In the church of Santa Ana a crypt has been discovered during restoration work carried out by a team from the Peruvian National Institute of Culture. It is thought to date from 1560 and belongs to the colonial period when Inca nobles used to perform this type of burial. The tomb is roofed with brick and corresponds to the period during which the church itself was built by Juan Polo de Ondegardo and Bishop Juan Solano. Behind the temple Inca and colonial-era walls have also been discovered, and they are also being restored by the INC to correct the damage which occurred to them in the 1650 and 1950 earthquakes.
(October 1st 2007)
40 Mummies from Pre-Inca Culture Uncovered at Fortress
Under tons of earth and rock some forty mummies from the pre-Inca Chachapoyas culture have been discovered during excavations at the fortress of Kuelap in the Amazon region of Peru, according to the project leader Alfredo Narváez.
The remains were found “jealously guarded” beneath a 24-metre diameter platform at the southern end of the complex. Six circular buildings – presumably houses – were found to contain the bodies of forty individuals of both sexes and different ages, laid out both within and beyond the confines of the constructions. Apparently, they had not been properly buried.
Epidemic or massacre?
“What is most surprising is that the human remains appear to have been damaged by fire. This poses new questions for the researchers: Were the dead victims of an epidemic or a violent occupation which ended in a massacre, after which the fortress was burned down?”
Narváez pointed to the possibility of an assault on the fortress by Inca troops, who would have decimated the local population, or perhaps a final resistance by the Chachapoyas people who - facing defeat - preferred to destroy their magnificent citadel rather than surrender to the enemy.
Another possibility is that an epidemic brought by the Spanish from the Old World might have affected the city, and that the fortress was razed to the ground to prevent the further spread of the disease.
(September 30th 2007)
Boeing Predicts Latin America Tourism Boom
The aircraft manufacturer Boeing predicts that it will sell more than 1,700 new planes to Latin America over the next twenty years, worth an estimated US$120 billion.
Boeing forecasts that air travel to the region will grow an average of 6.6% annually during the next two decades, making its growth second only to that of China.
At least 80% of the orders will be for single aisle jets.
Latin America is seen as an attractive growth area for the aircraft industry because of the large distance between places, poor existing transportation links, an increasing number of people able to afford air fares and increased international tourism to the region.
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