By Simon Question: Why do local people in the Cusco region refer to Mount Salkantay as “Apu Salkantay”? Answer: Many locals of the Cusco region refer to Salkantay as “Apu Salkantay” as this is a term of reverence and worship. “Apu” literally means “Spirit of the mountain” or “mountain god”. This was an important part […]
Tag: Aracari Team Insights
Aracari’s Weekly Insight #14: Inca Royal Weddings
The Question: Did Inca royalty really marry their sisters? The Answer: The short answer is, yes, it is true that in late times of the Inca Empire, Inca royalty did marry their sisters. The long answer and the reasoning for this incest is very much disputed and, even more so, interesting. To begin with a […]
The Inca site of Pisac
Pisac Ruins Pisac ruins is one of the highlights of the Sacred Valley. The Inca site of Pisac is well-known for agricultural terracing, which sweeps around the south and east flanks of the mountain in vast, graceful curves, almost unbroken by steps. A fortress city The Pisac ruins, the largest fortress city of the Incas and one […]
The pre-Columbian city of Chan Chan
The Chan-Chan archaeological site is a highlight of Peru’s Moche Route,. The complex was the capital of the Chimú civilization from AD 900 to 1400. Located about 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) west of Trujillo, it was built around AD 1300 and covers about 28 square kilometers (11 square miles), making it the largest mud […]
The Lord of Sipan – Peru’s Moche Route
Much like Tutankhamen in Egypt, the Lord of Sipan was a mummy discovered with immense quantities of precious metals and stones in his tomb. Sipán, in the Lambayeque valley in Peru, is famed for its rich tombs revealed by archaeologists. The Lord of Sipan’s tomb – discovered in 1987 – is also known as ‘Huaca Rajada’ […]
Peru travel insight #10: A brief history of Coca.
Aracari’s Weekly Insight Coca has been consumed by natives of the Andes for thousands of years, estimates range from anywhere between 4000 and 8000 years, since the area was first inhabited. The leaves can be brewed into a beverage with hot water, though the most common form of consumption is directly chewing the leaves. No […]
