amauta (quechua) professor or master – person of great wisdom
as far as we know the Inca did not possess a written or recorded language. Like the Aztec, they depended largely on oral teaching as a means of maintaining their culture. The general population received knowledge and skills passed on by their forebears. But the royal classes and a few specially chosen individuals were formally educated by the Amautas.
ashlar
quarried stone used for building
the Callejon de Huaylas
stretches for about 200 kilometres, running from north to south in the department of Ancash and separating two mountain chains, the snowcapped Cordillera Blanca, containing many of Peru’s highest mountains including Mount Huascarán, and the Cordillera Negra. The Río Santa runs through the valley which formed an important location for the Chavín culture.cancha
roasted corn kernels
cauqui (kawki)
Chachapoyas - cloud people
– sacha (mountain) puya (fog)
or Kuélap, culture dates from about 800 AD
until 1532, when they were conquered and assimilated by the Inca
Pachacuteq. Inca
legend talks of the cloud people as being a tall warrior race, fair of skin and
hair. And there is an unusually large proportion of fair skinned natives
in this zone, with no known European ancestry. During the Inca civil war, many of the Chachapoyas were
conscripted into Huascar's army and incurred heavy casualties in the ensuing
battles. When his brother Atahualpa was finally victorious, many more were
punished for their allegiance to his rival by execution or deportation. It was possibly due to this harsh treatment
that many of the Chachapoyas initially chose to side with the Spanish
colonialists when they arrived in Peru and Guaman, a local ruler from
Cochabamba, allied to the conquistador Francisco Pizarro. When the Spanish
finally did occupy Cochabamba, they proceeded to extort what riches they could
from the local people. charango
a small ten stringed lute. The back of the instrument is traditionally made from an armadillo shell.
charqui
strips of dried meat similar to beef jerky
chicha de jora
a cloudy, fermented corn beer
Chicha played a large part in both everyday and
ceremonial life in the Inca Empire and was fermented in large, round-bottomed
clay jars, set in reed baskets. Traditionally brewed by women, the chichera would sometimes add bits of charcoal to ward off evil spirits. Today you
will still see people flicking some drops of chicha onto the ground in the four
directions of the compass before drinking, following the age old custom of honoring
the earth goddess Pachamama
chicharrones
can be made of pork, chicken or fish.
The small pieces of meat are lightly seasoned and deep
fried. The most popular in Peru are the crispy fried pork pieces, cooked in
their own rendered fat in large pots over a wood fire
chifa
The Chinese first came to Peru in the 19th century as indentured servants working the guano islands, railroads and coastal sugar plantations, where they suffered horrendous conditions. Their contracts did however include the obligation to provide certain foods and they maintained their culinary traditions. Eventually when they settled as free citizens, they imported seeds for ingredients such as ginger and snow peas, and began to set up small establishments in the area which has now become a bustling Chinatown in downtown Lima. The impact on the Peruvian palate has been striking and long-lasting. The word chifa is used for both the resulting fusion cuisine and the corner restaurants which are a feature of any neighbourhood in the country today.
chulpa
stone burial chamber or funerary tower
fardo
The Chinese first came to Peru in the 19th century as indentured servants working the guano islands, railroads and coastal sugar plantations, where they suffered horrendous conditions. Their contracts did however include the obligation to provide certain foods and they maintained their culinary traditions. Eventually when they settled as free citizens, they imported seeds for ingredients such as ginger and snow peas, and began to set up small establishments in the area which has now become a bustling Chinatown in downtown Lima. The impact on the Peruvian palate has been striking and long-lasting. The word chifa is used for both the resulting fusion cuisine and the corner restaurants which are a feature of any neighbourhood in the country today.
chulpa
stone burial chamber or funerary tower
fardo
cloth mummy
bundle
The bundle would usually contain a flexed body in the foetal position,
which was topped with a mask or headdress. Tello uncovered hundreds of fardos at Paracas. They were wrapped in multiple layered intricately
decorated textiles, some with more than sixty layers
herranza
fertility
rite involving branding cattle and sheep, and ritual offerings to the powerful
deities associated with mountains or lakes. The campesinos believe that failure
to observe these rituals can bring death upon the herds and members of the
family.
huaca
ruin or
ancient structure, usually funerary mounds or pyramids. The term literally
means an object that represents something revered and as such can also
traditionally include natural locations and formations.
huaco
generic name
in Peru given to any artefact found at pre-Columbian sites; mostly earthenware
vessels and other finely made pots linked to ceremonial or religious use.
huaquero
grave robber
lomo saltado
very
popular Chinese - Peruvian fusion stir fry dish of beef, potato, onions and tomatoes, flavoured with
native yellow chillies (aji amarillo). This is a firm favourite at the corner chifa (Chinese restuarant) and at home.
Mama Quilla
(Mother Moon/Golden Mother)
Inca moon goddess, daughter of Viracocha and consort
to Inti. She is the mother of Manco Capac, the first Inca. She is the deity of
marriages, the calendar and festivals and feast days
mate
dried, hollowed out pumpkin traditionally used in mountain communities as a drinking vessel or a dish for food; also commonly employed as a chamber pot. Nowadays intricately engraved mate burilados, using traditional hand carving techniques, are made into a variety of decorative objects.
dried, hollowed out pumpkin traditionally used in mountain communities as a drinking vessel or a dish for food; also commonly employed as a chamber pot. Nowadays intricately engraved mate burilados, using traditional hand carving techniques, are made into a variety of decorative objects.
Moche
Contemporary with Nazca in the south, the Moche
civilization is thought to have evolved during the first century A.D. and
spread over an area on Peru’s northern coast stretching from the Lambayeque
valley to Nepeña just south of what is today the port of Chimbote. The Moche
state was militaristic and highly stratified. They developed large scale
irrigation systems and were skilled engineers.
Main sites include the Huaca del Sol, a large pyramid comparable in size
to Egypt’s Sakhara pyramid, and the Huaca de la Luna whose temple walls are
decorated with motifs of a fearsome fanged deity, with the head of a marine
bird and a nest of snakes for hair. The
distinctive Moche style pottery, dark red on cream background, is decorated
with depictions of fishing and hunting, but violent scenes of death, war and
human sacrifice are also common. The El
Brujo site, probably the most important religious and political centre of the
Moche culture also features scenes of ritual combat, blood offerings and human
sacrifice, alongside images of an owl-spider divinity. But amongst all the decapitation,
dismemberment and blood ritual, the Moche craftsmen were evidently very skilled
in reproducing facial features, expression and personality. They were also highly accomplished metal
workers, producing beautiful ornaments in gold, silver and precious stones. One
of the most spectacular discoveries relating to the Moche culture was the royal
tomb of the Lord of Sipán in the late 1980’s, one of the richest finds in the
New World.
olluco
small brightly coloured, yellow and red skinned tuber,
with very moist flesh, most commonly eaten in stews. Olluco and other nutrient rich mountain tuber crops
such as oca and mashua are staples of the Andean diet
panetón
traditional domed shaped yeast bread, flavored, with candied fruit peel and raisins, originating from fifteenth century Milan
aguardiente de Pisco
named after
the port of Pisco, a clear brandy made from the grapes grown in the Ica valley which
cuts through the coastal desert plain about 300 kilometres south of Lima. Juice from the pressed grapes is left in a puntaya – holding vat for 24 hours. It
then travels through a series of troughs and channels to the fermentation vats,
where after 10 to 12 days the resulting wine is transferred to a traditionally handmade
mud and copper still or falca. After distillation, the colourless eau de vie will rest in large clay pots called pisqueras for 2 – 3 months before it’s finally ready to be bottled.
There are
four distinct types of Pisco
- Pisco Puro -
made only from the dark Quebranta grape, it is quite dry and very good for
cocktails
- Pisco Aromático - is produced from either Muscat,
Italia, Moscatel or Torontel grapes and has a more intense, fruity, aroma
and flavour.
- Pisco Acholado – a blended Pisco, made from a
mix of two or more varieties of grape – this one is particularly good taken
neat in shots.
- Pisco Mosto Verde – is the most expensive of the
four to make. The grape juice is not allowed to ferment completely, retaining
a little sugar content, and the resulting Pisco has a rich velvety
texture.
La Puna (Altiplano)
quena
quero quechua qiro - cup or goblet
traditional wide lipped drinking vessel. They were
mainly of clay or wood, although the Inca had queros of finely worked and
decorated gold
quipu
a series of multicoloured knotted strings spun from
llama or alpaca fibre used
as a kind of coded language by ancient Peruvian civilizations to count objects
and record history.
Quipus had a varying number of strings and information
was relayed by the position knots were placed on them, and by the colour of the
strings. Quipus were transported by relay runners (chasqui) carrying messages throughout the vast territory of the
Inca Empire.
The
Sechín complex lies in the Casma valley situated on the coastal plain, just over 300km north of Lima,
between the towns of Chimbote and Huarmey. It is one of the largest and most ancient monumental sites in Peru.
The huge mound at Sechín Alto, at over 40 meters tall, is the largest of its time period. The site was always well known, given
that due to its enormous size it was in full view.
However, in 1937 Tello was led to a place the local
people called el Indio Bravo because
of a human face carved on a large rock. As it turned out this face was only
part of a stone that was still three quarters buried underground. Tello eventually
discovered more than ninety of them. The Cerro
Sechín temple (1770 – 1510 BC) is
now best known for the macabre stone frieze that Tello uncovered and Hernan
recorded. Made from huge slabs of local granite, the monolithic façade features
gruesome representations of death and mutilation. Warrior like figures carrying
clubs or staffs, and wearing loincloths and hats proceed around the walls,
surrounded by naked victims and their severed body parts engraved on smaller
stones.
The site also includes Sechín
Bajo, Taukachi-Konkan and
Moxeque which is another significant site. The square based stepped pyramid (1800-1400 BC) made of stone and mud brick has
curved corners. The complex contains large plazas and living units as well as terraces
and cemeteries. Several smaller buildings and atriums at the top
can be reached by a stairway, cutting through the temple’s façade which is
decorated by deep niches with large sculptures of human figures made with clay
in different colours.
trepanation (also sometimes known as trepanning or trephination)
ucuco ucumari (spectacled bear)
arboreal bear with thick brown fur. It gets its name from the pale yellow coloured bands across the base of the nose and the forehead. Nocturnal and generally solitary except for the bond between mothers and their cubs, not much is known about the behavior of these bears in the wild. The only known species of bear left now in South America
verruga (Peruvian warts)
common name for the mosquito borne disease
Bartonelosis, occuring only at a very specific altitude (between 1,000 and
3,000 msl) in some Andean valleys. A
very unpleasant malady, the first phase of the disease is characterized by
lethargy, fever, excruciating pain in the articulations and anemia, becoming
severe as the disease progresses. During later phases the body erupts in warty tumours
(hence the name) which can range from the size of a pea to that of an orange. Warts
then rupture and cause heavy bleeding. It is an endemic and reemerging disease
in modern day Peru and Ecuador, although mortality rates are low
yanacón(a)
tenant farmer or sharecropper
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