Cave Paintings… a tourist attraction not well talked about in Peru but if you go looking there are some amazing places to go hiking and look at these ancient sites. Out of the 24 departments of Peru only two have been noted not have any petroglyphs and cave paintings (maybe they are still yet to be discovered), these are Tumbes and Ucayali. In this brief summary I shall mention only a few well-known prehistoric sites and where they are located. One Peruvian archaeologist Quirino Olivera over the span of two years found over 10,000 cave paintings dating back more than 6,000 years near the village of Tambolic, in the district of Jamalca, province of Utcubamba located in department Amazonas. In this region, Shupcha and Tambolic is known to have a high concentration of cave paintings. 

 The reason for the high concentration of cave paintings in Amazonas is because the thick jungle has kept them from being disturbed for thousands of years, a lot of cave paintings are left unprotected in Peru but many are still visible and if the region of Amazonas is too far for you the region of Ancash, very close to Lima has two notable caves called Ichic Tiog and Wacramarca. Ichic Tiog and Wacramarca are located in the Huascarán National Park and as many of you know Ancash is famous for the high mountains. Ichic Tiog is located 3,900 metres about sea level and if you feel adventurous Wacramarca is slightly higher up at an altitude of 4,100 metre above sea level. Not only does this region have cave painting it also has sites where you can see dinosaur foot prints which date back to the Cretaceous period. 

 Now heading down the south of Peru in Tacna you will find the Toquepala caves located 96 miles from the city of Tacna at an altitude of 2,700 metres above sea level, archaeologists have dated artifacts from around 7,650 BC. One archaeologist Jesus Gordillo addressed concerns about the Vilavilani cave in Tacna which has paintings dating back to 7,000 B.C, the main threats to the paintings are strong winds and heavy rains also there is the risk that such painting maybe damaged by people who enter the caves. There are many more to discover and there are tours to some of these especially the ones in Ancash.

By: GringoPerú

The city of Ica is located in the south of Peru and is about four hours away from Lima on bus, a lot of people visit the city for the tourist attraction that is known as “The Oasis of Huacachina”. Located three miles from the city of Ica, Huacachina has an interesting legend (there are many versions to the story but many facts remain the same). I shall also write about another famous legend that is popular in Ica, the palm tree with seven heads located 2 miles from the city of Ica in a small village of Cachiche. Firstly, the “The Oasis of Huacachina”, Huacachina (Huaca in Quechua means to morn and China in Spanish can mean many things in this case we can assume it means young woman). 

 Now during the times of the Inca´s there was a young woman or some stories mention a princess that was in love with a prince however, the prince suddenly passed away and so she found a place where she cried and returned there every day crying for her loved one, these tears collected into a large pool of water (oasis). One day while crying she was startled by a hunter that was watching her, she fled with her mantle dragging behind her and this according to legend created the huge sand dunes that surround the oasis. Now all legends state that she became a mermaid however, not many legends tell of why she became a mermaid, she just became one. Some say men have to careful not to fall to her song or she will drag them to the bottom of the oasis, according to one story she needs a soul of male victim every year to remain alive so she can continue to look for her loved one. Other versions mention instead of a hunter there was an evil spirit, another story states that while bathing in the oasis the princess saw the hunter with her mirror and as she ran she created the dune and on dropping the mirror created the oasis. One final legend I read about was written by Desert Nights a hotel located in Huacachina and this story changes completely. According to this story there was a young woman that had a pact with a god and this pact stated that she would never fall in love with anyone else however, while brushing her hair she caught the site of the hunter in her mirror and fell in love with him. The god became angry and turned her into a mermaid so she could never be with the hunter and her mantle blew in the wind creating the sand dunes and as she dropped the mirror it created the lagoon. In this story it is said that she comes out when the moon is full enticing single men with her song. 

The next legend focuses on the village of Cachiche which is said to have been inhabited by witches and here you will find a palm tree with many entangling trunks, it is said to have seven heads and the legends goes like this. The witches of Cachiche were well known for their remedies and medicine and it is said that in order to unlock the secrets that they desired they needed to sacrifice one of their own however, the one that was chosen did not want to die so she fled. Her attempt was futile as she tried to run she jumped up on top a palm tree and on doing so another witch created a magic lasso and tried to capture her.  

As they threw the lasso they missed splitting the tree till it had seven heads and the fleeing witch continued to evade capture till she jumped on the seventh head which broke and she was captured and taken to be sacrificed. Before dying the witched placed a curse on Ica and said if the seventh head ever grew back the city of Ica would be flooded.

One supposed witch Julia Hernández Pecho Viuda de Díaz is one of the famous and well-known witches who died at the age of 106 in 1987 warned of the curse but it was largely forgotten about. However, on the 29th January 1998 the River Ica burst its banks and the city of Ica was flooded and it is said that when the tree was observed the seventh head had started to grow and was quickly cut once again. In Ica the seventh head is observed and if it starts to grow again it is quickly cut. So these are the most popular legends of Ica and it is easy and inexpensive to get to Ica, so get on the bus and see these sites for yourself, you won´t be disappointed.

By: GringoPerú

If you travel to the district of Lince you will come across a building non like any other in the area or in Lima city area apart from the Real Felipe Fortress, you will come across a castle one that was designed and built to look like a medieval castle. The castle is known as the 

“El Castillo Rospigliosi” 

(Castle Rospigliosi). The castle however is not that old and was actually built in 1929 during the government of Augusto B. Leguía, and was the project of Carlos Julio Rospigliosi Vigil (Lima, 1879-1938), a doctor in natural sciences and medicine and teacher at the University of San Marcos. It is said that Rospigliosi upon hearing that the King of Spain Alfonso XIII would visit Lima wanted to build the castle so that Lima would have a place of grandeur for someone like the King of Spain, however due to the civil war in 1930 in Spain forced Alfonso XIII to flee meaning that the trip to Lima did not go ahead. Rospigliosi then decided to use the castle as a family residence (some say that the castle was originally built only for the Rospigliosi family. In the original plans of Rospigliosi he wanted to build a moat and draw bridge along with the castle however, the idea of the moat and draw bridge was rejected by the authorities in Lima. The castle remained with the Rospigliosi family until 1949 when Carlos Augusto Rospigliosi Vigil lost the castle when it was expropriated by the State from then on the castle has been used as an office for the Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aérea del Perú). The castle also hosts the Aeronautic Museum, the museum and castle can be found at Manuel del Pino 488 - Castillo Rospigliosi Urb. Santa Beatriz Lince. The museum can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm. If you travel to the district of Lince you will come across a building non like any other in the area or in Lima city area apart from the Real Felipe Fortress, you will come across a castle one that was designed and built to look like a medieval castle. The castle is known as the “El Castillo Rospigliosi” (Castle Rospigliosi). 

 The castle however is not that old and was actually built in 1929 during the government of Augusto B. Leguía, and was the project of Carlos Julio Rospigliosi Vigil (Lima, 1879-1938), a doctor in natural sciences and medicine and teacher at the University of San Marcos. It is said that Rospigliosi upon hearing that the King of Spain Alfonso XIII would visit Lima wanted to build the castle so that Lima would have a place of grandeur for someone like the King of Spain, however due to the civil war in 1930 in Spain forced Alfonso XIII to flee meaning that the trip to Lima did not go ahead. Rospigliosi then decided to use the castle as a family residence (some say that the castle was originally built only for the Rospigliosi family. In the original plans of Rospigliosi he wanted to build a moat and draw bridge along with the castle however, the idea of the moat and draw bridge was rejected by the authorities in Lima. The castle remained with the Rospigliosi family until 1949 when Carlos Augusto Rospigliosi Vigil lost the castle when it was expropriated by the State from then on the castle has been used as an office for the Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aérea del Perú). The castle also hosts the Aeronautic Museum, the museum and castle can be found at Manuel del Pino 488 - Castillo Rospigliosi Urb. Santa Beatriz Lince. The museum can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

Written by: GringoPeru

Las tapadas Limeñas were a common sight in Lima during the period of the Viceroyalty of Peru until the early days of the Republic, this statement was unique as the entire body of the woman was covered and only one eye was visible. The garments worn by these women were the saya and manto. The saya was a dress that covered the wearer from the feet to the waist and was usually made of silk, the colours varied but the most common colours were black, blue or green. The manto was a long piece of silk usually black that was tied around the waist that came up the back and covered the face leaving one eye exposed. The origin of the the saya and the manto is still not quite understood however, some historians believe its roots are from the Moors but the use of the vail had an entirely different meaning. The origins were also written about in the book “Tradiciones Peruanas” a collection of writings written by Ricardo Palma (February 7, 1833 – October 6, 1919) he wrote: 

"When one wants to leave the winning paths and talk about the origins of something very old, this phrase springs to one's lips: it is lost in the mists of antiquity. When one wants to write about the saya and the manto, one notes that they have never figured among the clothes of any province of Spain or of any European country. They grew up at Lima as spontaneously as mushrooms in a garden. In what year did this mushroom grow? I have done a lot of research, but have been unable to find out. However, I dare to assert that the shawl and the skirt came into existence in 1560. Now let us look at reason on which my assertion is based. I hope the reader will not find them too advanced. Lima was founded in January 18, 1535, and there were no more than ten native Spanish women who came to inhabit the capital. One could almost name them. So it is clear as a crystal that only from 1555 to 1560 could there have been women of Lima, daughters of Spanish fathers and mothers, capable of forming a nucleus that could produce a fashion like the saya and the manto.”** 

(** the works of Richardo Palma can only be taken with a pinch of salt as Palma wrote based on historical reconstruction mixed with fiction and imagination.) 

So what were some of the reasons this fashion become so popular? Well in a book called Peregrinations of a Pariah (1838) written by the French/Peruvian writer Flora Tristan (7 April 1803 – 14 November 1844) who travelled to Peru in 1833, wrote that the saya and manto gave a freedom and liberation of anonymity, allowing women to move freely in society without the constant supervision of a man. She wrote “She puts on the saya without corset, lets her hair fall, encloses her body with the manto, and goes outside where ever she wants....

She meets her husband in the street, who does not recognize her, she intrigues him with her gaze, with her expression, she provokes him with phrases, and they converse. She is offered ice cream, fruit, cookies, a date. She leaves, and in a moment she’s chatting with an officer who’s walking down the same street. She can take this little adventure as far as she likes without ever having to take off her veil.” In this passage we can understand that women could flirt, taunt, and commit whatever indiscretions she pleased without danger of staining her reputation. Ricardo Palma once again wrote “The vexing saya y manto had the hidden ability to wake up women’s cunning, and one would be able to fill an entire tome with the mischief and schemes that these women tell.” This behaviour brought it to the attention of the government and the Catholic Church as they feared it would lead to immoral behaviour. So in 1561, Diego López de Zúñiga y Velasco, the fourth viceroy of Peru ordered a ban on the saya and manto however, it failed but this did not stop several more attempts to ban it. In 1582 and 1583 the Council of Lima proclaimed that anyone wearing the saya and manto was committing an offense and in 1601, Toribio de Mogrovejo, Archbishop of Lima also attempted to push a ban on the grounds that the saya and manto facilitated anonymous flirting. In one petition to the Council of Lima it stated: “The father could not recognize his daughter, nor the husband his wife, nor the brother his sister.” The saya and manto also removed the distinction of class or status because while wearing the saya and manto if a gentlemen or person paid a commplimet to a woman, they could not tell if it she was for example poor and old. It was also common for some women to take there slaves or maids with them who also wore the same garments. 

For three centuries the saya and manto symbolized power and independence for women in Lima however, the saya and manto faded into history during the Guano Era of Peru when new French fashion became more influential.

Written by: GringoPeru

Located off Benavides Avenue and just behind the Ricardo Palma University you will find a place called “Parque de La Amistad”which can be translated to the “Friendship Park”. This park spans a 30,000 m2 area and the first thing you will see even before you enter this park is the large arch but I will mention more about this a little later in the article.

Well you all will be happy that the park is free to enter (open from Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 9 pm) and as soon as you enter you will see the park is laid out in a circuit, there are also ATM’s close to the entrance just in case you need to take out some money and near these is a children’s play area with swings and slides. 

Beyond that you will find a building called “Centro Cultural Augusto B Leguia” which is the cultural centre in which art is displayed and other events take place here. The building is in the style of the old “Casas Haciendas” and the wood that makes up the columns and the roof are from the port of Callao which were once used in an old structure that was built in 1929.  

Now continuing on your circuit you will eventually arrive to the artificial lagoon here you can watch the ducks and the swans, there is also a paddle boat that you may take to check around the lagoon. I did not take it but the website says that it will cost 5 soles. 

Next to the lagoon is a small passage way this will lead you to many food carts that are selling traditional food and desserts that you can tuck into, you can also buy coffee and ice cream all depending on the weather or on your choosing.

Another popular attraction is the steam train and like most of the items or attractions in the park have a historical context to them. First of all the train will cost you 4 soles and you take it in a small train station located next to a restaurant inside the park. The train station is decorated with accessories of Peru’s locomotive history. The train itself is from 1926 and has 3 wagons that you can sit in and it will take you around the park passing the main attractions.  

Also remember to read the post that is around the park, it will give you an insight of the historical importance of the attractions, I was surprised with some of the history behind some of the attractions.

Now the main attraction is the large arch standing at 29 meters, you cannot simply miss it. 

The arch is in the style similar to that used by the Moors but this is not the originally but a replica so what happened to the originally?

The originally one was never in the same place but was located on Leguía Avenue now known as Arequipa Avenue and was a gift from Spain and was inaugurated  in 1924 but due to modernization of Lima it was demolished in 1939 under the government of Oscar R. Benavides. He claimed that it would cause problems with the traffic. The construction of the new arch started in 2000 and was finished by 2001 and inaugurated by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia. 

After walking around this nice park you can take the weight off your feet and just take in the surroundings and let time pass, in my opinion it is nice to see a little greenery among the concrete. There is a pizza place also located in the park and a restaurant however, these can be a little pricy and I would recommend that you go to one of many restaurants that can be found just outside the park. 

By: GringoPeru