Espacio Blogs

A thrilling high altitude trekking adventure (37 km / 23 miles) along a pre-Inca pilgrimage path. The trip starts with a llama pack at the Olleros village, and continues round scenic sites in the National Huascarán Park before arriving at Chavín (3140 masl / 10302 fasl) one of the oldest archeological sites in the Americas.

Nights at Andean communities to pay tribute to the Earth, share with their traditions, music, cottage industries and typical foods. Contact a Huaraz tour operator for indispensable arrangements.

Ancash Region. Provinces of Huaraz and Wari (3091 and 3150 masl / 10141 and 10335 fasl).
Departure: Olleros (3450 masl / 11319 fasl).

Moderately cold and dry.
Average temperature: maximum 24°C (75ºF) and minimum 7°C (45ºF).

May to October.

By road: Lima – Huaraz (400 km / 249 miles, 8 h).
To Olleros: Huaraz – Recuay – Cátac, 30 km / 19 miles south of Huaraz, 30 min by car.

The evangelical community that runs the Atahualpa Jerusalén Cooperative or Porcón Farm – a farm dating back to 1535 – offers visitors a chance to share community work with local farmers.

Over its 12 thousand hectares it has organized a successful environmental, agricultural, forestry and dairy production plan without losing its typical culture. It provides good quality services for travelers, and is close to archeological sites of interest and the Highlands Inca Trail.

Cajamarca Region. Granja Porcón, 30 km / 19 miles (55 min) from Cajamarca along the Bambamarca road, off at km 20.

Dry and mild.
Average temperature: 14°C (57ºF).

May to September.

By plane: Daily flights from Lima to Cajamarca (1:15 h).
By road: 860 km / 534 miles (13 h) from Lima, 295 km / 183 miles (6 h) from Trujillo and 265 km / 165 miles (6 h) from Chiclayo.

Participating in comunal activities implies learning about the communal organizational system and assimilating ancestral techniques and customs, now being recovered. In Huaraz (Ancash), for example, the Llama Trek rescues the use of llamas as pack animals to cross the White Mountain Range and reach the old temple of Chavin.

On the Titicaca Islands (Puno) and Cuzco’s Sacred Valley communities, visitors participate in agricultural works that still use successful Inca irrigation and farming techniques such as terracing, besides participating in textile crafts and religious expressions. In Porcón (Cajamarca) and the Austro-German colonies of Pozuzo, Oxapampa and Villa Rica (Pasco), it is also very interesting to share forestry and farm working experiences.

Cajamarca: Porcón Farm
Ancash: Olleros – Chavín Llama Pack Trek
Pasco: Villa Rica, Oxapampa and Pozuzo Settlements
Cusco: Sacred Valley Communities and Raqchi
Puno: Titicaca Islands (Taquile, Amantaní, Suasi and Anapia) and Llachón

Peru celebrates some 3,000 festivals a year. Most of them are held in homage to a patron saint and are part of the Christian calendar adopted in colonial times, although they have blended with the magical beliefs of ancient forms of worship.

These religious festivals occur alongside pagan celebrations dating back to ancestral myths in native communities in the jungle, as well as dozens of festivals created over the following centuries. Peru’s festivals form a radiant rainbow, whose colors blend with sounds, textures and a vigorous theatrical concept aimed at reinventing history and producing a celebratory synthesis of Man and the Earth goddess, the Pachamama.

Complete and updated information in: www.deperu.com/calendario/

January

Niño Callaorcarpino and Jacobo / December 31th – January 2nd

Festival of the Negritos / 24th December – 19th January

Epiphany / January 4th – 7th

Founding of Iquitos / 5th January

Anniversary of the founding of Lima / 18th January

Ch’iaraje / 20th January

Festival of the Niño Dulce Nombre de Jesus or the “Lost Child” / January (variable)

Marinera Festival / January

 

February

Feast of the Virgen de la Candelaria (Virgin of the Candles) 2nd February – Carnival of Abancay and Apurimac / February – March

Carnival Festival of Camaná / February or March (fluctuates)

Ayacucho Carnival / February – March

Cajamarca Carnival / February – March (variable)

Negro Summer Festival / February

Huanchaco Carnival / February

Chachapoyan Carnival / February – March

Madre de Dios Carnival / February (variable date)

Ucayali Carnival / February – March

 

March

Crosses of Porcón / March

Easter / March – April (variable date)

Saint Joseph Festival / March

Wine Grape Harvest Festival / March

Holy Week (Huancavelica) / March – April

Easter in Ica / March or April

Holy Week (Tarma) / March – April (variable date)

Surfing Championship / March

Wine Grape Festival / March

 

April

National Peruvian Paso Horse Contest / April

Anniversary of the Constitutional Province of Callao / April 22nd

Anniversary of the Founding of the city of Huamanga / April 25th

 

May

Virgin of Chapi / May 1st

Festival of the Lord of Muruhuay / Entire month of May

Festival of the Crosses / Entire month of May

Festival of the Crosses and Avocado Festival / May 3

Feast of Alacitas and Las Cruces / 3rd and 4th May

Anniversary of Cotahuasi / 4th May

Qoyllority / variable

Lord of Torrechayoc / variable

Corpus Christi / variable

Homage to the Defenders of Alianza Field / May 26th

Feast of the Holy Spirit / May – June (variable)

 

June

Inti Raymi / 24th June

Feast of Saint John / June

Corpus Christi / June

Qoyllur Rit’i / June

Chachapoyas’ Tourist Week / June 1st – 7th

Sondor Raymi “The Chanka Epic” / 19th June

Chaccu in Pampa Galeras / June 24th

Saint John the Baptist’s Day / June 24th

Night of San Juan (Saint John) and the OldValley Caravan / June 23rd and 24th

Feast of Saint John the Baptist / June 24th

Saints Peter and Paul Day / June 29th

NDO EDN DARI Festival – Festival of my Land / Variable date

Feast of Saint John the Baptist / June

Feast of San John / June

Indigenous Dance Festival / June

 

July

Virgin of Carmen, Paucartambo / July

Anniversary of Puerto Maldonado / July 10th

Carmen de la Legua Virgin / July 16th

Eco-tourist Festival and Anniversary of the Arrival of the Austrian-German Settlers / 24th – 30th July

Cajamarca FONGAL Fair / July 24th – 31st

Festival of Santiago / 24th July to 2nd August

Anniversary of Huaraz / 25th July

Quillabamba Fests / 25th – 29th July

Eco tourist Festival of the Indigenous Communities – Coffee Festival 25th / 30th July

Festival of the Sun / 27th July

Independence Day / 28th and 29th July

Apurimac Tourist Week / 31st July to 3rd August

Feast of Señor de las Ánimas (Lord of the Souls) / 31st July to 3rd August

 

August

Chalpon Cross / August 5th

Santa Rosa of Lima / 30th August

Pachamama Raymi or Earth Mother Day / 1st August

Virgen de las Nieves (Virgin of the snows) / August 5th

Feast of Saint Mary of the Assumption / August 7th – 15th

«Mama Ashu» Virgin of the Assumption / 13th – 22nd August

Fiesta de la Virgen de la Asunción (Feast of Assumption Mary) / August 15th

Anniversary of the Spanish Founding of Huanuco / 15th August

Anniversary of Callao / August 20th

Yaku Raymi (Water Festival) / August 20th – 26th

Regional Festival for the World Folklore Day / August 20-22

EXPOSUR / August 24th – 31st

Tourist Week and Feast of the Oxapampa Patron Saint / 25th – 31th August

Reincorporation of Tacna into Peru / August 28th

Anniversary of the city of Arequipa / August

Chalpon Cross / August 5th

Santa Rosa of Lima / 30th August

Pachamama Raymi or Earth Mother Day / 1st August

Virgen de las Nieves (Virgin of the snows) / August 5th

Feast of Saint Mary of the Assumption / August 7th – 15th

«Mama Ashu» Virgin of the Assumption / 13th – 22nd August

Fiesta de la Virgen de la Asunción (Feast of Assumption Mary) / August 15th

Anniversary of the Spanish Founding of Huanuco / 15th August

Anniversary of Callao / August 20th

Yaku Raymi (Water Festival) / August 20th – 26th

Regional Festival for the World Folklore Day / August 20-22

EXPOSUR / August 24th – 31st

Tourist Week and Feast of the Oxapampa Patron Saint / 25th – 31th August

Reincorporation of Tacna into Peru / August 28th

Anniversary of the city of Arequipa / August

 

September

International Spring Festival / September – October

Festival of the Reyna del Cañaveral (Sugar Cane Queen) Tarapoto / September (variable)

Festival of the Reyna del Cañaveral (Sugar Cane Queen) Pasco / September (variable)

RURALTUR Eco-tourist Festival of Rural and Tourist Communities / first weekend of September

Virgen de la Natividad (Virgin of the Nativity) / September 8th

Festival of Saint Nicolas de Tolentino and the Virgin of the Nativity / September 7th – 12th

Virgin of Cocharcas / 8th September

Festival of the Lord of Gualamita / September 10th – 16th

The Lord of Locumba Festival / September 14th

Señor Cautivo de Monsefú (Captive Christ of Monsefu) / September 14th

Lord of Huanca / 14th September

Lord of Huamantanga / September 23rd – 25th

Ucayali Department Tourism Week / September 23 – 30

San Miguel Arcangel (Saint Michael the Archangel) / September 24th

Peruvian Pace Horse National Contest / September 29th.

Yauca Virgin of the Rosary / September – October

Tourist Week of Ica / September

 

October

Month of the Lord of Miracles / 18th, 19th and 28th October

Señor Cautivo de Ayabaca / October

The Lord of Luren Festival / 3rd Monday of October

Piura Jubilee Week / October

“Promised Land of Pozuzo” Eco-tourist Cattle Festival / h – 8th October

Anniversaries of Pucallpa, Districts ofYarinacocha and Masisea, and San Francisco Indigenous Community / October 20

Feast of Santa Fortunata / October 14th

San Francisco / October 4th

Anniversary of Tingo Maria / 15th October

Festival of Santa Úrsula / 21st October

Lord of the Sea / October 28th and 29th

Peruvian Music Day / 31st October

 

November

All Saints Day / November 1st – 2nd

Anniversary of the Founding of the City of Puno / 1st to 7th November

Moquegua Tourism Week / November 20 – 25

San Clemente Fair / November 23

 

December

Immaculate Conception / December 7 to 10

Virgin of the Gate / December 12 to 15

Homenaje a la Libertad Americana (South American Freedom Week) / December 2nd – 9th

Pastoral Christmas / December 23 – 30

Santuranticuy / 24th December

Galas, Laicas o Tusuq / December 24th – 28th

Anniversary of Madre de Dios / December 26th

Complete and updated information in: www.deperu.com/calendario/

Thanks to the recent archaeological discoveries of musical instruments, experts now know that in Peru, music has been played at least as far back as 10,000 years ago.

This ancient tradition created quenas, zampoñas, pututos (trumpets made from sea conch) and a wide variety of other wind instruments crafted from a range of materials such as cane, mud, bone, horns and precious metals, as well as various percussion instruments.

Contact with the Occident has brought over a large number of instruments, which have been creatively adapted to the rhythmic and tonal needs of each region of the country. The clearest evidence is the many transformations that the harp, violin and guitar have undergone in the Peruvian highlands.

The encounter between the Andes and the Western World have given rise in Peru to 1,300 musical genres. But two of them have crossed the country’s borders and have become symbols of Peru’s identity: the huayno and marinera.

Today, Peru continues to assimilate new instruments such as synthesizers, electric guitars, drums and harmonicas. Local musicians are also creating new genres like chicha or Peruvian cumbia, which is enabling Peru’s music to open up to new influences to expand both at home and abroad, beyond native folk music.

This capacity for musical fusion and innovation is a lively expression of the integrating force and dynamic character of Peru’s culture.

In Peru’s rural areas, the way people dress makes an important distinction, as a result of the blend of pre-Hispanic influences with the European clothing that the natives were forced to wear during the colonial era.

The traditional Inca anacu was transformed by the local women into the brightly-colored and multi-layered petticoats known as polleras. Depending on the region, a black skirt is decorated with a belt which can come in a variety of colors and is decorated with flowers in the northern Piura highlands or a brightly-hued woolen lliclla in Chiclayo, further south.

In the highlands above Lima, the skirt is decorated with red and black embroidered edging, while in Junín, as in Cajamarca and Cuzco, women no longer use black skirts. Underneath their skirts, the women use layers of petticoats made from cotton which can be embroidered with gold and silver threads, featuring superbly-crafted drawings along the edge.

The Peruvian poncho dates back to the seventeenth century and apparently is a variation on the unku used by men at the time. The heavy ponchos used in Cajamarca keep out the rain and are as long as those used in Puno, where they are died scarlet during festivals. In Cuzco, ponchos are short and feature elaborate geometric figures against a red background.

On the coast, ponchos were used by the plantation workers, and they were spun from cotton or vicuña fiber. In the jungle, both men and women from some tribes wear the cushma, a loose tunic stitched up on both sides and embellished with dyes and geometric figures typical of the region.

Traditional dress tends to be capped off by woolen or straw hats, sometimes in various colors. But in the coldest reaches of the Andes, the highlanders tend to wear the chullo, a woolen cap fitted with earflap decorated with geometric motifs.

Regional dances require different forms of dress, depending on the area. Along the coast, exponents of the marinera dance replaces cotton with silk for their embroidered skirts. In the Andes, meanwhile, the danzantes de tijeras or scissors dancers decorate their fine outfits with small mirrors and embroider an image of their guardian deity on their backs.

More than four hundred years have gone by, four centuries bringing together the pre-Hispanic legends with the Western raison d’être. That era has left superb art and architecture in monuments which are a synthesis of the spirituality, imagination and creativity of Peruvians.

When one thinks of Peru, the first thing that springs to mind is the wealth of its age-old cultures and the legendary Inca empire.

The tour, however, continues past the Spanish Conquest and into colonial times, into the Peru where two visions of the world, time and of all things sacred came together, the Peru of the wars of independence and a republic built amidst bullets and bloodshed.

More than four hundred years have gone by, four centuries bringing together the pre-Hispanic legends with the Western raison d’être. That era has left superb art and architecture in monuments which are a synthesis of the spirituality, imagination and creativity of Peruvians.

Peruvians of today have inherited customs and traditions from civilizations that developed centuries before the arrival of Europeans, and that meeting of two worlds produced a melting pot that was further enriched by contributions from African and Asian people, who also settled roots in this land.

The city of Cuzco
Declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1983.

Cuzco, which in the ancient Quechua language means «navel of the world», was an important hub in Inca times that connected all of South America, from Colombia to the north of Argentina. Today, centuries later, Cuzco continues to be the centre of attention, not only for our neighbouring countries but for the whole world. In its streets, historical centres, churches, pubs and cafés you can hear not only Quechua and Spanish spoken, but such diverse languages as English, French, Japanese and Hebrew. All of them, united by the same experience, found in the charming and fascinating «belly button» of the world.
Machu Picchu
Inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site also in 1983.

I could say a great deal about this archaeological site, which was hidden for centuries until it came to light in the early 1900s, but it is difficult to describe in words what one feels when the citadel suddenly appears, like a challenge to the imagination and to engineering, between the mountains that mark the beginning and the end of the Andes and the Amazon Basin.

The temple or fortress of Chavin de Huantar
Declared a World Cultural Heritage in 1985.

I could tell you of the gusts of air that brush your face almost like a sigh when you walk through its sophisticated underground galleries. Known as the «castle», Chavin and its intricate passageways is believed to be one of the oldest constructions in the Americas.
The Huascaran National Park,
Inscribed as a World Natural Heritage in 1985.

Here I can tell you about the turquoise colour of its lakes that contrast with the snow-capped peaks of the highest tropical mountain range in the world. The Huascaran National Park is a paradise and a challenge to nature and adventure sports lovers alike. It has over 600 glaciers, close to 300 lakes, and 27 snow-capped peaks that reach heights of over 6,000 metres, such as the Huascaran which rises to 6,768 meters above sea level.
Chan Chan is another of the 10 sites
Inscribed as World Cultural Heritages by UNESCO, this in 1986.

Known as the largest city of clay in pre-Columbian America, Chan Chan is texture, it is form, it is desert sand made into art. The birds that decorate the walls of Chan Chan seem almost to fly in the strong breeze that blows through this ancient Chimu site.
The Manu National Park
Inscribed as a World Natural Heritage in 1987.

Manu is the feast of life and diversity, with more than 1,000 species of birds, 1,200 types of butterflies, over 20,000 varieties of plants and an unknown quantity of reptiles, insects and amphibians.
Lima’s Historical Centre
Declared a World Cultural Heritage in 1991.

Lima is a sum of colours, textures and sounds. It is a cosmopolitan capital par excellence where the taste is acquired from the flavour offered by its street-side cooks frying anticuchos or soft picarones in syrup against a backdrop of colonial balconies, old houses, and churches with secret tunnels.
The Rio Abiseo National Park
Inscribed as a World Natural Heritage in 1990.

Becausse geographical location and the fragility of the archaeological sites within the park, Rio Abiseo remains closed to tourism since 1996. Today Peruvian and foreign scientists travel through the park to continue studying the flora and fauna and the remains of pre-Inca cultures.
The Nazca Lines and the Pampas de Juma
Declared a World Heritage site in 1994.

Close to the other natural jewel that is the Paracas National Reserve, these lines and figures of different animals, drawn on the Peruvian desert and seen properly only from the sky, were considered a mystery for decades because it was not known if they were a calendar or a form of communication with outer space.
Arequipa’s Historical Centre
Declared a World Cultural Heritage in 2000.

The city of Arequipa is, precisely, an example of how culture in Peru is constantly abrew. Arequipa, known as the White City because of the volcanic rock, or «sillar», with which its churches and homes are built. Arequipa is the land of passions and contrasts, of the hot rocoto pepper and the magnificent condor which can only be seen flying over the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest in the world.
Caral
Declared a World Cultural Heritage in 2009.

Caral is one of 18 settlements identified in the valley. Covering an area of around 65 hectares, the city features a series of complexes such as the Great Pyramid, the Amphitheater Pyramid and the Residential Quarters of the Elite. The wind gusts powerfully over the sands Caral, the oldest city in the Americas. A living force that the ancient inhabitants allegedly tried to reproduce in their flutes. Crafted from condor and pelican bones, the first 32 flutes found at the archaeological site represented one of the biggest surprises produced at Caral. In 2001, researchers held the Archaeo-Musicological Research Workshop for the Flutes of Caral, in a bid to reproduce the sound of each one of them, just as the ancient dwellers might have heard them in 3000 BC.

10,000 years of history can be seen in one of the largest networks of archeology found in the world – and the largest in South America. Progress reached by the ancient Peruvians in the areas of arts and science never ceases to amaze. Take, for example, the city of Caral, the oldest in the Americas. Then, there is Machu Picchu, Incan citadel and newly elected Wonder of the World.

While Peru inevitably evokes images of Machu Picchu and the Inca empire, the country is also riddled with archaeological sites which are a legacy of even more ancient times, when great civilizations bequeathed a legacy of their art, customs and rituals, their wisdom and skills.

The Inca empire was a recent arrival during the process of cultural development in the Andes during the pre-Hispanic era, and the history of the Incas barely accounts for a century within the 20,000 years of human occupation of Peruvian territory.

Much earlier than the Incas and while civilizations like the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese (3000 and 2000 B.C.) flourished, the city of Caral, located north of the city of Lima, was built; this was the first American expression of a Pre-Ceramic urban settlement with monumental architecture in an area greater than 10 hectares. Later, in the northern highlands, the Chavin (800 – 200 B.C.) achieved significant advances in architecture, engineering, and agriculture.

The Chavín civilization (1500-400 BC) achieved considerable prowess in architecture, engineering and agriculture in the northern highlands. Along the north coast, the Moche civilization (200 BC-700 AD) is famous for its realistic pottery (portraits carved into pots and gourds) and its pyramid-shaped temples. The same area was later controlled by the Chimú kingdom (900-1450 AD), who built Chan Chan, an immense mud-brick citadel featuring 12-meter-high walls and superb architectural work.

To the south, the Nazca people (200 BC-900 AD) etched an impressive series of figures etched into the desert floor known as the Nazca Lines, while graves belonging to the Paracas culture (800 BC-600 AD) have unearthed superb weavings which point to the magical and religious vision that governed the lives of this ancient civilization.

Centuries later, the Incas (1300-1500 AD) were to make Cuzco the center of their empire, building major constructions such as Sacsayhuaman, Pisac and Koricancha. It is here that myth and history merge, where the Inca roads, the towns, people and traditions are a living example of the Andean spirit, sacred and monumental.

Discover why Peru is for many the heart of South America’s greatest civilizations.