Mummy of Tattooed Woman Discovered in El Brujo

Photo - National Geographic ©

A well-preserved tattooed mummy of a young woman has been discovered deep inside a mud-brick pyramid in El Brujo by archaeologists under the direction of scientist Regulo Franco
The 1,500-year-old mummy may shed new light on the mysterious Moche culture. The incredible mix of ornamental and military artifacts has experts speculating about this woman’s identity and her role in the Moche society.

For more information you can read the full article at national geographic.
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0606/feature2/index.html

Information additional in InkaNatura Website.
The Brujo Archaeological Complex
The Brujo and Trujillo Tours

Ancient Calendar Unearthed in Peru

The Temple of the Fox (located in the hills Buena Vista in the Chillon Valley - north of Lima, peru) was unearthed in June 2004 by Robert Benfer, professor emeritus of anthropology at Missouri University.

Photos by National Geographic ©

Here Benfer’s team found the earliest known astronomical alignment and sculptures in the New World, suggesting that the Andeans used constellations to guide their lives and predict weather such as droughts and floods. It is considered as the oldest known observatory in the Americas and it was well-preserved because rainfall on the western side of Peru are not hard.

Aside from astronomic alignments, Benfer said his team also found ancient artwork on the 16-acre site, including a mural of a fox carved inside a painted llama. Radiocarbon dating of offerings in the temple's chambers suggest a date of around 2200 BCE

More information at:

• http://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=19585
• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/observatory-peru.html

Gocta waterfall
The 14 tallest waterfall is located in Chachapoyas in the Northern part of Peru.

This waterfall has been known by locals for decades, but only recently has its existence emerged as common knowledge. (See map)

The German Stefan Ziemendorff is thought to be responsible for bringing the falls to the attention of the Peruvian government in 2002, he was working in Peru for a water project and he realized from far in a expedition that something was there since then he participated in documenting, constructing a trail to and measuring the falls. The falls appear to exhibit a modest to high volume of flow, becoming an immensely powerful cataract when its stream is full. According the list of waterfalls released by a Waterfall database, Gocta is the 14 tallest waterfall in the world. Some weeks ago Gocta was announced as the third tallest but this is wrong.

To reach this waterfall the only way is walking 5 hrs by virgin jungle departing from the village of Cocachimba, through the trek its possible to see another amazing waterfalls, toucans, hummingbirds, monkeys and much more. Although there are some explorer or adventure lovers visiting Gocta but there is not yet tourist circuits or paths at the moment.

Then a question appears, which is the third tallest waterfall? Its name is Las Tres Hermanas (The three sisters) and is also located in Cutiverini reserved zone in Ayacucho, Peru.

For those interested in visit Gocta, InkaNatura recommends spend extra days visiting the Chachapoyas archaeological jewels: Kuelap fortress, Karajia, Revash, Lake of the Condors, and the interesting Leymebamba Museum where visitors can admire more than 200 chachapoyas mummy found at the Lake of the Condors.

More information :
The tallest waterfalls
Kuelap
Chachapoyas tours

A 1600-year-old royal mummy was found in the North part of Peru.

Archaeologists in Peru have discovered a 15-century-old mummy of a tattooed Moche woman in a Pyramid called Cao Viejo in ceremonial site called El brujo ( The Wizard) , located about an hour's drive north of Trujillo city and 300 miles north of Lima. (See map)
http://www.inkanatura.com/mapnorth.asp

The mummy, which dates to about A.D. 450, was entombed with a dazzling collection of weapons and jewelry. Without doubt this lady was member of royalty and revels the power of this woman in the Moche society. No other Moche woman like her has ever been found. "Based on our preliminary study, we think she was a ruler," says archaeologist Régulo Franco.

Photos by National Geographic ©

She was about 5 feet tall and died in her late 20’s. Apparently she was in good health with no signs of nutritional deficiencies, Although she had one tooth that would have become abscessed if she had lived longer. Her abdominal skin was wrinkled and collapsed, and bone scarring indicated the woman had given birth at least once.

The Moche is a fascinating sophisticated pre Inca culture that flourished from 100 to AD along the different valleys of the Northern Peruvian coastline. Some information about the Moches :

• They had a theocratic government system.
• They were expert architects. They built several huge pyramids of sun-dried adobe bricks. We can count Sipan Pyramids, Sun and Moon temples, Dos Cabezas and El Brujo among others.
• They diverted rivers into a network of irrigation canals for agricultural purposes.
• Its pottery is fascinating and helps us to learn about them. The pottery represents the daily life of the Moches, fishing, ceremonies, mythology and different combats. In the Larco Herrera Museum (Lima) there are special areas with thousands of ceramics including sexual acts.
• They were experts in metallurgical techniques. They used silver cooper and gold. We can admire their work in the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum in Chiclayo.
  http://www.inkanatura.com/coastchiclayotrujillo_royaltombs_of_sipanmuseum.asp
  
  Tourists and archaeology lovers visit Chiclayo and Trujillo to learn more about the ancient Peruvian cultures. Here you can find some tours in the North
  http://www.inkanatura.com/tourprograms.asp
  
  More information about the Tattooed mummy at
  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/mummy-peru.html
  http://www.livescience.com/history/060516_peru_mummy.html

Manu, The most intense wildlife experience the Peruvian Amazon

There is no doubt that Manu is the superlative of biodiversity thanks to a great variety of habitats that includes Andean grasslands, elfin forest, cloud forest and jungle lowlands. Nature-lovers and wildlife enthusiasts can find more species of plants than any other part of the world. And when we talk about wildlife, we can count 13 species of monkeys (including the charm Emperor Tamarin), Giant armadillo, Giant anteater and endangered predators like the Jaguar, Giant Otter and the Black Caiman.

Recently, InkaNatura has designed new programs that include accommodations in its comfortable tented camps located inside the Manu National Park, close to the famous Lakes Salvador and Otorongo.


In order to offer a reliable and secure air service, InkaNatura is pleased to have made an agreement with Pisco Airlines to offer flights between Cusco and Boca Manu. We now guarantee departures, using a modern Cessna Gran Caravan (12 seats) with experienced and high quality trained pilots. This 2005 plane has the latest technology for safe air transportation. Some Manu tour operators recommend traveling through Puerto Maldonado, but they do not mention that clients will spend more than 11 hours sitting in uncomfortable fast boats/buses and, in addition, this route does not have clean and decent bathrooms.

More information:

• Manu Wildlife Center - Tours Programs
• Bio trip, from the Andes to the Amazon (All Manu area)
• Manu National Park with our exclusive Tented Camps
• Cock-of-the-Rock-Lodge - Tour Programs (Cloud Forest)
• Manu Map

More info about News in May 2006
http://www.inkanatura.com/news/2006/mayo/index.htm

Birdwatching in Peru

Peru is one of the top countries for birdwatchers and nature lovers. Here some important facts about birds in Peru.

Did you know that:

• Peru has the second highest number of bird species in the world? Counting only breeding species, Peru ranks first.
• More new species were described in Peru in the last 30 years than in any other country in the world, with about 1 new species on average.

You can find more information about our programs at:
http://www.inkanatura.com/birdingtours.asp

More info about News in Febreruary 2005
http://www.inkanatura.com/news/2005/February/index.htm

National Geographic Explores the North Cost of Peru again

The North coast of Peru features spectacular contrast between fertile valleys and stark deserts, all wedged in a thin strip between the cold waters of the world's richest fishing grounds and the highest tropical mountain.

This region boasts a rich archeological legacy of Pre-Inca civilizations that occupied these valleys from the First to the Fourteenth century AD. The most prominent of these were the Moche, Lambayeque and Chimu, who demonstrated great sophistication in ceramics, agriculture, and metallurgy.

Check this links:
Chiclayo and Trujillo tours
Archaeological study tour in Chachapoyas
Archaeological information
Photo gallery
About InkaNatura Travel

More info about News in 2004 May
http://www.inkanatura.com/news/2004/june/index.htm