Edwin tour guide Peru

▪︎ Choquequirao - The Last Inca Refuge

It is considered the city "Twin Sister of Machu Picchu", its name in Quechua means Cradle of Gold, located in Cusco, they are archaeological remains made up of buildings and terraces distributed at different levels on a platform of approximately 150 square meters.

Currently the only possible way to reach the citadel of Choquequirao is by land. The best known route is taking the highway towards Abancay and at km. 154 you have to choose the detour that leads to the town of Cachora, from there you have to make an uphill walk of about 30 km, which lasts two days.

Choquequirao was a religious and cultural center of the region and it is presumed that the citadel was used as a link and checkpoint to control the accesses of the Jungle to the headquarters of the Empire, Cusco.
It is considered one of the last refuges of the Incas, who had to leave Cusco around 1535 when being besieged by the Spanish, it was here and in the Vilcabamba valley where the onslaught of the Spanish was resisted until the capture and ex*****on of Tupac Amaru I in 1572.

Choquequirao has numerous Inca buildings. However, currently only 30% of its entire area has been excavated, it is believed to be larger than Machu Picchu.

☑️🇵🇪Inca Funeral Rites.

The Inca culture was characterized by its magical-religious beliefs where death and life were one. The being did not disappear, but a trip to another life took place, to the world of the Huacas (sacred places).

The Incas believed that life continued after death and for this reason they buried their deceased in a fetal position and often inside a vessel that they made themselves. It is because this culture believed in reincarnation. Therefore, they tried to recreate the mother's womb through the vessel in order to prepare the body of the deceased for a new birth.

According to the chronicles of Guamán Poma de Ayala, in Inca times, the preparation of the co**se for mummification consisted of the deceased being dressed in his best clothes, accompanied with products that he liked the most in life, and then using the techniques of embalming and thus mummifying their dead with special looms. Later they buried him in the middle of dances and songs with chicha and coca leaves.

According to the chronicler Bernabé Cobo: On the death of the Indian, his mourners made great cries and ceremonies before they buried him, they celebrated these cries dancing to the beat of drums and singing sad dirges and laments, they gave food and drink to all who came to these mortuaries. , the relatives and friends of the deceased.

Inside the Tombs they also placed gold and silver objects, since the gold for them represented the Sun and the Silver represented the Moon. For this reason their temples were decorated with sheets of silver and gold, they did not know money. They carried out barter (exchange of products). More for the Spanish, gold and silver had a monetary value. Thus, when they found out that inside the tombs they could find gold and silver, they destroyed and looted a large number of tombs.

Sacrifices were made to embalmed bodies and great care was taken in their veneration.

According to the belief of Cieza de León: when an Inca (the ruler, the king) died, the haravicos or poets, selected for their artistic abilities, composed short verses about the history of the Inca and all the relevant events of his reign and throughout the empire. They were good or bad. Thus, when the future Inca and the people were sung, they could know his past.
Although with the arrival of the Spaniards and the extirpation of idolaters, an attempt would have been made to suppress the collective expressions linked to Andean ritual and beliefs, however, this would never have happened, since until now in one way or another it has been preserved many of the funeral ceremonies and rituals.

✨✨THE MEDICINE OF THE INCAS✨✨

source of ancient wisdom.

The history of Peru tells that since ancient times the Inca culture practiced a traditional medicine based on medicinal plants and rituals related to spirituality and energy. This natural and traditional medicine is the gateway to a magical universe, composed not only by a deep knowledge of the healing properties of medicinal plants, but also by converging the philosophies of life and spirituality with a sacred conception of the elements that we provides nature.

This practice was carried out by herbalists, healers or shamans, known as "Kallawaya"; These doctors tried to discover the causes of the diseases and not only to alleviate the symptoms; They were also concerned with analyzing the spiritual, emotional and psychic problems that could affect the discomforts and diseases of the Inca people.
They practiced cleaning the spirit and body of the people, with traditional natural medicine, the use of fresh and dried herbs and flowers, concoctions with the tallow of some animals such as the serpent, prayers, music and dances; These natural treatments that were first attributed to witchcraft, according to the religion of the old world: but, the incredible efficacy of the herbs of the "Inca medicine" made that during the time of the viceroyalty a scientific study of medicinal plants began .
In the Inca civilization, it is worth highlighting the performance of the "surgeons", who performed amazing operations, skull trepanations or craniotomies, to cure some diseases of the brain and nervous system, extracting from their interior tumors that were the cause of the disease or to repair wounds suffered by warriors in combat.
These perforations were covered with sheets of gold, silver or pumpkin bark. These surgeons also treated bone injuries or breaks, dislocations. They used coca, intoxicating drinks or drugs that made them sleepy as anesthetics, so that they would feel less pain.
They also came to cross to cure various ailments, as well as purges for the expulsion of parasites and other diseases.
It is known that the medicine of the Incas was more advanced than medicine in Europe during that time, however, with the passing of the years, the names coca, ayahuasca, yopo, chacruna, etc., were disappearing, because they collided with the economic interests of large pharmaceutical companies.
The surgical instruments of the Incas were quite simple: the Vilcachina was used to perform extirpations and the famous Tumi, was used to open skulls.

The greatest achievement of the time was the use of plant extracts, whose narcotic and stimulating properties were gradually discovered over the centuries. The healing benefits of roots and herbs used in Inca medicine led to the establishment of the first schools for the study of plants in the old continent, such as the coca leaf, which was considered a ritual component in this civilization .————— ————————————————————————–
The medicine of the Incas transcended its time and is still a subject of study today.
—————————————————————————————– What medical treatments did the Incas know? The Incas managed to treat diseases such as respiratory disorders, diseases of the system immune, gastrointestinal, eye problems and various pain; with remedies made from medicinal plants brought from all ends of the empire; the privileged location and the climate like that of Machu Picchu made it possible to cultivate medicinal plants, coming from all parts of the Empire; wild to***co, Coca leaves (sacred leaf of the Incas) or others such as ayahuasca and chacruna, from the empire's jungle; which are used until today, to enter altered states of consciousness; but they also used hypnosis and anesthesia made from coca leaves, natural liqueurs and other herbs.

Amazingly, they were able to carry out everything from blood transfusions and minor amputations to complicated brain surgeries. They healed the wounds using the boiled bark of the pepper tree, placing plasters on them, while it was still hot; to close the open wounds they used the jaws of some species of ants (natural suture of insects).
There are indications that only the Incas performed successful blood transfusions at that time, the reason is that in the majority of native inhabitants of South America their blood type is O and therefore they could donate blood without inconvenience, unlike other cultures that used even animal blood to perform this type of treatment. (Source) The Incas also used ophthalmic bleeding for the treatment of headaches, making wounds to the eyebrow with a knife. To cure other ills, they opened the vein closest to the affected place. (Source) Cranial trepanation This complicated brain operation has been carried out since 1,000 BC. for the pre-Inca culture, Paracas; It was a high risk operation, which was perfected by the Incas around 1,400, achieving the survival of up to 90% of the people operated on; Today there are similar procedures to relieve pressure on the brain. There is a record of people who were operated on more than once; one individual is known to have been operated on up to seven times. The people undergoing this operation were men who suffered injuries in combat or to cure epilepsy or even chronic infections in the skull.

Who practiced medicine in the Inca Empire? The Inca priests were also doctors; they healed with herbs, minerals, and energy invocations; in some cases, the healing ceremonies included many members of the community singing and dancing for hours or even days to heal their sick.
There were several types of doctors:

1- The Watuk: was in charge of diagnosing the disease and examining the patient's lifestyle.

2- The Hanpiq: A kind of Shaman who healed patients using herbs and minerals in religious and mystical ceremonies.

3- El Paqo: cured the soul; the Incas believed that the heart housed the soul.

4- The Sankoyoq: Surgeon priest, he took care of broken limbs, abscesses and teeth.

5- El Hampi Kamayoq: He was the chemist of the Inca state and in charge of the care of medical resources.

6- The Kallawaya: he supplied medicinal plants, amulets and talismans.


How was medicine practiced in the time of the Incas?
The doctors of the Inca empire acquired their knowledge through rigorous training by their parents and grandparents, since these were supported by certified learning in ancient wisdom, which was a privilege destined to the people who obtained it by inheritance. But that was not all, the children of the doctors learned about the properties of herbs and minerals and how to recognize and treat diseases, in the School of Medicine located in the capital of the Empire, Cusco. It took several years for a student to be considered a doctor. The most skilled were sent with the armies or to the main cities of the empire, such as Machu Picchu, to treat the nobles.
The medicine of the Incas nowadays From time ago to the present day, the inhabitants of the Peruvian territory have cured their illnesses and ailments through this traditional medicine. Inca medicine, although little spread - for obvious reasons - is still practiced, and with increasing force in places like Pisac or Ollantaytambo .———————————————————— ————————–
Currently, people from all over the world come to towns such as Pisac or Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, to learn about and enjoy the medicine of the Incas.
—————————————————————————————– The medicinal plants of the Incas Inca medicine had its origins in medicinal plants, with remedies generally prepared herbal with specific healing properties. There are innumerable medicinal herbs in this territory, in the three natural regions of Peru, with a higher percentage in the jungle, followed by the highlands and coast.

One of the medicinal plants of great importance was the coca leaf, which apart from having curative properties, was used for ceremonial rituals. Likewise, each medicinal plant was classified according to the healing properties they had and their preparation for later application.
Here are some of them:
They developed a powerful anesthetic made from coca leaves, sleeping plants and natural liqueurs.

- MACA: aphrodisiac, anabolic, revitalizing, restorative, antidepressant, sedative and fertility enhancer.

- CAT'S CLAW: at present the leaves, bark and root are used as anticancer, to reduce the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, against arthritis, venereal diseases, antiviral, snake bite, measles, anti-inflammatory and diuretic.

- NETTLE: diuretic, cauterizing and anti-anemic due to the presence of minerals, these minerals are concentrated in the hairs of the plant, therefore its irritating action on the skin is due when it is applied on the body

CHANKA PIEDRA: to make infusions against fever, liver and kidney ailments.
- Grade blood: the bark, leaves and latex are used as disinfectant, healing for traumatisms, skin wounds, bleeding, gastric ulcers, etc.

HERCAMPURI: it is used as a purgative, antidiabetic, diuretic and anti-infective; regulator of metabolism and to reduce obesity.

- QUINOA: it is a nutritious food, as well as a medicinal plant, it has diuretic, expectorant and refreshing properties. The seed of this herb with milk increases the milk of the calves.

- PAICO: aromatic herb used as anti diarrhea, anti-inflammatory, digestive, carminative, etc.

- ACHIOTE: it is used in cases of prostatic inflammation, urinary infections, in different conditions to the urogenital system and as a regulator of kidney function.
Among many others.
Data
* We must take into account that in Peru there is a flora represented by more than 25,000 varieties of plants, of which about 1,400 have medicinal properties, which have become one of the main inputs of the world pharmacological industry, being the basis for the manufacture of medicines.
* In many places in our America that were part of the so-called Inca Empire, there is still the figure of the shaman or healer, who continues to use the treatments inherited from pre-Hispanic times, based on herbs and other products that constitute the so-called folk or traditional medicine .

CHICHERIAS AND PICANTERIAS OF Cusco✨

🔊⭕On November 4, 2015, the Ministry of Culture through vice-ministerial resolution number 157 declared the nation's cultural heritage to the picanterías and chicherías of the city of Cusco and other provinces of Peru such as Arequipa, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Piura and Tumbes; because they are social spaces whose nature is the preparation and sale of traditional foods and La Chicha de wiñapu in the case of Cusco. Places that remain current through the transmission of traditional culinary knowledge.

⭕🔴It is important to know that since Inca times there were public places where food was offered and consumed, these places were located along the roads, between towns, where they were supplied with various food products for the offer of barter between inhabitants of different areas. Over the years and after the arrival of the Spanish, these places would become chicherías and later picanterías.
Chicherías not only existed in the city of Cusco, but throughout Peru. In Cusco, Chicherías were institutionalized in colonial times, and having the office of 'chichera' (a woman who dispenses the drink of chicha) was very important for this society. Later on, the picanterías emerged that were also very important for the consolidation of indigenous thought in Cusco.
They were characterized by being places of meeting and gathering, of compadres, artisans, and businessmen who visited these popular spaces.
About chicha we have to know that it is one of the oldest and most beloved beverages in Peru, which is not only for drinking but is also used in Peruvian gastronomy, a drink derived mainly from the undistilled fermentation of corn and other cereals originating in America. Its production and consumption extended from times of the Inca empire.
It is obvious to say that chichería comes from the word “Chicha”, which is the traditional ancestral drink of Peru. The term chichería was used by the Spanish colonizers to refer to all drinks that were not wine. The picanterías receive their name from the spicy food that they served as a companion to the chicha, however, nowadays typical dishes that do not necessarily have spicy are sold, with the passage of time the picanterías were modifying their dishes to satisfy a public wider.
The spaces that the chicherías and picanterías offer were inspiration for many Peruvian artists. In some picanterías we can find entertainment games such as "El Sapo" to liven up your space. To recognize that chicha is sold in a place, a kind of flag made of a reed stick with a bundle of rue is placed at the front door, wrapped in red plastic. Today we can still find picanterías and / or chicherías in some traditional neighborhoods of the city of Cusco. The picanterías are run by women with high entrepreneurial skills. Some popular names for picanterías are: "La chujcha", "La Lunareja", "La Chola", "El Gallo", "La Resbalosa", among others.
The picanterías and / or chicherías Cusco until today are generally houses that set up a space for the sale and consumption of food and chicha.
On Comadres day it is appropriate to visit one of these picanterías or chicherías.

Uraymanta huichamanta
quechua words

INKA ULLU OR INKA UYO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Known as a temple of fertility due to the shape of its monoliths, it is located in the Chucuito district in the Puno region.

This construction, of origin long before the Incas, rises very close to the main church of Chucuito, built by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century, a certain unusual circumstance because inside about 90 monoliths in the shape of a phallus still challenge the public modesty. It is a temple where fertility is present even at the door of the enclosure, which is flanked by two small phalluses. In what we could call "the nave" of this temple, dozens of these stones extend in all directions. Long-standing, the locals, amidst mockery and superstition, have called this place "Inca Ullu" or "Inca Uyo", which in the Aymara language has the revealing meaning of "virile member of the Inca", although it is very likely that no Inca ever entered to sit there, that we know ...

To visit its interior is to meet the ancient magic of ancient Peru. The phalluses run through the strange "nave" and with their small size, like dwarfs, they seem to surround and adore their "older brother", an immense sculpture over a meter high that stands out in the center of the room.

Beyond any erotic, vulgar or modest consideration, the researchers presume that this building was a sacred place dedicated to fertility, in which nature is thanked for the miracle of human reproduction.

There is no shortage of people who also attribute to this temple a form of adoration to Pachamama (Mother Earth), where he was worshiped and asked to allow him to prolong life with his fruits. And it was not for less, since in this region, the Collao plateau, an immense bare plain, crossed by stationary rivers and icy winds, where droughts and frosts are frequent that spoil the crops.

Although the "erotic" connotation of this place seems unquestionable, the hypotheses about its true utility vary.
While some say that it was a sacred site where fertility rites were performed, others want to give it cosmic attributes by stating that, due to the geographical location of Chucuito, it would have been an astronomical center, while, for their part, the inhabitants of this locality have given a more earthly vision of the matter: for them it is an effective remedy against sterility, because, they say, if a sterile woman approaches and touches one of these stones, she will soon become pregnant.

*****EDWIN MEZA ****

The Archaeological Site "El Huarco" also known as "Cerro Azul", is located in the lower part of the Cañete valley, in the jurisdiction of the current district of Cerro Azul, province of Cañete - Lima region; It is one of the settlements associated with the "Longitudinal Camino de la Costa" that integrates the Qhapaq Ñan or great Inca road system. With an approximate extension of 35 hectares, the site partially rises on a rocky promontory that makes up the Cerro Azul bay, in this area it consists of 2 rocks: El Fraile and Centinela hills that form a steep coastline. At the top of these hills you can see the typical Inca buildings of adobes and carved stones (ashlar) from the Late Horizon period (1400 - 1532 AD). Towards the east side is located Cerro Camacho, a large natural mound that presents artificial terraces where probable evidence of domestic activity is observed as a result of the deposition of garbage from the brick buildings. Likewise, there is an area defined as a possible cemetery at the beginning of the slope of said hill. Between Cerro Camacho and Centinela there is a depression where a possible plaza surrounded by 10 mounds of wall is observed, on the other hand, to the south of the settlement we find 4 mounds of brick oriented following the beach line (northwest) that would constitute the evidence of occupation of the local group called Huarco during the Late Intermediate (1000 - 1400 AD).
Frontal view, taken from the sea, of the Inca wall built with ashlar masonry on the cliffs of El Huarco - Cerro Azul.

Choquequirao (possibly from Quechua chuqi metal, k'iraw crib, cot) is an Incan site in southern Peru, similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu. The ruins are buildings and terraces at levels above and below Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top. The hilltop was anciently leveled and ringed with stones to create a 30 by 50 m platform.

☑️☑️Discovery
According to Ethan Todras-Whitehill of the New York Times, Choquequirao's first non-Incan visitor was the explorer Juan Arias Díaz in 1710. The first written site reference in 1768 was made by Cosme Bueno but was ignored at the time.

The Prefect of the Province of Apurimac, J.J. Nuñez, encouraged Hiram Bingham(the person who rediscover machupichu) to visit the 'Cradle of Gold', in order to discover any Incan treasure. Bingham was a delegate to the 1908 First Pan American Scientific Congress and was in Cusco at the time. Bingham decided to visit Choquequirao in 1909 to determine if it was Vilcapampa, the Capital of the last four Incas. He found three groups of buildings, mummified bodies, and places where dynamite had been used in the search of treasure. Visitors who had recorded their names included Count de Sartiges, Jose Maria Tejada and Marcelino Leon, 1834, Jose Benigno Samanez, Juan Manuel Rivas Plata and Mariana Cisneros, 1861, and three Almanzas, Pio Mogrovejo, and their treasure hunting workmen, 1885. However, Bingham decided it was merely a frontier fortress, and tempted him to search further.

⭕Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, on a 2,430-metre (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. It is located in the Machupicchu District within Urubamba Province above the Sacred Valley, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco. The Urubamba River flows past it, cutting through the Cordillera and creating a canyon with a tropical mountain climate.

⭕Machu Picchu is believed to be built starting 1450–1460. Construction appears to date from two great Inca rulers, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438–1471) and Túpac Inca Yupanqui (1472–1493).:There is a consensus among archaeologists that Pachacutec ordered the construction of the royal estate for himself, most likely after a successful military campaign. Though Machu Picchu is considered to be a "royal" estate, surprisingly, it would not have been passed down in the line of succession. Rather it was used for 80 years before being abandoned, seemingly because of the Spanish Conquests in other parts of the Inca empire.