show the religious activity that was followed in this city. It is amazing to note that this city was not used as a religious center. The people of this city also had the habit of traveling to nearby pilgrimage centers like the great cities of Pacatnamu and Pachacamac. 

Chan Chan can under the Kingdom of Chimor and these people recognized four governmental principles. The four principles were, divine kingship, split inheritance, the people's

property as divine right and last but not the least military expansionism. These four criteria not only dictated the ruler ship but also helped to split the various levels of the government.

Kingdom of Chimor

Data show that the city Chan Chan had trade relations with neighboring areas. The people of this city certainly traded with Chincha people. Spondylus, pendants, beads found in graves of the people of this city show that they also traded with people living in Equador. 

The burial patterns followed in Chan Chan ranged from elaborate to simple burials. In this site there are a large number of sub- floor burials and intact burial mounds are also different from other places. The burial patters clearly stated the difference in class. The powerful and rich were buried near the palaces in the center area of the city.

It is no wonder that the city Chan Chan has been added in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1986 because this city has witnessed history. It was constructed in 850 AD and lasted till 1470.

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The Story Of Chan Chan In Peru

Around six hundred years ago, Chan Chan, a city in the northern part of Peru, was the biggest American city. There were thousands of structures. Some walls go up to 30 ft. The city was like a maze. There were lots of temples and palaces, all extremely long and adorned with art. Indeed, Chan Chan was wealthy. There was one thing it lacked though, and that's water. Nowadays, however, Chan Chan is experiencing the opposite! Such heavy rains visit it often, and it's no longer a secret that these rains are really threatening the city.

Chan Chan In Peru

Chan Chan is very close to the Pacific coast. It used to be Chimu's capital, and that civilization existed from 850 AD up to the year 1470. During that time, a very strong empire was leading South Ecuador up to Central Peru. In the 15th century, Chan Chan's population reached 60,000, and that population was mostly comprised of workers of the monarch. There were also higher classes, and these ones were made of mostly the professionals and priests. This civilization believed that not all men are equal. Their mythology says that the world was initially three eggs: gold eggs represented the elite, silver eggs represented their wives, and everyone else was copper.

The city stood in a very unfortunate part of the desert. Rainfall in that area was less than 1/10 inch a year. However, there was a sophisticated system used in the wells and canals that made sure that the gardens and fields remained healthy. In the year 1000, the water table dropped, but the rulers of Chimu were smart enough to overcome this through diverting water from the river of Chicama.

The civilization of Chimu is considered the first real society that's very much inclined to engineering. The methods used in the civilization were not known to North America and Europe when they were being used in Chimu. However, the civilization had no form of language that can be used in measuring and blueprints drafting. 

Chimu

The unpredictability of the supply of water in Chimu was quite a problem, but the sea surrounding it was always a good solution. There exists the Humboldt Current that makes sure that the water reaching Chimu is very rich in nutrients. Thus, there were lots of sea creatures that were very much edible. Indeed, food wasn't a problem.

In the year 1470, however, the heydays of Chan Chan drew to an end. The Inca overpowered the city, and the Chimu Empire broke down. Most of the skilled were brought to Cuzco, the capital of the Incas. When the Spanish conquerors set foot on Chan Chan, it was completely abandoned. There was still so much treasure left, though. The Spaniards decided to take advantage of this, and to mine in the city.

Chan Chan, little by little, deteriorated. Weather is not its ally. The El Niño storms constantly visited it, and that wasn't at all good. Up to this day, Chan Chan is still visited by harsh rainfall. The city is dissolving from precious bricks to mud. Some say that it may be wise to put a roof all over the city, but other experts debate that this is impractical.

While Chan Chan may be on its way to disappearance, the culture and habits the Chimu civilization had will forever be treasured.

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