I was extraordinarily fortunate to meet the esteemed Dr. Tom Cummins nearly twenty years ago in Cusco, Peru - one of the great world centers, or axis mundi. Tom was one of our brilliant lecturers...
Picture this: nestled amidst the rugged peaks of the Andean highlands , ancient civilizations unearthed a culinary gem over 10,000 years ago—the humble potato. Through centuries of trial and error,...
ESA's Mars Express has captured images revealing distinctive formations dubbed "spiders" dispersed across the southern polar region of Mars. These features are caused by a fascinating interplay of...
In an era devoid of the internet and telephone, the ancient Inca—reigning from the 15th to 16th centuries—turned to the Chasqui runners to provide direct communication. Operating in the Andean...
In the province of Cañete, Peru, archaeologists have unearthed Inca stone quarries and a previously unknown road network at Cerros de Quilmaná and Cerro Quinta Freno. These quarries played a crucial...
A recent discovery at Pachacámac in Peru has revealed a significant find of seventy-three intact burials, in funerary bundles known as ‘fardos’. The burials are of both genders, with some adorned...
The Inca mummy known as the Maiden has long been a mystery shrouded in the high-altitude silence of the Andes. The question that has haunted many revolves around how she met her end. There are...
The Inca Ice Maiden , an incredible find from the Andean mountains of South America in 1999 has astonished the world since her discovery. An archaeological excavation led by Dr. Johan Reinhard...
‘Juanita’, Peru’s most famous mummy, an Inca girl sacrificed in a ritual on an Andean hill 500 years ago, has had her face reconstructed in the form of a silicone-made bust. Also known as the ‘Inca...
In the remote highlands of Peru lies a unique community, San Cristobal de la Paz, where the ancient Inca language, Quechua , still resonates at an altitude of 13,000 feet. Here, amidst the rugged...
In the heart of Miraflores, a part of Lima’s bustling city center, the well-preserved Huaca Pucllana ceremonial center site has yielded the remains of a 1,000-year-old mummy, dated to the beginning...
Since ancient times, ubiquitous to various cultures, humankind has sought to overcome that which they cannot control, such as healing mysterious afflictions and trying to predict the veiled future,...
Mummies have long captured the imagination of people all over the world. These preserved remains offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives, beliefs, and traditions of ancient cultures. From the...
Renata Flores, the 16-year-old musical prodigy hailing from Peru, has emerged as a beacon of hope for a language on the brink of fading into oblivion. Amidst the shadows of discrimination and...
Most ancient DNA studies focus on societal elites found in elaborate tombs. But new research on DNA gathered from the bones of servants who worked for Inca royals at Machu Picchu reveals a diverse...
Every year in June, Peruvian communities nestled within the Cusco region, once the capital of the mighty Inca Empire , come together in a remarkable display of cultural preservation and unity. Their...
An open-air “sounding” dance floor in Peru has been discovered, designed to mimic a drum-like sound, perhaps for a thunder god when stomped upon! Built sometime between 1000 and 1400 AD, the site...
Halfway up a near-vertical ravine in the Andes, someone carved an inverted V-shaped entrance into the mountainside. Then they sliced the bedrock with great precision to create a shallow door that...
The ancient practice of human sacrifice is one of the most haunting and mysterious aspects of human history. Most of us today find the idea abhorrent , but in many cultures around the world, they...
The Andes Mountains in South America have been home to ancient civilizations for thousands of years. High-altitude archaeology has played a crucial role in uncovering their fascinating history. One...
The Inca Empire left behind many mysteries that continue to intrigue and captivate historians and archaeologists today. One of these mysteries is the Quipu , a unique way of communicating and keeping...
Archaeologists in Bolivia have discovered 135 ancient hilltop sites including an enormous circular structure where they say members of ancient Andean cults would have once worshipped the sun. The...
Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. On entering Inca territory in the 16th century, they were bowled over...
In 1996, Jose Luis Delgado Mamani, a local tour guide in Peru, discovered an ancient archaeological site carved into Hayu Marca Mountain near Lake Titicaca, in the Andes Mountains of Peru, near the...