Archive for June, 2006
Microsoft launched the Quechua versions of its best-selling products Windows and Office in a ceremony at the Andean city of Pisaq (department of Cusco), at more that 3,000 m.a.s.l. The ceremony was attended by Peru’s First Lady Eliane Karp de Toledo.
Quechua, the language of the Incas and -together with Spanish- one of Peru’s official languages, is spoken by some 3 million people, mostly in the poor Southern Andes highlands. The Inca’s language is also spoken in parts of Ecuador, Bolivia and regions of Chile and Argentina.
According to the Karp, the project takes a huge step in reverting the native’s social and technological exclusion, opening for them the doors to the 21st century. Microsoft also donated 10 Quechua-equipped computers to education center where the ceremony was held.
June 29th, 2006
Juan Pastorelli, plastic artist born in Lima, 1942, is renowned locally for his urban and marine landscapes, both oils and watercolours. In his latest exhibition, however, a series of painting and engravings, he explores the female figure through the massive use of iridescent colours and black backgrounds.
Until July 7th. Galería Artco (Rouad y Paz Soldan 325, San Isidro).
June 20th, 2006
Created by the Peruvian North American Cultural Institute (ICPNA), the New Dance Lima International Festival is probably the finest celebration of body expression in the country. The 18th edition of the festival , held during June and July, features 5 dance groups from the USA, Peru, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Venezuela. Each of them will perform, hold lessons, and participate in workshops for a whole week.
ICPNA Auditorium Miraflores (Av. Angamos Oeste 120, Miraflores). 7:30 p.m. Tickets at e-teleticket.com. Thursdays from S/. 20, Fridays and Saturdays S/.30. Workshops on Saturdays 11am.
June 11th, 2006
Held during the winter solstice, the Inti Raymi or Fiesta del Sol (Sun Celebration) was the most important festivity of the ancient Peru. If there is an event you can’t miss during your visit to Peru, this for sure is it. Spectacular and millenary, the celebration of the God Sun -the highest god of the Incas-, aimed at stopping it from further moving away from the Earth, but also for sunlight to keep supporting life in the planet.
During the Inca Empire, the festival was attended by the main Cusco authorities and the highest representatives from the four nations of the Tahuantinsuyo (the Inca land). All attendants were impeccably dressed, the military carrying their finest weapons. Soon after the Spanish had conquered the empire, the Catholic Church forbid what they considered a pagan-ritual. And it was not until the XX century that the festivity was recovered by a group of artists and intellectuals from Cusco. They started to represent it as a play, which evolved year after year thanks to continuous historical research.
Nowadays the ritual is very similar to the original. It takes place in the esplanade of Sacsayhuaman, and is recited in Quechua with an almost simultaneous Spanish translation. The extensive research has also allowed a faithful recreation of the original clothing and accessories (though obviously gold isn’t used anymore). The rehearsals for the event take up to several weeks. The Inti Raymi is organized by Emufec, the municipality company responsible for the traditional Cusco festivities.
The celebration takes place on Saturday, June 24. The procession departs at 9am from Koricancha (Plazoleta Santo Domingo) and arrives the Sacsayhuaman fortress at around noon. Tickets can be found at the EMUFEC offices (Calle Santa Catalina Ancha 333, Phone 084-244504) or in any travel agency. Prices for an outstanding viewpoint range from $50 to $70. Many locals, though, watch the celebration from the hills that surround the esplanade.
June 10th, 2006
Next Friday, June 16th, at La Noche de Barranco, writer Ernesto Ferrini will present his first novel, La Tristeza de los Burros (Sadness of the Ass). Ernesto has been editor of ThePeruGuide.com since its launch in May 2005.
Published by Planeta Peru, the book will be co-presented by Julio Villanueva Chang, editor of excellent Etiqueta Negra Magazine, novelist Ivan Thays, and Guillermo Giacosa, renowned Argentinean-born journalist.
June 10th, 2006
