Classrooms Without Walls:
Study Abroad Cusco, Perú
Florida Community College at Jacksonville
Perú - General Information
Library of Congress: Perú A Country Study
The Andes Web Ring (Photos & Info)
Perúvian Culture
| 'Atipanakuy' by F. Valdivia, A. Zavala and P. Noguchi |
56k 300k 700k
56k 300k 700k
|
The Indigenous Cultures of Perú*
Perú Travel Adventures: Perú People and Preserved Culture
Let'sGo.com: Perú - Literature
Cusco/Qosqo
Diario El Sol del Cusco (Cusco newspaper)
| 'Machu Picchu Revealed' by Mary Lee Nolan, Ph.D. |
|
56k 300k
56k 300k
|
Manú Biosphere & Tambopata Reserve
| 'Etnias' by TeleAndes Producciones |
|
56k 300k
56k 300k
|
National Protected Areas in Perú
Enjoy Perú Nature: National Parks
Perú: National Parks Guide
Perú Travelers Guide: National Parks
Manu: Perú's Hidden Rain Forest
Help Save the Peruvian Rain Forest
Perúvian Yungas
Flora and Fauna
Species List for Perú
Andean
Botanical Information System
Manu Flora and Fauna
Animal Info - Perú
Perú Birding
Perú Flora and Fauna (photos only) *
The Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Perú
Biodiversity
Biodiversity and Biological Collections *
Centers of Plant Diversity in South America
World Atlas of Biodiversity
The Tree
of Life Web Project
World Wildlife Fund: Fact sheets *
Animal Diversity Web
Resources for the Future: Biodiversity *
Biodiversity and World Map
Biodiversity Project: What is Biodiversity?
Conservation International
IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species
Solutions
World
Conservation Union
Qocha qasu Biological Station Species List
Puno - Lake Titicaca
WHY PERÚ?
Like the classic ruins of Greece and the great Pyramids of Giza and its guardian the Sphinx in Egypt, Perú ranks among the world's great centers of ancient civilization. Its “Lost Cities” attract and captivate university students, scientists and archaeologists alike. Located in the west central part of South America and the 19th largest country in the world, Perú is a country of rich geographical and cultural contrast. Bordered on the north by Ecuador, the south by Chile and Bolivia, the east by Colombia and Brazil and the west by the Pacific Ocean, Perú offers a variety of diverse ecosystems. Due to the climatic, natural and cultural variation of its regions, Perú provides us with one of the most ecologically diverse countries on the planet. Perú's diversity has helped spawn 4,000 different varieties of potatoes, but should not be surprising since it is birth place of the modern potatoe.
At the same time as nomadic life was being replaced half
a world away in the Fertile Crescent, civilization was also
being established in the Caral valley (c5000 B.C.) in northern
Perú. While little is unknown about pre-Columbian Andean
civilization (like the
Caral,
Chavin,
Paracas
cultures), weather certainly played an important part. For
one, the El Niño/La Niña weather phenomenon affects the whole
Continent. This phenomenon has been credited with facilitating a
possible inter-oceanic travel of people and ideas. Also, the
catalyst for the foundering of the 4th to 7th century
Moche (in
the north) and
Nasca (in the south)
cultures was the
effects of a severe El Niño, severe drought followed by weeks of
"flood-like" rain. In the aftermath, three emerging
cultures increased their sphere of influence:
Chimu
mostly from the remains of the Moche but later mostly overtaken
by the Wari; the
Wari
(Huari) covering most of Perú; and the
Tihuanaco
emerging around Lake Titicaca, western present-day Bolivia and
northern present-day Chile.
But Perú is best known for the 10th to 16th century culture of the Inca. What the Pharaoh was to Egypt, the Inca was to Perú. Ruling over the largest American empire between the 15th and 16th century along the western coast of South America that stretched from northern present-day Ecuador to central present-day Chile, at its height its north to south length was as wide as the Roman Empire or Europe East to West. With the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors searching for mythical cities of gold in 1533, most of this magnificent civilization was plundered and destroyed. Even what is left truly amazes.
Today, Perú boasts a population of over 27 million people who can trace their heritage through native Incan and pre-Incan cultures and descendents of Spanish settlers. Spanish, and the native Quechua and Aymara reflect the native Indian and Spanish roots that cultivate modern Perúvian society.
Please note that Perú is NOT a country which the US State Department deems as unsafe to visit.
WHY CUSCO?
Cusco or Qosqo [13°30'45"S, 71°58'33"W: Google Maps; 3,399m/11,000ft.a.s.l, Pop. 278,590: Wikipedia] is the ancestral Imperial capital/heart of Tahuantinsuyu (empire of the Incas) from the 14th to the 16th centuries, but was also a Wari (Huari) agricultural center with the Wari Pikillaqta ("flea town"). As a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1983) and the archeological capital of Perú and the Americas, Cusco is open to the world and welcomes its visitors to appreciate its incredible beauty. This thriving urban environment exists in unique harmony with pre-Colombian monuments, churches, convents and temples.
There are numerous impressive archeological remains to explore in Cusco, including the Incan Fortress of Sacsayhuaman and the modern day Spanish Plaza de Armas. In Incan times, this city was the exact center of the empire. The plaza was surfaced with white sand mixed with shell, bits of gold, silver and coral. The Jesuit church, La Compania de Jesús with its intricate interior, finely carved balconies and altars covered in gold leaf, was started in 1571 and took nearly 100 years to complete, due in part to the damage of the 1650 earthquake. A fine collection of art, which flourished from the 16th century through 18th century, is found at the Museum of Religious Art. Other very important sites to visit include the following: Museo Inca, Pre-Columbian Museum of Art, Convento de las Nazarenas, The San Blas District, Santa Catalina Church, Qoricancha (The Golden Palace and Temple of the Sun) at Santo Domingo Church & Convent, the Monastery of the Merced, the National History Museum, and the Santuary of Sacsayhuaman to name a few.
Cusco stands just 10 miles south of gateway to the Sacred Valley of the Incas [MapPoint]. Created by the Vilcanota/Urubamba River, this valley extends northwest through picturesque towns and archeological remains of Pisaq, Calca and Yucay and Ollantaytambo. All still preserve the traditions of their ancestors. Due to its amazing colonial architecture, stunning scenery, great trekking, beautiful textiles, and other traditional handicrafts, this experience stays in its visitor’s minds forever.
This trip will give students the opportunity to visit all these sites, teaching them to appreciate the culture and science behind them.
MACHU PICCHU
Beginning at Cusco, the Inca Trail thru the Sacred Valley leads to the famous Incan city of Machu Picchu [13°9′23″S, 72°32′34″W: Google, Wikipedia], the number one destination for the majority of Perú’s tourists.
Few archaeological sites in the world can match the grandeur, spectacular natural setting, and mystery of Perú's Machu Picchu, located on a remote ridge top in the Andes Mountains high above the Urubamba River. This Modern Marvel outlines the development of the great Andean civilization. The historical background of Machu Picchu, and the mystery surrounding its abandonment and rediscovery make it worthy of being another UNESCO World Heritage Site (1983). See the 20 minute video "Machu Picchu Revealed" sidebar.
Manú Biosphere Reserve/Qocha qasu Biological Station
Located
in the Madre de Dios Department (east-northeast of Cusco) is by far the richest, most extraordinary biological transect in
the Amazon, or the world. By traveling northeast by
road and river you will reach the great Manu Wilderness [Map:
Google,
InkaNaturaTravel,
MSN]. Manu offers the greatest quantity and diversity of
animals and plants in the world. Nowhere else can you enjoy a
tropical habitats from Andean grasslands and cloud forests down
to foothill and lowland forests. This 750,000 acres (300,000
hectares) of rare biodiversity made it another UNESCO World
Heritage Site (1987) that boasts the highest bird, mammal,
and plant diversity of any park on Earth, including 1,000 of the
world's 9,700 bird species, 200 species of mammals, and 15,000
species of flowering plants. The most photogenic activities are
frolicking Giant Otters, 1,000 parrots and macaws at a riverbank
clay lick, dancing Cocks-of-the-Rock, habituated monkeys, and
huge Lowland Tapirs at a forest clay lick. two nomadic native
groups. The Biosphere Reserve is divided into:
-
the Core Zone or National Park (15,328 sq km, light green area) is strictly preserved in its natural state, where a number of indigenous tribes reside (gray area). Only government sponsored biologists and anthropologists may visit with permits from the Ministry of Agriculture.
-
the Experimental or Reserved Zone (2,570 sq km, dark green) is set aside for controlled scientific research and ecotourism. Entry to the reserved zone is accessible by permit only. Entry is strictly controlled and visitors must visit the area with an authorized guide.
-
the Cultural or Tourist Zone (914 sq km, area south of the green areas where the large red circle is) is set aside for two nomadic native groups (including the Machiguenga), where locals still employ their traditional way of life. The cultural zone is accessible to anyone and several companies offer lodge based tours within this zone.
Cocha Cashu (Qocha qasu) Biological Station (small circle) is a research site founded over 25 years ago within the Reserved Zone, its primary purpose is to provide a base within a large region of virgin forest from which to study all ecological aspects of lowland tropical forests. There has been a historical emphasis on projects involving large vertebrates because these tend to be reduced or extirpated at other neotropical research sites. Cocha Cashu has been operated by Duke University (under the auspices of the Perúvian government) for more than 20 years, hosting researchers from all over the world in a variety of fields.
Tambopata National Reserve
The Tambopata National Reserve [Map: Google, InkaNaturaTravel, MSN] is one of the three contiguous Amazonian reserves in the Tambopata Madidi Wilderness on the Perú-Bolivian border south of Puerto Maldonado, Perú (25-minute flight from Cusco), south-east of the Manú Biosphere Reserve, and south-west of Rio Branco, Brazil end of the TransAmazonian Highway. At 2.5-million-acre (one-million-hectare), Tambopata Madidi Wilderness is two-thirds the size of Costa Rica and protects the most species-rich natural habitats in the world (National Geographic, January 1994; March 2000). The forgotten Heath River provides the fastest and easiest route to the uninhabited, unhunted core of these parks, a vast wilderness full of the five top predators of the Amazon--Jaguar, Giant Otter, Black Caiman, Harpy Eagle, and Anaconda.
Puno – Lake Titicaca
Puno [MSN Maps; 3,827m./12,628ft.asl, Pop. 100,168: Wikipedia] hugs the Perúvian shore of the Titicaca Lake. During the Spanish period, it was one of the continent's richest commercial centers because of its proximity to the Laykakota silver mines discovered by brothers Gaspar and Jose Salcedo in 1657. Puno is the capital of Perú's altiplano, the harsh highland region much better suited to roaming vicuñas and alpacas than to people. Puno is also Perú's folklore center with a rich array of handicrafts, costumes, holidays, legends, and most importantly, more than 300 ethnic dances. The Collao Plateau is the geographical space where ancient and important cultures like Pucara, and later Tiahuanaco, appeared. This is the region where, according to the legend, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo emerged from the sacred Lake Titicaca to give birth to the Inca Empire.
Lake Titicaca (3,856m./12,725ft.asl) [Google
Maps] is the world's highest navigable lake and the center
of a region where thousands of subsistence farmers eke out a
living fishing in its icy waters, growing potatoes in the rocky
land at its edge, or herding llama and alpaca at altitudes that
leave Europeans and North Americans gasping for air. It is also
where traces of the rich Indian past still stubbornly cling,
resisting in past centuries the Spanish conquistadors'
aggressive campaign to erase Inca and pre-Inca cultures and, in
recent times, the lure of modernization. When Peruvians talk of
turquoise blue Titicaca, they proudly note that it is so large
it has waves. This, the most sacred body of water in the Inca
empire and now the natural separation between Perú and Bolivia,
has a surface area exceeding 8,000 square kilometers (3,100
square miles), not counting its more than 30 islands. It has two
climates: chilly and rainy ,or chilly and dry. In the evenings, it
becomes quite cold, dropping below freezing from June through
August. In the day, the sun is intense, and sunburn is common.
Before the Incas, the lake and its islands were holy for the Aymará Indians whose civilization was centered at the
Tiahuanaco, now a complex of ruins on the Bolivian side of
Titicaca but once a revered temple site with notably advanced
irrigation techniques. Geologically, Titicaca's origins are
disputed, although it was likely a glacial lake. Maverick
scientists claim that it had a volcanic start; a century ago,
Titicaca was popularly believed to be an immense mountaintop
crater. A few diehards today stick to the notion that the lake
was part of a massive river system from the Pacific Ocean.