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Welcome to Peru!
Prepare
to surrender to its magic. The celebration of almost
3,000 popular feasts per year is but one small hint
of the vast treasure trove of multicultural traditions
you will find here.
From the coast to the jungle and through the highlands,
Peruvian people live the same way as their ancestors
did a thousand years ago; maintaining their dances,
handcrafts, textiles, customs and keeping their spirit
alive.
At Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world,
a whole village floats on the water. Hundreds of the
years ago the Uro people created these floating islands
- made of Totora reed - by stacking one reed on top
of another until a stable platform was built. They lived
on these islands as they sailed around the lake to fish
or hunt for their food. You can still see the Uros today,
living as if they had floated through time.
"Qoyllur
Rit'i "- the feast of the Shining Snow - is one of Peru's
most incredible expressions of faith and tradition.
Starting on Trinity Sunday, more than 70,000 people
come together at the Sinakara Valley in the province
of Quispicanchis, Cuzco, to embark on a pilgrimage of
hope to the top of a snow covered mountain, 15,090 feet
above sea level. After a 5 mile walk, thousands of dancers,
hundreds of bands and countless believers finish their
journey toward the "Apus" -the mountain gods- asking
for money, love, luck, or whatever else they feel they
are lacking.
Most
of these people will speak Quechua -the mother-tongue
of more than 3 million Peruvians- or any of the 91 other
indigenous languages that are still in use. Aguaruna,
Machiguenga and Huitoto are just some of the native
tongues that survive in the jungle, keeping the voices
of our forefathers intact, along with their customs.
Almost
all of the native handcrafts you'll see are made of
natural elements like bones, feathers and seeds that
are collected to create beautiful pieces of art.
Medicine here is based on the use of plants and herbs
that have been used for hundreds of years. This practice
is so widespread, Peru's Ministry of Health has an office
dedicated to it.
Venture
up into the highland and through the Andes, and you
will find that the remains of the Incas are all around.
Whether you're walking through the stone roads of the
Inca Trail- built 500 years ago but still in use today-
or viewing the innovative "andenes" -terrace farming-
you'll witness how the present meets the past.
Discover it all for yourself.
Come to Peru!
Where you'll experience all these archaeological monuments,
along with the remains of an ancient culture that's
still very much alive.
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