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Minister of Foreing Commerce

The APEC Peru 2008 Year will officially begin on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 12 m, in a ceremony that will take place at the Government Palace. The announcement will be made by the President of the Republic, Mr. Alan García Pérez, and will also be attended by Vice Admiral (r) Luis Giampietri Rojas, President of the APEC 2008 High Level Commission and its members; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio García Belaúnde; of Economy and Finance, Luis Carranza; and of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Mercedes Araoz; as well as other authorities and personalities.

The formal ceremony will also be attended by representatives from the 21 APEC member economies and will render official the host role of our country throughout 2008. A total of a hundred twenty-seven (127) meetings will take place in Lima, El Callao and other nine cities of the country: Arequipa, Chiclayo, Cusco, Iquitos, Piura, Puno, Tacna, Tumbes, and Trujillo, in a decentralizing effort beyond compare. Membership of this Forum becomes a privileged platform to access product and capital markets from the Asia Pacific and is part of the national integration project to face the challenges of globalization. The theme for the present year is “A new commitment to the development of the Asia – Pacific”, which specially emphasizes public-private partnerships and the participation of international financial institutions. Continue reading

By Ellen R. Gordon

Coca Leaves

Colorfully-dressed Incas greet us with cups of hot tea as we enter the airport terminal. “¡Bienvenidos a Cusco!” A delightful welcome to the two-mile high Andean city, but the tea also serves an important purpose—the prevention of altitude sickness.

The tea we are offered at the airport, and again in our hotel lobby, is mate de coca—brewed from leaves of the coca plant. Coca is best known to North Americans as the source of the drug cocaine, which is actually a highly processed derivative of the coca leaves. Because of its association with the drug, coca is banned in the U.S. Continue reading

By Ellen R. Gordon

Chicha Preparation

Have a thirst for a real native experience? While traveling in Peru, stop at a house displaying a red flag on a long pole. There you can join the locals in a glass of chicha, an ancient Andean drink made from fermented corn.

The strange-tasting drink, yellowish in color with a bubbly froth, is served warm for just a few coins, and is quite strong. It is not usually found in restaurants (a similar drink, chicha morada, made from blue corn, is sweet and sold everywhere like a soft-drink), but is sold by individuals, usually in the lower socioeconomic bracket, who have passed down the traditional recipes since pre-Inca times.

Recently, in the mountaintop city of Cerro Baul in southern Peru, archeologists from the University of Chicago unearthed remains of an ancient brewery dating back to the Wari Empire (AD 600-1000). It is believed that the brewery was used to produce massive amounts of chicha, which was used both for ritual purposes and festivities.

The ruins indicate that the last gathering at this brewery ended with a ritual burning of the entire facility. As the Wari’s threw their cups into the fire, the beams and thatched roof collapsed, leaving what was underneath in very good condition. Scientists have found remains of fire pits and fifteen-gallon ceramic vats.

The first step in preparing the chicha is boiling the fruits and grains (now corn) with water. After boiling, the liquid is transferred to fermenting jars and is ready in two weeks. It must be consumed soon after—it does not have a shelf life!

So, join your Peruvian neighbors in a glass of chicha, if you dare, and carry on the ancient tradition.

By Ellen R. Gordon

Chan-Chan

They called the city “Jang-Jang,” which means, “Sun-Sun” in Yunca, the Chimu language. The name evolved into “Chan Chan” during the Spanish rule.

Chan Chan was the capital of the Chimus, who, before the Incas built their mighty empire, dominated over 600 miles of Peru’s Pacific coastline. The Chimu civilization lasted for almost five hundred years, beginning around 950 A.D.

Located in a hot and dry valley, about 300 miles north of Lima near the present day City of Trujillo, Chan Chan was the largest Pre-Columbian South American urban center before the arrival of the Europeans. At its height, Chan Chan had a population of over 50,000 and covered more than 15 square miles.

The city was built entirely of adobe, a local material perfectly suited for the environment—it collects heat during the day and slowly releases it at night. The adobe walls reached as high as 33 feet and provided privacy while guarding against dust, sand and high winds.

The city itself consisted of ten enormous walled quadrangles, called ciudadelas (citadels), each built with only one entrance. Inside each ciudadela were large plazas, residences, temples, gardens, reservoirs, various rooms and storage areas, and a cemetery. They were accessed along very wide corridors. It is believed that only the aristocracy lived within these quadrangles, as evidenced by the intricate decoration adorning the walls. Carved into the adobe, the friezes represent local animals, sea life, geometric shapes, and other designs. Some areas were also covered with precious metals. The common people inhabited barrios outside of the ciudadela’s walls.

A ciudadela was built by slaves for the king, his servants and aristocracy. When the king died, it became his mausoleum. He was buried there, surrounded by his treasures, and with him were also buried an entourage of as many as 300 victims of sacrifice. The new king would then have his own ciudadela built, as did the king after him. Today, as we stand on an observation platform overlooking the ruins of Chan Chan, we can see the ruins of the successive ciudadelas.

Living in an area with little rain, the Chimus constructed a series of canals to transport water from the Andes. They also built sunken gardens to attract water to their crops, a system still used in local farming today. In addition to their engineering skills, the Chimus were also artisans. Visiting the Chan Chan museum, we can see examples of their skill with gold, ceramics, weaving, and pottery.

When the Incas finally conquered Chan Chan in the early 15th century, they transferred most of the wealth to their own capital, Cuzco. Around 1470, Francisco Pizarro, the conquistador, reached Chan Chan, looking for gold and treasures. He removed much of what the Incas left. As the centuries passed, grave robbers continued the job of looting. Although little of the riches remain, most of the city’s walls are intact today, along with the friezes, and great plazas—a tribute to the architectural and engineering capabilities of the Chimu.

The Majestic Sacred Valley

Standing guard over the Urubamba Valley, the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Ollantaytambo’s great terraces and massive stoneworks served as a ceremonial center and fortress, protecting the heart of the Incan empire from its enemies. Its massive structures were crafted by moving giant stones for miles using sheer manpower and ingenious engineering devices. The builders even rechanneled a river to allow the giant stones to be manoeuvred across. It was here at Ollantaytambo that the Incas staged their last victory over the Spanish.

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By Lee Klein

Francisco Pizarro

I first visited the Cathedral in Lima, Peru, in 1979, and saw the mummy of Francisco Pizarro. The mummy had been placed there back in 1891, when Peruvian officials, wanting to prominently display the “Founder of Lima,” had the body moved from the chapel in which it had lain for the previous 350 years.

But was this really Pizarro? Just prior to my visit, workers cleaning a crypt beneath the altar found two wooden boxes, one containing the bones of five people—one missing a head! The other box held a lead casket on which was inscribed in Spanish, “Here is the skull of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, who discovered and won Peru and placed it under the crown of Castile.”

Francisco Pizarro died a violent death. On June 16,1541, while he was having dinner in his governor’s palace, a group of men, led by the son of his ex-partner, Diego de Almagro, broke in and stabbed him to death. As he lay dying from multiple sword wounds, he drew a cross on the ground in his own blood, kissing it, and crying “Jesus.” Continue reading

It is the subject of heated debates, media coverage and national pride. Peru and Chile continue to fight even now. It is not a war or border dispute but a fight over which country has the

Pisco Bottles

right to claim “Pisco” as their national drink.

Pisco is a clear brandy, popular for centuries in both Peru and Chile. The white muscat grapes, from which pisco is distilled, were first grown in Peru by the Spaniards in the 16th century. At that time Peru and Chile were both part of Spain’s American empire. When they became independent countries, both claimed the liquor as their own. Today, the grapes are grown in only two places—around the town of Pisco in the Ica Valley of Peru, and in central Chile in the Elqui Valley, called the “zona pisqueria.”

The name Pisco comes from a Quechuan (Incan) word, although there is some dispute as to what it actually means. Some believe it comes from the word “pisquo,” that literally translates as “flying bird,” referring to the effect it has on the drinker, while others believe it is the name of the clay pots in which the Indians stored “chicha” (Andean corn beer). Another theory has to do with the Peruvian port of Pisco. In the 1700’s, the King of Spain banned wine from the colony, so most of the grapes were made into the brandy. The port grew very popular in the 19th century as seamen flocked there because of the lucrative trade in guano. They drank the local brandy, which eventually took the name of the town itself.

Since Peru had a town named Pisco, in 1939 the Chileans renamed their town of Union, in the Elqui Valley, to Pisco Elqui.

Pisco- Bay

In 1961 Chile banned imports of Peruvian Pisco so Peru banned Chilean pisco from their country.

Although they are made in the same way from the same variety of grapes, there is a difference in sweetness and alcoholic content between the two countries’ piscos.

A popular drink in Chile is the “piscola,” a mixture of Pisco and Coke. The national drink of both Peru and Chile, is the rich “Pisco Sour.”

The dispute has gone on for decades but if the powers that be of each country would just sit down over a few Pisco Sours, they could probably iron out an agreement in no time!

Pisco Barrels

Peruvian Pisco Sour

* 3 parts Peruvian Pisco

* 2 parts lemon juice

* 1 egg white

* 1-1/2 parts sugar

* Ice cubes

* 3-4 drops Angostura Bitters

Mix the egg white and lemon juice in a blender. Add sugar, ice and Pisco. Pour into cocktail glass, top with a few drops of Angostura bitters, and serve.

Chilean Pisco Sour

* 3 parts Chilean Pisco

* 1-1/2 parts lemon or lime juice

* 1 egg white

* 1-2 Tablespoons sugar

* Ice cubes

Shake all ingredients well in a cocktail shaker. Pour into a small, chilled cocktail glass and serve.

Potatoes

What is your first thought when you hear the word “empire?” The Roman Empire? The British Empire, on which the sun never sets? “Star Wars?”

At the time Europeans arrived in South America the Incas had the largest empire in the world, covering as much territory as had the Romans, five centuries earlier. From Ecuador to the center of Chile, the dominion of the Incas stretched almost 3,400 miles.

Like the Romans, the Incas had an extensive network of highways. Although they never developed the wheel, the Incas built 25,000 miles of roads. These highways, many of which were stone-paved and up to 24 feet wide, carried couriers, armies and cargo-laden llamas throughout the sprawling territories. Their use was restricted to those on official government business.

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By Lee Klein

Nazca Lines

As our Cessna again circled over the giant figures on the ground I shot the final slide on my roll of film and, leaning at a 45 degree angle, attempted to reload my camera. Another pass over a monkey larger than a football field and we headed back to the dirt landing strip on Peru’s Nazca Desert.

The Nazca Desert is a high arid plateau which stretches 37 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa in southern Peru. Hundreds of square miles of this dry, rocky plain are marked with lines, triangles and other geometric shapes, some running for more than five miles in a straight line. There are also giant drawings including a monkey, a spider, birds, reptiles, and whales.

The desert markings, believed to have been made thousands of years ago, made little impression on occasional travelers who viewed them from ground level, but when they were spotted by aircraft in the 1930’s they caught the world’s attention. They have since been surveyed, mapped and studied. Only two questions remain—who made them, and why?

In his 1968 book, “Chariots of the Gods,” Swiss writer Eric von Daniken suggested that the lines were built by “ancient astronauts” as a landing field. Looking at the lines from the sky they do resemble an airport, but it doesn’t seem reasonable that advanced extraterrestrial spacecraft would require landing strips. Besides, Nazca’s soft, sandy soil is hardly suitable for an airport. Forgetting the “Twilight Zone” theories, we can imagine a more down to earth explanation. We know that the region has been inhabited for thousands of years—by the Paracas, 900–200 BC, by the Nazcas, 200 BC–600 AD, and by others. The figures are generally attributed to the Nazcas since they resemble those on Nazca pottery.

But why create figures which can be seen only from the sky? A reasonable explanation is that they were not intended to be viewed by humans but by gods. A local school teacher in the area explained his theory to me. The lines all point toward the Andes—the source of the water which flows into the area through underground aquifers. The figures, he believed, represent the bounty made possible by this water. The Indians probably conducted rituals on these giant drawings to thank the gods and ensure that the water would continue to flow.

They created the lines that extend for miles by placing two stakes in a row, sighting along them to place a third stake, then repeating the process. By moving the desert’s stones and scraping its surface coating, in the absence of rain, the lines have survived the centuries. Hopefully, they will survive many more centuries for future generations to marvel at.

By Ellen R. Gordon

The Inca Trail! Wow! I love to hike, but until this year my experience had been limited to one or two day hikes. Now, we were going to spend four days in the Andes of Peru hiking the trail to Machu Picchu. Most travelers choose to take the three-hour scenic train ride from Cuzco, but we decided to hike the route taken by the ancient Incas—a trail considered to be one of the most scenic in the world. All the literature said that any “reasonably fit” person could do this, but since they also mentioned passes with elevations of up to 14,000 feet, I was a bit apprehensive.

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