LOCAL NEWS

During ten days, Lambayeque’s people will have the opportunity of appreciating hundreds of pieces discovered in the millennial city of Caral as well as in other places with more than 30 centuries of antiquity such as Aspero or Vichama. This is a traveling exhibition dedicated to Caral, which will be inaugurated in the campus of the Universidad San Martín in Chiclayo, with a free admission.

The pieces discovered in the considered South America’s oldest city is presented by second time outside of Lima. The first expo of this kind was presented in Cusco, and now it is planned an exhibition in Trujillo.

Representatives of the Archaeological Project Caral-Supe expressed that these tours in the interior of the country allow them to get experience in order to exhibit later the discoveries in other places of the continent. Among the countries that are considered to present this expo are Brazil, Argentine and Colombia.

The ancient city of Caral is located about 200 kilometers north of Lima, in the valley of Supe. It is considered, in special by the archaeologist Ruth Shady, as the origin place of the American civilization. The Radiocarbon dates show an antiquity of 5000 years, which makes it contemporary with Egypt’s civilization.

The municipality of Kimbiri district in Cusco will promote the 40.000 square meter archaeological site of Manco Pata which was discovered by local people in last December. First of all, the elaboration of studies in the area is planned to determine the concrete actions to promote this place as an important alternative for tourism, the municipality told Andina news agency.

"Since its discovery there are many people interested in visiting it, even from abroad. The objective is to promote the archeological site as a tourist attraction", said local authority Alex Lizaraso.

For this initiative we consider the use of gas royalties, if it is considered as a priority project in the participatory budget, otherwise we will seek foreign financing.

The municipality has estimated that the works will require an investment of between 500,000 and one million soles, from the initial studies to the end of the project.

Manco Pata was discovered on December 29 in the rural community of "Union Vista Alegre", in the village of Lobo Tahuantinsuyo, while clearing the area of brush.

Authorities explained that this fortress could be part of the lost citadel of Paititi the legendary lost city said to lie east of the Andes, hidden somewhere within the remote rain forests of southeast Peru, northern Bolivia, and southwest Brazil.
The place will be immediately declared "Cultural Intangible Heritage and ecotourism reserve of the town of Kimbiri and the VRAE" and will be promoted in the Cusco tourist circuit.

A spectacular waterfall believed to be among the highest in the country was found in the jungle province of Uctubamba, located in Peru’s Amazonas region, local explorer Obed Cabanillas Silva announced yesterday.

This waterfall is said to be higher than the magnificent Gocta Waterfall which is 771 meters (2529 feet) high and located in Chachapoyas, northern Peru.

Adventurers who wish to explore this natural spot should pass by the village of San Antonio and then take a three hours walk along a gorgeous hiking trail.

Cabanillas mentioned that on the way to the waterfall, explorers will find stone structures which are surrounded by lush vegetation and orchids.

Some local people knew about the existence of this waterfall but never wanted to give any information because they fear this place would be damaged.

The Colca Autonomous Authority (Autocolca) created a huge worldwide marketing campaign to promote Colca Canyon as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and motivate Peruvians, tourists and cyber surfers around the world to vote for this tourist place located in Arequipa, Peru.

The general manager of Autocolca, Juan José Luis Talavera Suarez, reported that Colca Canyon, located in the province of Caylloma, deserves that recognition award because it is one of the deepest and most beautiful canyons in Peru.

This campaign named "Cañon del Colca, maravilla natural del mundo" (Colca Canyon, Natural Wonder of the World) started several months ago and its main objective is to promote this tourist attraction through media, parades and informative and photographic exhibitions.

Talavera also said this campaign has been moved to the Congress and different exhibition halls.

"In Arequipa, we are presenting conferences, photographic and painting exhibitions. We have also carried out contests in different districts along the Colca Valley to promote this voting", he stated.

From all Peruvian cities there is one that has made of its Holy Week celebrations a flagship product: Huamanga. The fervor during these Christian holidays comes from the colonial times of Ayacucho city, where dozens of viceregal period churches are located.

The archeologist Raúl Mancilla, member of the National Institute of Culture regional office, explains that this city was founded to cover three aspects: the politician-military aspect, the economic one, and finally, but not less important, the religious aspect.

By walking across these Andean streets, it is possible to find architectural testimonies of the colonial tastes.

From the end of the 16th century until present, different uses and customs have been implemented in these religious buildings; even in a church of the town is possible to find paintings of Marx and Hegel next to Christ figure.

Nevertheless, the most outstanding of this place continues being the devotion of the viceregal period.

Five Peruvian candidates, of over 380 worldwide nominates, which participate at Natural Wonders of the World contest hold the first 77 places of the competition organized by the Foundation New 7 Wonders.

The first stage of the contest, where cybernauts of the whole world can vote for their favorites, will finish on December 31 this year, then a special committee will choose, among the best 77 places, 21 finalists which will enter to the final competition until July, 2010.

From the beginning of the competition, the Amazon, the biggest river of the world and whose waters starts at Peru, was positioned among the first places, and nowadays holds position eight.

Lake Titicaca, the highest in the world, holds position 22, while Machu Picchu Ecological Reserve ranks 42, Colca Canon 44, and Lomas de Lachay, 57.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will honor the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu and the archaeological site of Tipón as world’s civil engineering landmarks in a ceremony to be held in Cusco.

The event will take place on Saturday July 26 at the Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad of Cusco (UNSAAC) during the international forum: "Scientific Recognition for Machu Picchu and Tipón as civil engineering landmarks".

The forum will be attended by renowned scientists, engineers, researches such as Ruth Wright, Kenneth Wright, Henry Petroski, Aleksandar Vesic, Clifford Schexnayder, Jorge Florez Ochoa, David Ugarte, Luis Barreda Murillo and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra.

For more than 40 years the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has recognized historically significant achievements that embody the pioneering spirit and ingenuity of civil engineers.

In September 2006, ASCE conferred landmark status on two Incan sites in Peru—Machu Picchu and Tipon.

Perched on a ridge in southern Peru more than 1,500 ft (457 m) above a bend in the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu is believed to have been built in the 15th century at the height of the Incan empire.

Often referred to as the Lost City of the Incas, the site comprises buildings, parks, terraces, and fountains that are interconnected by numerous channels and form part of a complex water drainage system.

Tipon, also in southern Peru, is located approximately 14.3 mi (23 km) southeast of Cusco and is known for its fine terraces and elaborate canals and aqueducts.

In addition to the Incan ceremonial buildings and living quarters, the site features underground channels and aboveground irrigation systems that once supplied the surrounding area with water.

The Magical Water Tour in Lima’s Parque de la Reserva will reopen its doors on Saturday with a special show marking the first anniversary of operations, the municipality of Lima announced today.

The show, which starts on Saturday at 6 pm, will feature a concert by Creole singer Rosa Luz and musician Miki Gonzalez and his band, Yuyachkani. The show will last until 10 pm.

In addition, there will be new choreographies using water, laser light shows and a monumental lighting of the entire Park and the Central Lodge.

It will be a night in which people can spend pleasant moments with the family in the midst of Peru's Independence Day celebrations.

In this way, the Magical Water Tour reopens its doors after several days of maintenance.

The small village of Llachon, located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in southeastern Puno region, expects to receive about 12,000 tourists this year, local tourism expert Felipe Quispe Ramos said.

In his statements to Andina news agency, Quispe noted that in the past five years there has been a significant increase in the influx of tourists to this peninsula in Puno.

He mentioned that about six thousand people visited Llachon last year and pointed out that local people estimate that this number will double this season.

Llachon is a small village located in the peninsula of Capachica 46 miles away from the city of Puno (1 hour and 20 minutes drive). This community has 1,300 inhabitants spread out the peninsula and they belong to the ethnic group of Quechuas.

One of the main activities in Llachon is the promotion of community-based rural tourism which aims to promote rural economic development and regional co-operation.

In the last days, a team of archaeologists headed by Ruth Shady has discovered a number of anthropomorphic figures believed to be some five thousand years old near the district of Vegueta in the province of Huaura on the coast north of Lima.

These relics have been unearthed in the archeological site of Vichama, or "hidden city", a place that belongs to the same civilization of Caral and which is located 159 kilometers north of Lima. Caral is considered the oldest city of America with around 5000 years old.

The figures represent a woman nursing and a person of high social status. It was reported that Carbon 14 dating will soon determine how old these relics are.

This discovery occurs almost a year after the start of archaeological Works on this site headed by Dr. Ruth Shady.

These objects, along with others found at the scene, will be exhibited at the Communitarian Museum of Vegueta starting this weekend.

Machu Picchu’s election as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in July 2007, will lead to a 12.5 increase in the number of tourists visiting the Inca citadel this year, totaling over 900,000 thousand national and foreign visitors, minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Mercedez Aráoz, estimated Monday.

Last year, 800,158 tourists visited Machu Picchu, a 15.7 percent rise compared to 2006, according to information by the National Institute of Culture (INC).

Some 68.5 percent of that amount, totaling 548,168 tourists was foreign tourists, mainly from the United States and European countries (France, Spain, Germany and England), while 31.5 percent was domestic tourists, indicated Aráoz.

In the first three months of 2008, Machu Picchu received 174,227 tourists, 16.2 percent more than the same period last year.

"Tourism in Peru has increased rapidly. Inbound tourism grew 11 percent, and domestic tourism 15 percent last year", minister Aráoz said after participating in the ceremony to commemorate one year of Machu Picchu's selection as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

She stated Machu Picchu is not only one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but has been nominated as a natural wonder in a global contest.

But it is not the only natural wonder Peru has, since we have the Amazon River, Titicaca Lake and Nazca Lines, that also deserve that nomination.

So, she asked all Peruvians to work harder to improve tourism and preserve our natural wonders.

Some eight thousand tourists, both domestic and foreign, are expected to visit the beach town of Máncora (Piura) during the national holidays; a hundred percent increase compared to last year’s number, estimated today the local Committee on Tourism Development.

Committee’s chairman Harry Shull told Andina news agency that the "great expectations" of local entrepreneurs is due to Peru's leading position in the world after holding the European Union, Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Summit and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

"In 2007 we received around four thousand tourists during this season, but thanks to a series of tourism promotion campaigns launched during the summits, we expect to see this number double this year", Shull said.

In addition, he mentioned that every year the influx of tourists to this part of the country is increasing due to "improved security and because people and entrepreneurs has understood that we will attract more tourists by providing quality service".

"However we depend on what happens in the country when there are strikes, so we hope that those promoting demonstrations will cancel them because otherwise foreign tourists will be discouraged from visiting Peru," he said.

Mancora is located on the kilometer 1165 of the Panamerican Highway, 120 kilometers south of Ecuador-Peru coast border.

In an effort to train the municipal employees and managers of the tourist places of Nazca(Ica), Colca Valley (Arequipa), Ayacucho and Puno, the ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) developed training workshops regarding public use of cultural and natural heritage.

The workshops take part of Mincetur works on the National Plan of Tourism Quality (Caltur), with the purpose that tourist places can be managed with criteria of sustainable public use, count on services and suitable facilities, and constitute attractive and competitive products.

In each zone, the civil employees and managers of the tourist places who belong to the National Institute of Culture (INC) and National Institute of Natural Resources (Inrena) were trained in conceptual aspects of public use, sustainable tourism and levels of planning.

Four topics were developed: importance of the institutional management, management of the visitor experience, research projects management, conservation and valuation of monuments, and education for preservation.

The demand for international tourist packages grows, in the Peruvian market, at a rate of 12 percent a year boosted by all-inclusive packages, that is, housing, flight tickets, taxes and food, the general manager of Solways Colombia, Andrés Rincón, said Thursday.

"Lima concentrates 80 percent of the total demand, while provinces represent 20 percent, specifically cities such as Arequipa and Trujillo (La Libertad)", he said.

The most demanding destinations for Peruvians are the Colombian Caribbean, concentrating 25 percent of sales, followed by packages to Dominican Republic, Cuba, Riviera Maya (Mexico) and Miami (United States).

In addition, he said that other less common destinations, but still requested, are the European ones such as Rome and Venice (Italy), Spain, Germany and Russia.

Investment opportunities in Peru’s hotel industry amount to 1.5 billion dollars over the next three years (2009-2011 period) due to its tourist attractions and strategic position in the region, which makes it an operations center at a South American level, said today the HVS international consultancy.

"It's incredible what is happening in Peru since in recent years it has become a well visited place by tourists from around the world, but even more impressive is its potential as a tourist destination," said the president of HVS Argentina, Arturo Garcia.

He added that new investments would be made in hotel infrastructure projects including hotels, resorts, or entertainment centers, as well as joint projects with shared ownership.

"Investments will be first made in Lima due to its air connectivity; however, other projects will focus on southern cities like Cusco, Arequipa, Puno and Nazca, remaining as the third pole of development the northern part of the country," he said.

García mentioned that most investment projects will focus on both the corporate and inbound sectors due to its significant opportunities for progress and development.

The on-site museum construction of the Sipan archeological complex –where the tomb of the Moche’s Lord was discovered in 1987- will be concluded before the end of the year, with an investment of around 770 354 dollars.

Walter Alva, director of the Royal Tombs of the Sipan Museum, indicated to Andina news agency that works are being concluded with the Peru-Italy Counterpart Fund and the Executing Unit 111: Naylamp-Lambayeque.

In this compound, the new discoveries of this Lambayeque’s archeological complex will be exhibited, Alva said. "In these moments, we are elaborating the project for the museum implementation and our goal is that the onsite museum can be inaugurated before the end of the year", he added.

After Alva pointed out the number of visitors is maintained, the researcher indicated that last year Sipan was visited by 29 445 people, amount that represented an increase of 20 percent compared to 2006.

A project to promote sustainable rural tourism in the frontier zones of Peru and Ecuador based on its geographical potentialities will be carried out with support from the Italian government, informed the regional government of Lambayeque.

The project is called "Development of Cross-border Sustainable Rural Tourism in northern Peru and southern Ecuador" and will be applied in the departments of Piura, Tumbes, Cajamarca and Lambayeque in Peru, and El Oro, Loja and Zamora Chinchipe in Ecuador.

The project is the result of a meeting held by officials from Peru’s regional governments and representatives from Ecuador’s local governments. Lambayeque’s regional manager of economic development, Rosa Meléndez, stated that the project is one of the commitments they assumed during an internship carried out in Italy, which was organized by the government of said country and the organization CEPTII.

This event was focused on the experience to articulate the frontier zones to achieve its development through a main axle, which could be tourism, production, agriculture and culture among others.

The Libertador Hotel Chain announced it will start the remodelation of its Libertador Cusco Hotel, located in the historical center of the city occupying the fabulous "Casa de los Cuatro Bustos", where Francisco Pizarro, first spanish governor of Peru, used to live.

"According to the investments plan, this remodelation could be finished by September or October 2009, so as to meet super luxury hotel demand", said Libertador Perú commercial manager, Dietrich Bauer von Der Wense.

He stated that now a days hotel are not classified according to the number of stars but according to its luxury offer, that is luxury hotels or super luxury ones.

"We plan to enlarge the area of each room of the Libertador Cusco Hotel, this will probably affect the number of rooms it has, from the current 254 to a lower number".

In addition, Bauer von Der Wense said they paln to build open spaces inside the hotel and a spa.
This remodelation is part of a franchise agreement with US hotel chain Starwood Hotels & Worldwide Resorts and represents a total investment of 160 million dollars, taht also includes the construction of other two hotels in Urubamba (Cusco) and San Isidro (Lima).

Starwood Hotels & Worldwide Resorts owns and operates hotel and resort franchises such as Saint Regis, Luxury Collection, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.

The Libertador Cusco Hotel was built on the foundations of the "Aclla Huasi", where the chosen virgins of the Inca lived. Some of its original walls still remain.

It was restored in 1976, to become the present Hotel Libertador Cusco.
Only three blocks from the hotel, you find the Main Square, where you can appreciate the majestic cathedral of Cusco. The hotel is located only 10 minutes from Cusco´s "Velasco Astete" International airport.

Traffic air by regular national flights in Peru reached one million 614,467 passengers between January and May 2008, an increase of 16.7 percent compared to the same period in 2007, Peru's General Direction of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) reported Tuesday.

According to DGAC, air traffic in Peru during the first months of the year has been fluctuating. It showed a growing tendency in January and February, however, the number dropped drastically in April.

Some 338,431 people traveled during May, 7.2 percent more than April which registered 315,505 passengers.
The airline that carried the most passengers between January and November last year was Lan Peru, which transported one million 51,109 passengers, representing 71 percent of the national market.

Aerocóndor ranks second with 240,589 passengers representing 14.90 percent of the market, followed by Star Perú with 204,589 passengers (12.69 percent).

LC Busre ranks fourth with 40,577 passengers, which represents 2.51 percent of the market. Taca Perú and Aero Transportes ATSA are next on the list with 30,353 and 16,241 respectively.

The Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian Exports and Tourism (PromPerú) will promote Peruvian tourist and gastronomic offer in the Workshop Ecuador to be held in the city of Quito from July 16 to 17.

This campaign aims to boost the varied Peruvian tourist offer to Ecuadorian market, update information on competitive markets, analyze the new trends of the Ecuadorian market and promote the city of Lima and the Peruvian cuisine.

In the beginning of June, the general manager of PromPeru, Mara Seminario, reported that in the coming months the entity will carry outborder caravans to Brazil, Ecuador and Chile to boost tourist destinations.

The above-mentioned activities aims that Peru seizes tourism promotion with its neighboring countries, where there is a great potential to develop, which it is also favored by the proximity of the cities.

For this reason, the border caravans will transport Peruvian tour operators, so they can take contact with their local counterparts and public from the neighboring countries to provide information about hotels, tourist attractions and services, among other aspects.

In an effort to draw more tourists to Arequipa, two hundred "casonas" (colonial houses) and 16 churches of the Historic Center of Arequipa will be lighted up and beautified thanks to a project launched by the municipality with the support of the private sector.

Municipality representative Francisco Ampuero Bejarano said they will ask for support from private enterprises to make this project come true and increase tourist flow by 30 percent.

"We hope to show tourists the beauty of our colonial houses at night, as well as the front of the churches which present several styles", he said.

The casonas and churches will attract the tourist attention, who will chose to stay more days in Arequipa to observe the architectonic beauty of the city.

The historic centre of Arequipa, built in volcanic sillar rock, represents an integration of European and native building techniques and characteristics, expressed in the admirable work of colonial masters and Criollo and Indian masons.

This combination of influences is illustrated by the city's robust walls, archways and vaults, courtyards and open spaces, and the intricate Baroque decoration of its facades.

In the last days, a team of archaeologists headed by Ruth Shady has discovered a number of anthropomorphic figures believed to be some five thousand years old near the district of Vegueta in the province of Huaura on the coast north of Lima.

These relics have been unearthed in the archeological site of Vichama, or "hidden city", a place that belongs to the same civilization of Caral and which is located 159 kilometers north of Lima. Caral is considered the oldest city of America with around 5000 years old.

The figures represent a woman nursing and a person of high social status. It was reported that Carbon 14 dating will soon determine how old these relics are.

This discovery occurs almost a year after the start of archaeological Works on this site headed by Dr. Ruth Shady. These objects, along with others found at the scene, will be exhibited at the Communitarian Museum of Vegueta starting this weekend.

Ichic Willcahuain archaeological complex dates back to 700 A.C and may have been built under the influence of the Wari Culture (based in the Ayacucho region) which encouraged its inhabitants to change their burial customs, said the head of the Regional Institute of Culture (INC), José Antonio Salazar Mejía.

Salazar explained that the age could be determined after carrying out the necessary works at the archaeological site, located 4 miles northeast Huaraz, Ancash (35 minutes by car or 3 hours on foot).

Salazar stressed that these remains are remarkable evidence for archaeology.

According to previous findings Chavin culture's funerals were subterranean and now with this new researches we can see a change.

The population used to live together with their ancestors and taking care of its dead people; "and now we can observe that the funerals of this culture were not sub terrain because they counted on mausoleums". The explanation is the the culture shared live and dead because their homes were very close to the ceremonial center, he added.

In an initiative to increase length of stay of tourists in the southern city of Arequipa, the regional government has launched a gastronomic project called "Route of the Palate", which offers a rich variety of traditional dishes served in 60 certified restaurants of the "White City".

Rocio Cervantes Mansilla, regional director of Foreign Trade and Tourism, said that the goal is to use the Arequipean gastronomy as a source of tourist attraction which will encourage visitors to stay more than two days enjoying local traditional dishes.

"The 'Route of the Palate' will promote the wide variety of Arequipean dishes such as rocoto relleno (stuffed hot peppers), potato cake, adobo (a meat stew made from either pork or chicken), and other dishes" she said. The new Andean food is another option in most Arequipean restaurants because it is highly demanded by tourists, especially Europeans who visit the White City, Cervantes Mansilla said.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) reported that Peru can expect about 3.3 million domestic tourist trips this year due to higher economic growth.

The minister Mercedes Aráoz added that domestic tourism grew 14 percent last year compared to 2006, with more than three million domestic tourist trips in 2007.

She pointed out that in Lima there are two million non-travellers, including men and women from 18 to 64 years of the A, B, and C socioeconomic levels, who represent a large target population who could travel to different parts of the country.

The Mincetur recalled that during 2007, 710,000 Peruvians considered "non travellers" became travellers.

Most of Peruvian tourists travel outside Lima (64 percent), their trips last on average six nights, and their per capita expenditure is over 324 soles (about 110 dollars).

"Domestic tourists are starting to stay in paid lodging establishments (hotel or hostal) and this percentage almost exceeds the use houses of relatives and friends".

To encourage domestic tourism in Peru, the Mincetur inaugurated yesterday the Sixth edition of the Tourism Fair Peru, at the Jockey Plaza Shopping Center.

The tourist flow in Peru would increase by twelve percent during this year's National Holidays because most people will take this four-day weekend (July 26 - 29) to go visit Peru's many tourist attractions, said the head of the Tourism Committee of the Lima Chamber of Commerce (CCL), Alvaro Benavides.

He mentioned that the most popular destinations during these holidays will be the southern city of Arequipa, Peru's fabulous northern beaches, the enchanting jungle cities, the sunny highlands of Lima, and the coastal cities of Ica and Nazca.

Benavides predicted that the tourism sector would grow around nine percent this year as a result of the country's sustainable socioeconomic development.

Benavides also assured that long holiday weekends are vital to develop tourism opportunities which must include an attractive commercial offer in order to be successful.

The tourist attractions of the Inca trail of Salkantay, another important Pre-hispanic trail that leads to Machu Picchu from the northeast of Cusco, will be promoted thanks to an agreement between the National Institute of Culture (INC) and the Municipality of Mollepata.

The agreement establishes a series of guidelines to promote and protect this ancient trek under the supervision of the Municipality of Mollepata and INC-Cusco.

The Salkantay trek is a remote and ancient footpath in the same region of the Inca trail, but less traveled with more spectacular views.

It takes four to five days and passes through stunning scenery and fascinating towns such as Mollepata, Pampa, Salkantay, Lucmabamba, Llactapata and Aobamba.

This route involves travelling by a more northerly route from Cusco, via the tallest mountain in the Cordillera Vilcabamba - the peak of Salkantay.

Peru’s minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Mercedes Aráoz, ruled out today that Peruvian tourist activity can be affected by fuel prices increases, and although two airlines decided to cancel national flights, it is not necessary to declare the commercial air sector in emergency.

"The tourism sector is not going to be affected, we will work intensively and invite other airline operators in better financial conditions to come to our country and offer these services", she said.

Star Perú and Aerocóndor airlines have cancelled their flights to Tacna, Arequipa, Chiclayo (Lambayeque), Juliaca (Puno), Piura y Trujillo (La Libertad) since these destines are not profitable anymore because of rising airplanes fuel costs (turbo jet).

The minister explained that currently it is complicated to subsidize this fuel through the Petroleum Derivative Fuel Prices Stabilization Fund , as the Peruvian Association of Air Carriers (APEA) has requested.

"I think a subsidy is an effort that must be done for the extreme poverty sectors. Unfortunately, the oil price is not just causing turbulence in the tourist sector, but also in other ones. And, in some cases there is a price speculation", she said.

She explained that government is specially concerned in this case and is working to solve the problem.

Last night the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) reported that Lan Perú will extend to Tumbes its Lima-Trujillo flights to meet the demand of the passangers willing to travel to this northern city.

Machu Picchu citadel in Cuzco was discovered by the German Augusto Berns 44 years before the North American historian Hiram Bingham arrived in the zone in 1911, according to the investigation of the historian Paolo Greer.

Greer explained that Burns bought some lands in a zone located in front of Machu Picchu citadel in 1867, where he worked cutting wood for a railway in a sawmill.

Greer stated that Berns counted on a Machu Picchu description and that in 1987 formed a group to take the Peruvian artifacts of the place, which was known as Huaca of Incas; this happening was permitted by the authorities of that time.

In turn, Machu Picchu Archaeological Park’s Head, Fernando Astete said that is not crazy to think that Berns could get to know the Peruvian citadel before Bingham because we know that a lot of people knew this place before him.

In an effort to enhance security at the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, two security cameras will be installed at strategic points of the historic sanctuary, announced park director Fernando Astete.

He mentioned that a public bid will be held to choose the project operator in the next days, and if everything goes well, the cameras would be installed by early August.

“These security cameras will allow monitoring what happens at the archaeological site in real time”, said Fernando Astete.

In additional, Astete mentioned that they are planning to install an additional camera at the starting point of the Inca trails which are frequented by some 500 people.

“We look forward to improve our service by using these cameras that won’t damage the archaeological site”, he highlighted.

The Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Dircetur) in the southern province of Ica plans to set up more natural lookout points to let tourists admire the enigmatic Nasca and Palpa Lines without having to overfly the area.

The head of Dircetur-Ica, Marta Morán, explained that the natural lookouts will be set up at strategic points that would not affect the natural landscape of the area.

"We currently have five natural lookout points to observe the enigmatic figures", mentioned Marta Morán.

"The goal is to set up more scenic lookouts so tourists who are afraid of flying or can't afford a flight tour can also admire the lines", she said.

Marta Morán pointed out that setting up more natural lookouts will help to increase the number of visitors which has been gradually reduced after a series of flight accidents ocurred in the past few months.

"Tourism certainly is a highly sensitive and vulnerable activity, bad service and safety issues can affect tourism by preventing tourists visiting certain areas. This is why we have to look for other choices to encourage tourists to visit and admire our heritage before leaving the country", Morán stated.

Pre-Inca remains represent 40 percent of Machu Picchu Archaeological Park (Cusco), which hosts the well-known Inca citadel, which last year was chosen one of New 7 Wonders of the World.

The director of this archeological park, Fernando Astete, explained that the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu is only one of the 196 archeological complexes and sites of the zone which has an extension of 38,448 hectares.

Astete explained that this 40 percent corresponds to the Killke culture, which inhabited this zone before the naissance of the biggest empire of South America.

After confirming that the citadel of Machu Picchu was clearly Inca, Astete reported that this empire was built over Killke archaeological center.

"Usually, in some excavations where we find Inca remains we can also find Killke culture's remains under them, such as ceramics", he stated.

Astete detailed that most of the Killke settlements are located in the area between the entrance of the Archaeological Park and one kilometre away from the Inca citadel.

Killke architecture "is characterized because it is very similar to the Inca's, though the latter stands out for its very well-defined, geometric, and very good finish structures."

"Killke has neither the Inca's geometry nor its good finish, instead it is much more rustic. Its constructions are usually oval or semi-circular, not octagonal as the Inca's and are usually inaccessible", he said.

He added that in Machu Picchu Archaeological Park there are traces of another even older PreInca culture: the Chanapata, which was developed during the formative period, but its architectural evidence is minimal.

Studies by INC
A few months ago, the National Institute of Culture (INC) from Cuzco, started for the first time, archaeological research works on the Killke settlement at Machu Picchu Archaeological Park, located on the slopes of Piscacucho hill.

Most Killke settlements are located on the upper part of the hillslope, unlike the Inca's population centers, located at the bottom.

The Killke culture, which developed between 1,000 and 1,400 A.C, belonged to the regional states of Cusco, presumably conquered by the Incas.

More than 125 thousand national and foreign tourists arrived in the Peruvian department of Lambayeque between January and April this year, informed the head of the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Direcetur), María del Carmen Vargas Mundaca.

She highlighted that six or eight percent of the total corresponds to foreigners, and indicated that Lambayeque is perceived as a very warm city for tourists, with entrepreneurs who are able to improvements.

"There is a hotel which is in process for the ISO 9001 certification", she said.

Vargas Mundaca also indicated that Lambayeque has an interesting potential in gastronomy, nature's tourism, and a rich material and non-material heritage such as live cultures, dances added to its beautiful big houses, and properties that produce the admiration of visitors.

We are coordinating with the National Institute of Culture (INC) of Lambayeque and Lima to develop a working group with all authorities, so they can be informed about the preservation of the colonial historic heritage.

The Mountain Caracara, a species of bird of prey in the Falconidae family, has shown changes in its behavior pattern which indicate it is being affected by Peru's change of climate in the highlands.

The caracara, a bird that usually lives between 3,500 - 5,000 meters (11,482 - 16,404 feet) above sea level, was venerated by the Incas.

Such was the respect the Incas had for the bird that its feathers were used in the headdress if Inca kings.

The Mountain Caracara has recently been found living at much lower altitudes and specialists are asking themselves what has brought the high-Andes bird closer to humans.

According to biologists in Peru, the majestic bird is relocating because of weather alterations and abrupt changes in the climate.

Specialists have noted that more of these birds can be seen at the Inca Citadel atop Machu Picchu, which is 2,400 meters (7,875 ft) above sea level.

Julio Ochoa, a biologist at Machu Picchu Archaeological Park has questioned why the Mountain Caracara (Phalcoboenus megalopterus), a bird that lives 3,500 - 5,000 meters above sea level is seen so frequently at Machu Picchu.

"These are visible consequence of climate change," said Ochoa.

"Many speak of this phenomenon as if it were something distant. This is a concrete case of the changes that are taking place."

The origin of the potato has become, well, a "hot potato" between neighbors Peru and Chile.

The spud dispute began Monday, when Chile's agriculture minister said 99 percent of the world's potatoes derive from spuds native to Chile.

Peru, where the potato is a source of national pride, bristled at the claim and said the comes from a part of the Andes near Lake Titicaca, most of which is located in modern-day Peru. The country claims to have some 3,000 varieties of potato.

The spud dispute is just the latest flare-up between the testy neighbors.

Chile won its neighbor's southern province in a war more than a century ago — a loss that still rankles Peruvians. Both nations also claim the grape brandy called Pisco as its own.

The simmering, so-called "Pisco War" flared up anew when Peru's agriculture minister called Chilean Pisco "bad" after Chile declared May 15 "National Pisco Day."

Now both nations are fighting over bragging rights to the potato.

Andres Contreras, a researcher at Chile's Austral University in Valdivia, said archaeological studies have found the first evidence of human consumption of potatoes dating back 14,000 years in southern Chile, long before evidence emerges of spud consumption in Peru.

But the head of Peru's National Institute for Agricultural Innovation, Juan Risi, called Chile's potatoes mere "grandchildren" of Peru's tubers.

"Peruvian potatoes that originated near lake Titicaca are the true potatoes, and their children spread throughout the Andes," Risi said.

Experts say the disputes reflect lingering historical tensions between the Andean neighbors.

The disputes are "a very superficial manifestation of this ongoing concern of national pride and wounded feelings over various problems in the past," said David Scott Palmer, a professor of Latin American politics at Boston University.

In an extensive article published on Sunday at the travel section, world known newspaper The New York Times highlighted the Peruvian seaboard as a privileged destination to ride waves.

In the article, written by journalist Julia Chaplin, she describes her personal impressions from a fascinating tour she made in our country where she visited beautiful surfing beaches such as Punta Rocas, Mancora Los Órganos, Chicama, Lobitos, among others.

Chaplin also pointed out the tourists arrival growth, attracted by good Peruvian waves that compared to the famous Malibu and Hawaii beaches have the advantage of not being jam-packed with surfers.

In addition, she said Peru enjoys a surfing boom which is seen in the young people dreams' of becoming surf stars.

Machu Picchu’s selection as one of the new Seven Wonders of the modern world in June 2007 has led to a 20 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting the Imperial city of Cusco so far this year, reported today the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Dircetur).

Last year, about 900 thousand tourists visited Cusco, a 20 percent rise compared to 2006, said the head of Cusco - Dircetur, Jean Paul Benavente.

Benavente highlighted that at the beginning of this year, tourist flow to Cusco was expected to rise by ten percent, but after Machu Picchu's selection as a wonder of the world, it jumped by 20 percent.

Domestic tourists accounted for eight percent of this number, while foreign visitors, mainly from the United States and European countries (France, Spain, Germany and England) represented the other 12 percent.

Benavente mentioned that such growth has been possible despite a series of protests and strikes that crippled the Andean city of Cusco and surrounding areas during last February.

Peru's Cordillera Blanca, a snow-topped northern mountain range sometimes called the "Peruvian Switzerland," is slowly disappearing because of climate change, a key issue on the table of a Latin America-EU summit being held in Lima this week.

The glaciers making up the range -- declared a natural world heritage site by UNESCO -- have steadily been shrinking, said Marco Zapata, the head of the glaciology unit of Peru's National Institute for Natural Resources.

He explained that between 1948 and 1976, the Cordillera Blanca has diminished by nine meters, and between 1977 and now by around 20 meters.

The time left for tourists to see the spectacular zone is limited, and depends on temperature variations, he said.
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Zapata added: "It is known that the shrinking process of the glaciers is irreversible and nothing can be done."

A 1989 evaluation found that Peru had more than 3,000 glaciers in an area of 2,041 square kilometers. Just eight years later, the area had been cut by a quarter, to 1,595 square kilometers.

A clear example of what is happening can be seen on the Pastoruri mountain, a 5,240-meter-high peak that each year attracts 60,000 tourists. "It is turning into an ice-capped mountain, because the snow is rapidly shrinking," Zapata said.

In 1995, the perimeter at the snowline was 1.8 square kilometers. By last year, that had eroded to just 1.1 square kilometers.

Huascaran National Park, where the Cordillera Blanca is situated, contains 663 glaciers including the 6,768-meter-high Huascaran summit itself, along with 296 lakes and 41 rivers.

But Jean Ortiz, who heads the running of the park, said global warming was seriously changing the face of the reserve, where many high-altitude plants and animals were becoming rarer or had disappeared entirely.

"It's unusual to see with your own eyes deer, mountain cats, Andean cats, vicunas (a llama-like animal), Andean condors, partridges," he said.

The archaelogical site of Bandurria dating back 3200 BC (located in the province of Huaura, Lima) is considered the origin of ancient American civilization, said archaeologist Alejandro Chu Barrera, director of the Archaeological Project of Bandurria.

"Several radiocarbon datings done in the United states confirmed that Bandurria dates back from 3200 B.C., while Caral dates from 2900", said the archaeologist.

The expert mentioned that the main reason for the development of highly organized cultures along the Peruvian coast is explained in the availavility of marine resources which allowed to improve the population’s diet of the place.

Bandurria is located 140 kilometres from Lima and received this peculiar name because of a bird which inhabit this area. It was discovered by late 1973 but first excavations took place in 1977. It wasn't until July 2005 that the site begun to be excavated by a team of archeologists and students from San Marcos National University, led by archeologist Alejandro Chu.

A mission from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will be in Peru from April 20 to May 1, to assess the state of conservation at the Historical Center of Arequipa, one of its World Heritage sites.

The mayor of Arequipa, Simón Balbuena, announced that a UNESCO mission will be monitoring the condition of cultural-historical monuments at the Main Square and its surroundings in Arequipa

"This visit is not to ratify or reconsider the World Heritage Site status of Arequipa’s Historical Center", added Balbuena.

The UNESCO mission, which will include the participation of experts such as Spanish Nuria Sanz, Venezuelan Felipe Delmont and Mexican Luis Guerrero Baca, will visit Arequipa and meet local community representatives and government officials to evaluate an existing conservation plan that is well into the implementation stage.

500 million soles have been invested in improvement works of Arequipa’s tourist attractions as part of preparations for the APEC Working Groups meetings to be held in May.

Handicrafts in Peru generate annual sales of 200 million dollars, resources associated with tourism, the Handicraft Director of Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Madeleine Burns stated today.

"Each tourist who visits the country spends in average 100 dollars in handicrafts", she said after holding a meeting with the representatives of the sector in the Andean area.

All of them work to implement the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)’s recognition of excellence to crafts products.

"Tourists spend in average 100 dollars in handicrafts, but some of them even spend almost three million dollars. Handicrafts exports total 44 million dollars", she said.

Handicrafts products not only show off Peruvian motifs, but also inspirations of each one of the countries in which they are sold.

That is why some months ago, an investigation to determinate the route that these handicrafts followed was carried out, determining that the handicrafts were sold even in the lakes of Southern Chile.

"Craftsmen have to recognize its value, the importance of their culture and revalue their work", she pointed out.

Promotora de Cafe Colombia (Procafecol) which owns Juan Valdez coffee shops will enter Peru this year as part of its expansion plan in the region.

The Colombian chain pointed out that it reached an alliance in Peru to be presnet in some supermarkets with some tasting products an advertising material.

Procafecol also plans to open some coffee shops in Chile through an agreement with the Falabella Group, besides Argentina and Spain, the Colombian newspaper "El Espectador" reported today.

In the first quarter of 2008, Juan Valdez coffee shops duplicated its stores in Colombia, from 49 to 100 shops.

Besides entering to the Peruvian markets, this company also hopes to open seven coffees shops in Chile, four in Spain and 60 selling points in Argentina.

Around 53,000 domestic and foreign tourists will visit Cajamarca, La Libertad, Ayacucho and Huancayo, which will be promoted as tourist destinations during May long holidays, the Commission of the Peruvian Export and Tourism Promotion Agency (PromPerú), stated today.

There are two long holidays in May: May 1 to celebrate Labor Day and May 16 and 17, when the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union, Latin America, and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) will take place.

Tourism campaign promoted by Promperu lies in promoting these touristic destinations in the media.

The tourism director in La Libertad Elina Barturén said to Andina news agency that these cities will host around 14 thousand domestic and foreign tourists during the long holidays in May.

Huanchaco’s beaches, located at 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) from Trujillio, will be one of the most visited places. There, tourists can see the Totora Horses, which are boats for fishing used by the Mochicas and Chimus since ancient times.

The archeological place of The Sun and The Moon Huacas, Chan Chan Citadel, the historical center of Trujillo and others tourist attractiveness can also be visited by tourists.

Recent excavations and studies conducted by Cusco's National Institute of Culture (INC) in the Archaelogical Park of Sacsayhuamán allowed to discover structures and compounds helping to disclose Inca's religion aspects such as the worship to their ancestral mummies.

The works were done in the Huaca Inkil Tambo, an Inca historical center registered by the INC, which after several decades of being discovered has been the focus of meticulous archaeological excavations and studies during the last months.

The temple, known as "Inca Jail" (main part is composed by a conglomerate of carved big stones), was used as residency of mummies, sui generis figure, because it was neither a cementery or a mausoleum.

According to Washington Camacho, head of the Archeological Park of Sacsayhuamán, “the place is an important complex and its main function could have been to accommodate mummies of elite members or monarchs of the Tahuantinsuyo, because the main stone has carvings, among them five niches where human remains were possibly placed.

A group of scientists of the Geology, Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Peru (Ingement) will be specifically studying the impact of underground water flowing under the Chan Chan archaeological complex, the largest mud-brick citadel located in the northern region of La Libertad.

The Geoscience Director of Ingement, Víctor Carlotto, explained that the study aims at establishing the relation between the underground water channel and its possible impact on the infrastructure of the Chan Chan citadel.

The research is headed by Manuel Vilchez who is also in charge of the geophysical activities in the zone.

The decision to launch this study is mainly to preserve the vast mud city of Chan Chan, considered a cultural heritage and one of the main tourist attractions in La Libertad, northen Peru.

Chan Chan was declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1986 and is the largest mud-brick citadel in the Americas.

With more than 700 thousand votes, the Lake Junin, also known as the Lake of the Kings or Chinchaycocha, was chosen the first natural wonder of Junin - an Andean central region in Peru - in an online contest organized by the regional government.

The extraordinary beauty and invaluable flora richness of Lake Junin amazed a great number of Peruvian cybernauts who casted their votes during several weeks to chose the Seven Natural Wonders of Junin Region.

The Lake Junin or Chichaycocha is located at approximately 4,082 m (13,393 ft) above sea level. The lake is an important bird watching destination in the country and is also considered the second largest lake of Peru after Lake Titicaca in Puno.

The Alejandro Velasco Astete internacional airport, in the city of Cusco, now has a modern and comfortable VIP waiting room which offers a range of services and facilities including Internet access, a café-bar, shops and a tourist information office.

Jorge Carrillo Salas, general manager of VIP Lounge Cusco, bid winner company, said this section offers the highest standards of comfort and service in a contemporary design atmosphere ideal for the business and leisure travellers.

The new VIP section has been installed to welcome eight percent of the passengers passing through the airport of Cusco, especially travelers with high purchasing power who look for world-class facilities.

It has a capacity of 64 people and further facilities include smoking and non-smoking zones, a food court, and a nice variety of shops.

“Tourist operators and diverse companies are interested in participating in the project, which aim is to offer more comfort to passengers”, Carrillo pointed out.

The quality of Peruvian alpaca will be appreciated by the leaders of the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) that will be held in our country in May.

The announcement was made after the agreement signed between the Summit's organizing committee and Wayra, which is a manufacturer of alpaca textiles.

The Chairman of the Sponsorship Committee of the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean (V EU-LAC Summit), Fortunato Quesada, emphasized the quality of the products made by Wayra, a company that in the last two years has significantly increased its exports.

Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) announced that Japanese businessmen have planned to build a space museum in Carancas, Puno (795 miles southeast of Lima), the region where a meteorite landed in September 2007.

Construction is to begin in April and $90 thousand are to be invested in the state of the art museum that will be able to withstand Puno's extreme weather conditions, said Hernando Núñez del Prado, director of institute affairs for the INGEMMET.

Aside from exhibiting pieces of the chondrite, the museum will give visitors information on aerospace science and astrophysics related to cosmic phenomenon.

Núñez del Prado explained the crater where the meteorite had landed would remain covered by a 20x20 meter piece of canvas to keep it from being affected by the heavy rainfall in Puno.

He also stated a law was being proposed to protect the country from "meteorite hunters".

Furthermore, National Geographic has announced it will present a documentary in four languages this year on the meteorite that landed in Puno, said Rocío Gómez Paredes, a natural resources manager fro the regional government of Puno.

On Sunday, Edwards Vizcarra, the mayor of Huari (a province in Ancash) will start a trip around different countries in Europe where he will show a video with the main tourist attractions of the town, aiming to increase the number of visitors and attract more private investment.

He told Andina news agency that the trip would include Italy (Rome, Torino, Bologña, Milano), Spain (Barcelona, Salamanca, Madrid) and France (Paris).

Vizcarra pointed out that the 18-minute video shows the Jacabamba waterfall, located nine kilometers northeast of Huari.

It also shows the Chavin de Huantar archaeological complex, the big and beautiful lakes of Conchucos - such as Purhuay and Reparin, and the Pre-Inca city of Marcajirca, among other attractions.

"This video has been recorded with the town’s own resources and was directed by the well-known Peruvian filmmaker, Jose Rios", said Vizcarra. "This is an invaluable audiovisual documentary which aims to promote our touristic richness".

The mayor stated the video would be shown in museums, through the media, and exhibited at different places. “We signed an agreement with a consortium of Italian museums, so the film can be shown in many cultural centers”, said the mayor.

Vizcarra said that during the trip, which will last until February 28, the new publication “Conchucos, Gold of the Andes” will be also presented, showing pictures of tourist attractions in the area.

The mayor pointed out that his trip was possible thanks to the support of the Antonio Raimondi Institute. The video was presented this morning at Universidad Católica's Cultural Center.

The broken skeletons were scattered like random pottery shards, rediscovered where they had fallen centuries ago.

Were these ancient people cut down in some long-forgotten battle? Did European-introduced diseases cause their demise? Were they casualties of some apocalyptic reckoning at this great walled citadel?

The "cloud warriors" of ancient Peru are slowly offering up their secrets -- and more questions.

Recent digs at this majestic site, once a stronghold of the Chachapoya civilization, have turned up scores of skeletons and thousands of artifacts, shedding new light on these myth-shrouded early Americans and one of the most remarkable, if least understood, of Peru's pre-Columbian cultures.

Among the arresting findings: the practice of incorporating the dead into defensive walls; the use of stone missiles to repel invaders; the discovery of gargoyle-like stone carvings; and the civilization's sudden collapse, possibly in a final, purifying conflagration.

Though almost everyone knows about the Inca and Machu Picchu, relatively few have heard of the Chachapoya or visited their domain, a vast swath of Amazon headlands and breathtaking cloud forests on the slopes of the Andes. This walled settlement, among the largest monuments of the ancient Americas, rivals the Incas' Machu Picchu in scale and grandeur.

Getting here requires a lengthy, bone-crunching journey on roads less traveled, near-vertical jeep tracks featuring better-not-to-look drops of 1,000 yards or more. Kuelap is in the middle of nowhere, and there is no midday buffet, five-star hotel or luxury locomotive -- amenities found at Machu Picchu, 600 miles to the southeast.

"You have to have an adventurous spirit to come to Kuelap," said Alice Cook, 25, a schoolteacher from Alaska who was hiking down after a day's visit. "It's not like just getting on the train and you're here."

The Chachapoya civilization is believed to have thrived from around 800 to about 1540, the last 70 years or so under the domination of their empire-minded neighbors, the Inca, and then the Spanish. The Chachapoya, historians say, were a loose confederation with settlements spread across a 25,000-square-mile swath of north-central Peru -- an area about the size of West Virginia -- and may have numbered 300,000 people or more at their height.

In preparation for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (EU - LAC) Summit, the main streets in Peru's capital will be renovated and improved, announced the Mayor of Lima, Luis Castañeda Lossio.

The mayor stated that among the avenues to be repaired are La Marina, Javier Prado, Angamos and Primavera.

He explained that several sections of each of the avenues would be repaved to make sure traffic flowed freely and that motorists did not have to deal with potholes.

He assured that effective detour routes would be placed into effect to avoid traffic jams and chaos during the construction period.

When asked about the avenues that would be repaired, the mayor stated that an extra lane would be added to Primavera Avenue.

According to Lima's mayor, plans for the renovation of the avenues have been completed and construction will begin shortly.

He also stated that the new highway, which is to join the district of Comas to Chorrillos will be operational by 2009.

MADRID, Spain-Peru's President Alan Garcia landed at Madrid's international airport Sunday for a three-day visit aimed at improving business and diplomatic links with Europe.

The Peruvian leader is due to meet with King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and business leaders.

Garcia was re-elected in April 2006 on a promise to improve his Andean country's economic fortunes.

Garcia's first 1985-90 term was plagued by hyperinflation and food shortages at the height of a brutal war against Maoist Shining Path guerrillas.

Peru's economy grew 8 percent in 2006, the eighth consecutive year of expansion for the Andean nation of 27 million people, and Garcia has forged ahead with a market-friendly agenda.

Last week Garcia told journalists that Spanish-Argentine oil giant Repsol YPF SA had found 2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in Peru's Amazon jungle, enough to guarantee the country's needs for 40 years, he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush signed a U.S.-Peru free trade agreement with Garcia in December, paving the way for stronger bilateral economic ties.

Garcia is also likely to seek Spain's diplomatic support for his government's claim to draw Peru's sea boundary in waters claimed by southern neighbor Chile.

Peru asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday to adjudicate on the boundary, inflaming poor relations with its southern neighbor and angering Chile's President Michelle Bachelet.

Peru contends its maritime border with Chile has not been legally defined, while Chile says the border was set by treaties with Peru in 1952 and 1954. Peru argues the agreements dealt with fishing rights, not borders.

There is strong anti-Chilean sentiment in Peru because the country lost a large chunk of its southern territory to Chile in a war in 1879.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The broken skeletons were scattered like random pottery shards, rediscovered where they had fallen centuries ago.

Were these ancient people cut down in some long-forgotten battle? Did European-introduced diseases cause their demise? Were they casualties of some apocalyptic reckoning at this great walled citadel?

The "cloud warriors" of ancient Peru are slowly offering up their secrets - and more questions. Recent digs at this majestic site, once a stronghold of the Chachapoya civilization, have turned up scores of skeletons and thousands of artifacts, shedding new light on these myth-shrouded early Americans and one of the most remarkable, if least understood, of Peru's pre-Columbian cultures.

Among the arresting findings: the practice of incorporating the dead into defensive walls; the use of stone missiles to repel invaders; the discovery of gargoyle-like stone carvings; and the civilization's sudden collapse, possibly in a final, purifying conflagration.

Though almost everyone knows about the Inca and Machu Picchu, relatively few have heard of the Chachapoya or visited their domain, a vast swath of Amazon headlands and breathtaking cloud forests on the slopes of the Andes. This walled settlement, among the largest monuments of the ancient Americas, rivals the Incas' Machu Picchu in scale and grandeur.

To continue the tradition of promoting the Marinera, one of Peru's most elegant dances, the 48th National Northern Marinera contest is to take place in Trujillo from January 22 to 27.

As a representative of the contest, a young woman is chosen from among the daughters of the members of the "La Libertad” Club and is named the contest's queen. After having been prepared to be the contest's queen for one year, the young lady represents the organization during the contest.

This year's queen of the Festival is Trujillo’s María José Vélez Ganoza, a 20 year old that decided to participate in this contest to represent not only the organization, but also her hometown.

“I am in this contest for my hometown, because it is not only about representing the organizers, but also Trujillo, which has a lot of tradition and a rich culture”, Vélez told Andina news agency.

"Marinera is a faithful expression of Peru's northern culture", said Vélez as she invited everyone to visit Trujillo and attend this event. The festival's queen explained she would not participate in beauty pageants because she did not want to be part of that world. On the other hand, she acknowledged the importance of what Peru's María Julia Mantilla, Miss World 2004, has done so far for the country and Trujillo.

The Mansiche Arena in Trujillo is to be the stage for this National Marinera Contest, the most elegant couples dance in Peru. Different categories and choreographic styles are judged. Both dancers swirl while waving a white handkerchief and executing a number of characteristic steps.

The male dancer wears a poncho and a hat, and if riding horseback, he does so on a Peruvian Paso horse. The female dancer wears a beautiful typical regional dress.

A Peruvian journalist described on Friday the horror he felt being kidnapped by President Alberto Fujimori's security squad in 1992, hours after the former leader shut down Congress during a war against leftists.

Gustavo Gorriti, testifying at Fujimori's trial on human rights crimes, said 10 men with machine guns snatched him from his house in the middle of the night. He said he became terrified when he realized he had been taken to the offices of the Peruvian army's intelligence agency for interrogation.

"It was a place where very few people who went in came out alive," said Gorriti, who had criticized the former president's government prior to the kidnapping. "He had all the power of the state concentrated in his hands." Gorriti said of Fujimori, 69.

He said he was targeted because he had published stories tying Fujimori's spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, to corruption and drug traffickers.

Montesinos, now in prison, was widely known as Fujimori's most important aide. Fujimori used the threat of terrorism to consolidate power, closing Congress in April 1992 to pass tough laws targeting armed leftist groups.

Fujimori on Friday denied ordering the kidnapping of Gorriti. He has denied other charges that he violated human rights by instructing a government death squad to kill 25 people in two massacres during the 1990s, when Peru was battling the Maoist guerrilla group known as the Shining Path.

While in power from 1990 to 2000, Fujimori defeated the guerrillas and brought order to a chaotic economy. But critics said he violated human rights to end a 20-year war in which nearly 70,000 people died or disappeared.

In 1992, security forces seized 10 people from La Cantuta University, killed them and dumped their bodies in a shallow grave. In 1991, they gunned down 15 people at a barbecue in the Barrios Altos neighbourhood, among them an 8-year-old boy.

Fujimori could get up to 30 years in prison if found guilty of human rights crimes. Last month, the Supreme Court sentenced him to six years in prison for sending an aide to steal incriminating documents from Montesinos' house. Chile extradited Fujimori to Peru in September after seven years in exile, five of them in Japan, the country of his parents' birth.

Cusco’s Committee of Tourist Integrated Services (COSITUC) announced today that the cost of tourist tickets would be increased by 85 percent in July 2008.

The head of Cusco’s Tourist Ticket Office (OFEC), Fermín Díaz Angulo, specified that a normal ticket, which currently costs 70 soles, will now cost 130 soles and that student tickets, which cost 35 soles, would increase to 70.

It was reported that the money raised with the increased ticket prices would be invested in better conditions for the comfort of tourists as well as the establishment of other services such as medical insurance for accidents, permanent security during tours, emergency vehicles and medical centers.

The funds are to also be invested in rest areas for tourists, bathrooms, adequate security, promotion campaigns to encourage national tourism and funding for schools that wish to bring their students to the Inca Citadel.

According to Peru's COSITUC, forty percent of the money collected will be granted to district municipalities while twenty percent will be given to the communities where archaeological monuments and tourist attractions are located.

Thirty percent will be granted to Cusco’s National Institute of Culture (INC) and the remaining ten percent will be given to the Regional Directorate of Foreign Trade and Tourism (DIRCETUR).

While Peru's former president Alberto Fujimori has admitted to having staged a coup on April 5, 1992, he has denied knowing of the existence of the Colina Group, a paramilitary death squad, as well as having any knowledge of kidnappings or torture.

During his trial, which continues to take place in a special courtroom at the DIROES facility in Lima, testimonies have been given that Alberto Fujimori knew exactly what was happening during his administration. One of these