Thursday, September 5, 2013 - Home | Lima, Peru

Depart home on flights to Lima. Upon your arrival, you will be met at the Lima airport by AIA lecturer and host Dr. James Kus and a local representative. A private coach will transfer the group to our hotel in Miraflores, a seaside suburb of Lima. Overnight at the Casa Andina PC Miraflores for two nights.
 

Friday, September 6 - Lima

After a buffet breakfast at our hotel, we will board our bus for downtown Lima. Make a brief visit to the historic center of Lima to see the National Palace (home to Peru’s President) on one side of the Plaza de Armas and the adjacent cathedral and city hall, then drive two blocks to the San Francisco church to visit its convent and catacombs. This church dates to 1673 and contains several important paintings of both the Rubens and Zubarán schools. Its catacombs were long an underground cemetery for Lima’s Christians, with more than 50,000 burials. Re-board our bus to head to the Larco Herrera Museum, which contains a wonderful collection of pre-Hispanic pottery. Lunch will be provided at the museum, after which we will have a guided tour of the exhibits. One highlight will be our ability to go behind-the-scenes for a tour of the storerooms of the Museum, which are not open to the public. Another highlight will be the Larco’s collection of erotic ceramics, typical of the Moche culture, which are housed in a separate building. In the late afternoon, return to our hotel in Miraflores. Tonight we gather for a welcome dinner. (B,L,D)
 

Saturday, September 7 - Lima | Cuzco | Urubamba, Sacred Valley

After breakfast at our hotel, we will transfer to the Lima airport for our flight to Cuzco. Upon our arrival, we will meet our guide and transfer by private coach to our hotel in the Sacred Valley (the wide portion of the Urubamba or Vilcanota River valley that lies north and northeast of Cuzco). After a light lunch at the hotel, re-board our bus to drive down the valley to the town of Ollantaytambo, where we will visit the Inca temple/fortress on a hill above the town. Later, take a walk through the town where many of the houses date to the Inca period and are still occupied by local families. Our guide will introduce us to one of the families who will invite us into their home for an explanation of the various objects found in a typical native residence (including guinea pigs wandering around the kitchen). Overnight at the Hotel Sol y Luna for three nights. (B,L,D)
 

Sunday, September 8 - Sacred Valley | Moray | Maras | Chincheros | Sacred Valley

Today we will be heading into the hills above the Sacred Valley. Our first stop will be the archaeological site of Moray, where a series of circular terraces have been the subject of much debate by archaeologists over the years. The big question:  What were they used for?  Our next stop will be the salt mines at Maras, which have been in use since pre-Hispanic times. The hundreds of small salt ponds make for wonderful photos as well as showing us how salt, that incredibly important part of our diets, was produced in pre-Industrial times. Our third stop will be the traditional weaving center in the town of Chincheros. The founder and head of this center, Nilda Callañaupa, will host a typical lunch at her home, followed by demonstrations of traditional weaving (including the use of native dyes). (B,L,D)
 

Monday, September 9 - Sacred Valley | Pisac | Sacred Valley

Our destination today will be the town and ruins of Pisac, located up the Urubamba Valley. We will visit the traditional market fair in the town plaza, where many of the vendors are people who have come down from the surrounding highland communities, wearing their traditional garb. A variety of handicrafts is for sale, as are local fruits and vegetables. After lunch at a nice local restaurant, drive into the hills above Pisac to visit an important Inca archaeological site (which is most likely a royal estate of the Inca ruler Pachacutec). In the late afternoon, we will return to our hotel. (B,L,D)
 

Tuesday, September 10 - Urubamba, Sacred Valley | Machu Picchu

After breakfast, we drive to the station in Ollantaytambo to catch our Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, the jumping off spot for Machu Picchu. Our hotel in Aguas Calientes is only a short walk from the train station, and we will have lunch before boarding a bus for our afternoon tour of Machu Picchu. Dr. Kus and our local guide will lead us through the most important parts of the archaeological site and we will stay within the ruins until the site closes. (Note that most visitors leave by early afternoon to catch the train back to Cuzco, so in the late afternoon we will enjoy the site with relative peace and quiet.) Overnight at the Inkaterra for two nights. (B,L,D)
 

Wednesday, September 11 - Machu Picchu (free day with optional excursions)

This is a free day. Those who like to hike can choose from two optional hiking excursions today (additional cost), either with our guide to the top of Huayna Picchu to enjoy the views overlooking Machu Picchu; or with Dr. Kus along the Inca Trail to the Sungate (Inti Punku) for a different perspective of Machu Picchu. Alternatively, you can rest and relax down at our hotel – and, if you choose, the staff of the hotel offers a variety of optional tours (e.g. nature walks to observe orchids, hummingbirds, the tea plantation, or native spectacled bears). (B,L,D)
 

Thursday, September 12 - Machu Picchu | Cuzco

In the morning, you may choose to return for one more visit to Machu Picchu on your own. We will have lunch at our hotel, followed by a Vistadome train ride back to Ollantaytambo where we will board our bus for the drive to Cuzco. Dinner tonight is on your own, perhaps at one of the restaurants around the main square in Cuzco. Overnight at the Libertador Palacio del Inka for three nights. (B,L)
 

Friday, September 13 - Cuzco | Sacsayhuaman | Qenqo | Cuzco

Today will be spent in and around the city of Cuzco. First up will be a visit to the cathedral, located on the main plaza (which was, itself, part of the Inca central square). Cuzco’s cathedral is considered to be the best repository of colonial art in Peru. We will also visit the Qoricancha (“Temple of the Sun”), which was the most sacred space in Inca Cuzco. The Dominicans built their church on top of the Qoricancha (after the Spanish conquistadors removed its gold and silver); and an earthquake in May 1950 destroyed portions of the Dominican church and uncovered the Inca walls that we see today. (Interestingly enough, most of the colonial buildings in Cuzco collapsed during this earthquake, whereas most of the Inca walls survived with little or no damage.) After touring the Qoricancha, we will board our bus to visit Sacsayhuaman, an Inca fortress in the hills overlooking the city. Its size and scope are amazing – particularly the huge stones (many weighing dozens of tons) that were used to build Sacsayhuaman’s walls. From the edge of the fortress is a wonderful view of the entire Cuzco valley. Lunch will be a gourmet picnic near Sacsayhuaman, after which we will visit the archaeological site of Qenqo, an Inca ritual center that includes carved rocks and an interesting underground passageway. We will return to our hotel by mid-afternoon, in time for some independent shopping or exploration of Cuzco. (B,L)
 

Saturday, September 14 - Cuzco (free day with optional excursion)

This is a free day – you may choose to relax at our hotel, continue to explore the colonial and Inca portions of historic Cuzco, visit museums, or shop at some of the handicraft stalls and antique stores in the San Blas neighborhood. Alternatively, you can join Dr. Kus for an optional tour (additional cost) to three important archaeological sites south of Cuzco beginning with Tipon, located high in the hills, another Inca royal estate that is famous for its terraces, stone-lined canals, and fountains. Piquillaqta was a Middle Horizon center built by the people of the Wari (or Huari) culture. It is a huge site, with lots of standing walls of houses and storehouses – and it is the only major pre-Inca site near Cuzco. Finally, this optional tour will end at Raqchi, where the remains of a large Inca temple were found. The central wall of this temple, which was dedicated to the major Inca god Viracocha, stands some fifty feet high and is the most prominent archaeological feature of the site, but there are lots more to see here, including Inca fountains, houses, and storerooms. (B)
 

Sunday, September 15 - Cuzco | Trujillo

After a week in the Andes, today we head to northern coastal Peru. After breakfast at our hotel, we will transfer to the Cuzco airport for our flight to Lima. Our connecting flight will take us to Trujillo, the largest city in northern coastal Peru, named after Francisco Pizarro’s hometown in Spain. Upon arrival in Trujillo, we will board a private coach for the short ride to Trujillo’s colonial Plaza de Armas, where our hotel is located adjacent to the cathedral. Overnight at the Libertador for two nights. (B)
 

Monday, September 16 - Trujillo | Huanchaco | Chan Chan | Trujillo

Today we will visit two of the most important archaeological sites in northern coastal Peru, both of which were the centers of their respective cultures. First up will be the Huaca del Sol/de la Luna complex (in English, the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon). This was the most sacred center of the Moche (or Mochica) culture, occupied from around the time of Christ until about A.D. 600. Before we visit the actual site we will tour the brand new site museum, and then our bus will take us to the ruins where we will examine the results of two decades of careful excavation by Peruvian scholars under the direction of Dr. Santiago Uceda. After lunch at a beachfront restaurant in the town of Huanchaco (famous for its small boats made of reeds), we will visit the ruins of Chan Chan, capital city of the Kingdom of Chimor. The archaeological site is dominated by several large ciudadelas (royal compounds), surrounded by high walls, although other types of remains are to be seen all over this huge site (Chan Chan covers several square miles and may have been home to more than 30,000 people – perhaps the largest pre-Hispanic site in all of Peru prior to its conquest by the Incas around A.D. 1470). (B,L)
 

Tuesday, September 17 - Trujillo | San Jose de Moro | Zaña | Chiclayo

This morning we will drive north to Chiclayo, with several interesting stops along the way. First, visit the site of Huaca Cao Viejo, another Moche period ceremonial center, and the new museum adjacent to the site. One of the highlights of the new museum is the tomb (and body) of the Señora de Cao, the highest status female burial ever found in Peru. Archaeologists and museum staff at the site have created an impressive display to allow viewing of the mummy while maintaining a great deal of reverence for this personage. After touring the museum, walk a few hundred feet to visit the actual Moche pyramid. From the top, we will be able to see several other Moche pyramids as well as the famous Huaca Prieta – a nearby pre-ceramic midden (refuse heap) excavated by Junius Bird in the 1940s.

After lunch in the town of Pacasmayo, we will briefly visit the site of San Jose de Moro, a major Moche period ceremonial center and cemetery currently being excavated by Luis Jaime Castillo of the Universidad Católica in Lima. His excavations are some of the largest ever done in Peru – large areas have been opened to uncover work areas, particularly for the production of chicha (corn beer), and deep tombs. Among the most important discoveries at San Jose de Moro have been multiple tombs of high status priestesses. Our final stop today will be a visit to the town of Zaña. Established early in the colonial period, Zaña became one of the richest Spanish cities in early colonial Peru, with multiple churches and a sizable native and black slave population. In March 1720, however, the town was wiped out by flooding during an episode of El Niño rains – the ruins of the colonial churches still show the high water marks from the flooding. Leaving Zaña, we drive north through one more valley to our hotel in Chiclayo. Overnight at the Casa Andina Select for two nights. (B,L) 
 

Wednesday, September 18 - Chiclayo | Ferrenafe | Lambayeque | Morrope | Chiclayo

Today we continue our exploration of the cultures of northern coastal Peru with a visit to the Sican Museum, located in the town of Ferrenafe. The director of this museum, Carlos Elera, is a former student of Dr. Kus and we are sure to receive a warm welcome as we tour its galleries. The museum focuses on the Sican culture (which dominated this region between the end of the Moche culture and the Chimu conquest of the Chiclayo area), but also includes much information about the geography and ecology of the coastal valleys as well as displays related to the daily life of the Sican people. We then visit the Tucume pyramids – this site includes more than twenty huacas built by the Lambayeque culture. After lunch in the town of Lambayeque, we will head to the traditional village of Morrope, where the residents continue to weave and make pottery using traditional methods. The chapel next to the town’s church is particularly interesting, as it dates to very early in the colonial period (it is the earliest surviving Catholic chapel in Peru) and was constructed using indigenous techniques. Gather tonight for a farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
 

Thursday, September 19 - Chiclayo | Lambayeque | Sipan | Chiclayo | Lima | Home

Our visit to Peru concludes today with the spectacular materials related to the site of Sipan. After checking out of our hotel, we will drive to the town of Lambayeque to tour the fantastic Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, which houses much of the material discovered during the first years of excavation at the Sipan (or Huaca Rajada) site. We start our tour at the top of the museum, where we learn how archaeologist Walter Alva came to excavate at the site (as the result of material found by grave robbers). Alva’s excavation of the tomb of the Lord of Sipan in 1987 was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. As we work our way down through the museum, we work back in time: the lower levels relate to earlier Moche periods, ending with a second, older, tomb of another Lord of Sipan. After lunch, we will drive to the actual site of Sipan, where we will first climb the huacas and put what we saw this morning into context, and then tour the new museum at the site, where the results of the most recent excavations are displayed. Late in the afternoon we will transfer to the Chiclayo airport for our flight to Lima, connecting to your flights homeward. (B,L)

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