Editors' Note: OUR HERITAGE

 

 

 

 

Dear Readers,
When Maria Reiche came to Peru, she spent some of her time in Cusco, where due to an infection she loses a finger. Months later, when she arrived to Nasca in an old Volkswagen Beetle, with some brooms and sheets, she began to swept the pampa despite people call her "the crazy woman from the desert". Bit by bit she uncovered the gigantic figures. But when she discovered that the monkey figure had nine fingers just as her, she understood she was meant to be there and do the task that revealed Nasca to the world and gave her the title of "the lady from the desert".
People like her helped us to understand that Peru is a beautiful country, where someone can encounter marvel at any step, and nothing is expendable. As the scissors dancers in Huancavelica that preserve their art through generations, we are taking care of our heritage so the future would not find us without knowing who we are. We are this newsletter and much more. We are the people, the peruvian people.
Regards,
Jose and Cynthia
 
 
Main Article: THE DANCING SCISSORS OF HUANCAVELICA
The ceremonial scissors dance originates in the mystic practices of the layccas, and takes place in the singular surroundings: the summit of Huamanrasu in Astobamba, Huancavelica department.
Five hundred years ago, in a reaction against the Christian religion, prophets in the Andes foretold the end of the world for Europeans and those Andean people who had adopted Christianity. The followers of this movement, known as Taqui onqoy (the dancing sickness) were harried and annihilated by the colonial authorities. Even so, as late as the 1580's, some twenty years later, part of the ritual was still practiced -the furious dancing, as if possessed by an angry spirit.
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Second Article: STAIRWAY TO PARIACACA
On the road between Jauja (located in Junin at the center of the country) and Pachacamac (in Lima), the Incas built a monument to their own skills -an imposing stairway consecrated to the Apu Pariacaca and a gift that was impossible to better.
Half way between Cusco and Cajamarca, on the great Inca road that crossed the peaks of Chinchaysuyo is Jauja a provincial capital of the Empire. Its large size, population and beautiful designed fascinated the conquistadors, who promptly made it their capital city. Although they later found it expedient to move their capital to the coast, Jauja remained important throughout the colonial period as an obligatory stop on the journey from Lima to Cusco, whilst it gained a reputation as a city with a healthy climate. The new arrivals were not, however, the first to travel this route, the Spaniards did as they had done in almost all the territory they conquered, simply following the astonishing roads left by the Incas. It may well have been superimposed upon an earlier route, but the Inca road was built to link the centers of worship of two ancient and important divinities they had adopted: Pariacaca and Pachacamac.
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Archaeologic: NASCA: THE MYSTERY
It never rains on the peruvian coast, and that is why the fantastic line sand drawings on the Nasca plain have survived for so many centuries, giving rise to the strangest of the theories as to why they were made in the first place.
When Peru was Spanish colony the Nasca lines where unknown, ignored by the zealots attempting to eliminate the indigenous population's pagan beliefs. They were only discovered with the advent of aviation, which confirms that they were intended to be viewed from the air.
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Peruvian Art: RETABLOS
Tiny human figures, animals from the highlands, images of Christian saints and pre-columbian gods, Stara, mountains and lakes are just some of the elements found in the colorful World portrayed by the cajón or retablo de San Marcos. This art form, brought over from Spain, dates back to the dawn of western civilization and was preceded by Roman portable images made up of three slabs that closed over each other. In the rest of Europe, this art form was known by the name of frontpieces, giving away to the monumental friezes that featured in church altars between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. The closest resemblance to the Peruvian retablo is the Caja de Santo, a sort of portable altar used in Spain as part of the paraphernalia of Catholic rituals.
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