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AI APAEC, The Beheader
// May 17th, 2013 // No Comments » // Legends Peru
When you travel to Peru, you will hear the story about Ai Apaec or Aia Paec, the terrible god of the Mochicas (200-800 AC), who thirsty for blood, demanded human sacrifices. The Cie-quich and the Alaec offered to him young warriors at the beautiful temples known as the Huaca de la Luna (Moon Temple), Huaca El Brujo (The Witch Temple), Huaca Pañanmarca and Huaca Rajada.
The most famous image of this Mochica god was discovered in 1990 by the Peruvian archeologist, Daniel Morales, at Huaca de la Luna in Trujillo – Peru. On this image you can see that it has human like features, a feline mouth, and waves surrounding its head.
Ai Apaec was represented in various forms, changing with time and space and the handicrafts in which it was represented.
In metal it was represented as a spider, with eight legs and a human-like face with jaguar fangs.
In ceramics it resembles a human figure even more, usually depicting a head on its hand and in some occasions a couple of snakes emerge from its head.
In sculptures it can be seen holding a staff in human form and a severe expression on its face and always showing its feline fangs.
It was adored as the creator god and protector of the Moche world, the provider of water, food and every triumph in warfare.
You can witness all of these amazing representations of Ai Apaec at the different museums and huacas in Trujillo and all over the northern coast when you travel to Peru.
If you would like more information on our tours click here or ask your travel specialist
Tags: legends peru, peru travel, travel peru
The Enchanted Lagoon
// March 12th, 2013 // Comments Off // Legends Peru
Somewhere in Cañete there is a small lagoon with warm waters that no one can take a dip in, because a strange animal emerges from the middle of it and starts swirling around, foaming and then, from afar, you can hear a war drums.
This lagoon is surrounded by mountains and can be found, most of times, by chance. According to the legend, the water changes colors and many of the shepherds that have found it have not been able to see it again, because one they reached the place it had disappeared.
This is only one of the many tales you will hear when you travel to Peru, a land filled with myths and legends waiting to be discovered.
Source: Peruvian Myths, Legends and Tales (Jose Maria Arguedas)
If you would like more information on our tours click here or ask your travel specialist
Tags: peru travel
The Enchanted Mountain
// March 2nd, 2013 // Comments Off // Legends Peru
On a small town in Cañete, Peru, called Boca del Rio, there’s a mountain bathed by the ocean and in it, it is said by the local townspeople, that there is an enchanted princess that lives chained and that on full moon nights, when fishermen take out their boats can clearly hear her bells ring.
Many old townspeople said to be sure of seeing the princess, that she is mighty beautiful and she is fully adorned with jewels, and that underneath the mountain there is hidden, a beautiful castle.
Source: Peruvian Myths, Legends and Tales (Jose Maria Arguedas)
 If you would like more information on our tours click here or ask your travel specialist.
Tags: legends peru
Tombs and Heroes
// February 22nd, 2013 // Comments Off // Legends Peru
Two of the most emblematic museums in Lambayeque, Peru own their birth to the same number of tombs, and they were discovered twenty years apart in the guts on the Moche pyramids of Huaca Rajada in Sipan.
We are talking about the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum and the brand new Huaca Rajada Site Museum, on the Sipan town.
The first tomb shed light on the now famous Lord of Sipan. The finding of his funeral offerings was in 1987 and was compared by the prestigious National Geographic Society with the discovery of Tutankamon’s tomb, and signified the birth of the now blooming nor-oriental circuit of Peru.
The second tomb was discovered twenty years later in 2007, and surprised archeologists because the character that deserved this funerary honor was none other than the so called Owl Man, an enigmatic character that help put together the puzzled that the sophisticated Moche iconography presented.
The first tomb of the Lord of Sipan is the crown jewel of the astounding Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum located in the city of Lambayeque; this is one of the very few museums in the world designed like such and one of the most modern in America. Its design resembles the huaca or funerary Moche pyramid and it had even followed the pattern of the actual entryways: visitors enter the museum after climbing up a ramp similar to the ones found in the huacas, to continue ascending to the different enclosures in the museums. On its different galleries are exhibited not only the Lord of Sipan, but also the fine pieces found in twelve other tombs successively discovered in Huaca Rajada, among which the Old Lord of Sipan and the Priest stand out; without a doubt a place you cannot afford to miss when visiting Peru.
Source: Sumaq magazine
If you would like more information on our tours click here or ask your travel specialist.
Tags: legends peru
The discovery of Machu Picchu
// February 4th, 2013 // Comments Off // Destinations in Peru
The three men climbed up almost crawling along a steep and slippery slope in Peru. It was the morning of July 24th of 2011 and Hiram Bingham II had left the camp site on the Urubamba River with two of his Peruvian companions to investigate some ruins that, supposedly, lay on a very high peak known as Machu Picchu (old peak).
At about 1804 feet over the valley they ran into a couple of farmers that had moved to the mountain to avoid tax collectors. Those hikers assured the very skeptical Bingham that the ruins he had heard of were nearby and even sent him a kid to show him the way.
When Bingham finally reached the place, he looked in disbelief at the scene that revealed itself before his eyes. A labyrinth of walls and terraces peaked through the abundant weeds, as if an Inca ghost had hidden from the world from almost 400 years.
Even though Bingham himself acknowledged that he was not the first one to discover Machu Picchu, he was the first scientist to study the site and with the financial support of Yale University and the National Geographic Society, Bingham’s teams were able to cut off the weeds from the peak, drew plans and took pictures of the ruins, and send thousands of artifacts to the Natural History Peabody Museum in Yale University.
When the news of the discovery got out there were many that tried to unravel the nature of the place but nobody was able to offer a precise answer, until during the eighties a document was found that dated back to 1568, where a petition was to the Spanish court was filed from the Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui descendants in which they declared that their forefather had been the owner of a place called Picchu, very close to the actual archaeological site.
Further studies of the architecture and the rescued artifacts suggest that Pachacutec lived in this mountainous enclosure where he ate in silverware, washed on a private bath made of rock and relaxed on a beautiful orchid garden.
This and much more have made of Machu Picchu one of the archaeological marvels of the modern world.
Source: National Geographic
 View More: http://www.trip-peru.com/about-peru.php?texto=21
Tags: machu picchu, peru travel
Peru Travel – The emergence of human beings on earth
// January 17th, 2013 // Comments Off // Legends Peru
In ancient times, on the current Mantaro or Jauja valley, which was covered by the waters of a great big lake in which center stands a rock called Wanka, a place of rest for Amaru, a horrible monster with the head of a llama, two tiny wings and the body of a batrachian that ended with a snake tail. Later on, the tulunmaya (rainbow) spawned another Amaru, partner of the first and of a darker color; the latter never reached the size of the first that because of its age have become white.
Both monsters fought over the dominance of the lake, and even though the rock was of great dimension it was not big enough to house both of them at the same time. On these continuous struggles, so violent that they would rise up great lengths in the space over waterspouts, shaking the lake, the big Amaru lost a great chunk of its tails when furiously attacking the smaller one.
Irritated, the Tikse god unleashed upon them a great storm and its thunders killed both of them who fell destroyed with heavy rain over the already shaken up lae, engorging its volume until breaking its shores and emptying down south.
When the valley was formed, from the Warina o Wari-puquio (wari means unprofaned shelter that keeps something or someone sacred, and puquio means water spring) came out the first two human beings, called Mama and Taita that until then had been hidden under earth in fear of the Amarus.
The descendants of this couple later butyl the Warwillka temple and its ruins can still be found nowadays.
Source: Peruvian Myths, Legends and Stories (Jose Maria Arguedas)
View More: http://www.trip-peru.com/tour.php?tour=99
Tags: legends peru, peru travel, peruvian myths
How to make the perfect cebiche?
// January 7th, 2013 // Comments Off // Peruvian Gastronomy
The recipe is simple and the ingredients are few. You could say that there are no secrets on the preparation of a cebiche and that we can all make a very good version of it. However, there are details that make the difference, mistakes and slips that can end up ruining our cebiche.
There are five ingredients: fresh fish, lemon, onion, aji limo (Peruvian limo pepper) and salt. There’s no more, any other addition will not make a great difference. Some add sweet potatoes, choclo (Peruvian corn) and even yucca but the thing is that the dish as the ancient fishermen used to eat it, it’s done.
If you would like more information on our tours click here or ask your travel specialist.
Source: El Comercio
Tags: cebiche, ceviche, peru travel
