Sunset on the River (Photo: Wayra)

By Arnold Fernandez Coraza with the help and translation of David Knowlton

A short flight from Cuzco or a longish but spectacular drive lies a different world, the high Amazon jungle. The main city, although not in Cuzco proper, is called Puerto Maldonado, or MacDonald’s port. Splayed between and around two large rivers, the Tambopata and the larger Madre de Dios, it lies at the heart of region of tourism and economic growth, especially now that a highway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts goes through it. Read the rest of this entry

Exchanging Corn in Pisac Market

By Fidelus Coraza Morveli (translated by David Knowlton)

Barter, or chalasq’a in Quechua, is an exchange of goods. It makes up a simple economic system that has existed since ancestral times.  In the epoch of Tawantinsuyo, the Inca Empire, barter was the economic practice that guaranteed family consumption. It did not require money. Read the rest of this entry

By Alonzo Riley.

Gathering textures in what is for me a far-away place, Cuzco, leads me to wonder what is being represented in the images. Do textures stand for themselves as abstract, conceptual forms –  separate of place – or do they somehow characterize the textural landscape of the area? Is a “feel” of Peru being transmitted? Read the rest of this entry

Celebrating Cuzco (Photo: Wayra)

Here is the list of activities scheduled for the massive celebration of Cuzco as the city builds a festive mood culminating in the great pageant Inti Raymi.  In this schedule you will mostly find events scheduled for the Plaza de Armas, the main square.

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A Half-Finished Bowl of Chairo Soup (Photo: Alonzo Riley)

By Arnold Fernandez Coraza (translated by David Knowlton)

The pleasure of the rains departs and the dry season arrives. In it all the farmers now see its time to begin the harvest of their fields’ products. The season begins in which Cuzco will enjoy abundant Andean crops:  including potatoes, corn, broad beans, and more. Read the rest of this entry

People Take Energy from the Inti Huatana at Machu Picchu

By Fidelus Coraza Morveli (translated by David Knowlton)

The city of Cuzco, ancient capital of the Inca Empire, is a unique city. Its customs, traditions, and a great geographic variety give it a special touch such that today it has become one of the most important tourist destinations of Peru and indeed the world. Read the rest of this entry

A Ceramic Representation of a Rural Home in Nature

Cuzco’s celebrated poet, Luís Nieto Miranda draws on the traditions of romances to create a set of images of life in the Cuzco of his time. It was and is a place that still is very Andean and one sees that in his work. Read the rest of this entry

Tumbo Tequila

By Arnold Fernandez Coraza (translated by David Knowlton)

Tumbo is a fruit related to the passion fruit that makes a present of flavor. While children have all kinds of adventures seeking the fruit and picking it, their elders raise glasses of “tumbo tequila” on weekend afternoons and their mothers sweeten mornings with tumbo jam to go with breakfast. Read the rest of this entry

Climbing Ausangate

Fidelus Coraza Morveli ( translated by David Knowlton)

Adventure tourism is a mode of alternative tourism that, without any doubt, generates great excitement among national and International visitors to Cuzco. The main idea is to have experiences that require lots of effort and also risk. As a result they help the tourist experience achievements in overcoming various environments. Read the rest of this entry

Fried Chicken Ready to Eat

By Walter Coraza Morveli and Hebert Edgardo Huamani Jara (translated by David Knowlton)

Chicken hot off the rotisserie with french fries is a favorite food of Peruvians. Called “pollo a la brasa” which means “chicken cooked over charcoal (or flame)”, it builds on a traditional elite form of roasted chicken. Once the modern way of making it was invented in the fifties it went on to become number one in Peru. Read the rest of this entry