Latest news with #Incan
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
Scots academic sheds new light on secrets of Inca empire
Sabine Hyland, Professor of World Religions at the University of St Andrews, has been studying this form of writing throughout her career. However, her recent discoveries have shed new light on how Khipus were used, and challenged existing theories about Incan culture. Professor Hyland was invited to the remote, Peruvian indigenous community of Santa Leonor de Jucul to study their collection of ancient khipus, which had never before been shown to outsiders. It contains 97 khipus, including the world's longest at over 68 metres long. Jucul khipu (Image: Prof Sabine Hyland) It was discovered that these khipus were kept and consulted as a record of past environmental conditions. These are the first khipus ever proven to have been used for this purpose; they demonstrate how carefully ancient Andean people observed and recorded climatic conditions and change. Each khipu recorded how villagers in the past responded to climate change. If there was a drought, for example, the villagers would give offerings for rain at a sacred place in the mountains and then record on the khipu the site of the offering and what was given. It was also discovered that makers of the khipus 'signed' the khipus with locks of their hair. It's been thought, based on descriptions by Spanish chroniclers, that very few people in the Inca empire knew how to make khipus. Only a few very high-ranking Inca bureaucrats supposedly knew how to make these knots. READ MORE: Inka khipu with human hair was carbon dated to the Inca Empire, around 1480AD. Isotopic sampling of the human hair on the Inca khipu shows that the diet of the person who made the khipu was that of a commoner. Professor Hyland said 'Diet varied by status in the Inca Empire. Commoners ate a diet of potatoes, legumes, and quinoa grasses. Elites ate meat and drank large quantities of maize beer. "Results intimate that who made these Inca khipu had little meat or maize in their diet – the evidence indicate that they were a commoner. "This suggests that khipu literacy was more widespread and inclusive in the Inka Empire. In turn, this means that there was probably greater continuity between Inca khipus and modern ethnographic khipus, like the ones in Jucul, than previously thought.'
India.com
22-05-2025
- India.com
7 Wonders Of The World
Zee Media Bureau May 22, 2025 This mausoleum complex in Agra, India, is regarded as one of the world's most iconic monuments and is perhaps the finest example of Mughal architecture. It was built by Emperor Shah Jahān (reigned 1628–58) to honor his wife Mumtāz Maḥal ('Chosen One of the Palace'), who died in 1631 giving birth to their 14th child.(Source:Britannica) The Colosseum in Rome was built in the first century by order of the Emperor Vespasian. A feat of engineering, the amphitheater measures 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 meters) and features a complex system of vaults. It was capable of holding 50,000 spectators, who watched a variety of events. a colossal statue of Jesus, stands atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Its origins date to just after World War I, when some Brazilians feared a 'tide of godlessness.' They proposed a statue, which was ultimately designed by Heitor da Silva Costa, Carlos Oswald, and Paul Landowski. Construction began in 1926 and was completed five years later. This Incan site near Cuzco, Peru, was 'discovered' in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, who believed it was Vilcabamba, a secret Incan stronghold used during the 16th-century rebellion against Spanish rule. Although that claim was later disproved, the purpose of Machu Picchu has confounded scholars. The ancient city of Petra, Jordan, is located in a remote valley, nestled among sandstone mountains and cliffs. It was purported to be one of the places where Moses struck a rock and water gushed forth. Later the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe, made it their capital, and during this time it flourished, becoming an important trade center, especially for spices. a Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, which flourished in the 9th and 10th centuries CE. Under the Mayan tribe Itzá—who were strongly influenced by the Toltecs—a number of important monuments and temples were built. Great might be an understatement. One of the world's largest building-construction projects, the Great Wall of China is widely thought to be about 5,500 miles (8,850 km) long; a disputed Chinese study, however, claims the length is 13,170 miles (21,200 km). Work began in the 7th century BCE and continued for two millennia. Read Next Story
NDTV
13-05-2025
- NDTV
Chan Chan, UNESCO World Heritage Site In Peru, Defaced With Obscene Graffiti
A vandal defaced Chan Chan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Peru, with obscene graffiti over the weekend, the Ministry of Culture said Monday. In a video that went viral, a young man wearing a backpack can be seen spray-painting a giant penis on a wall of this fortified complex that is more than 600 years old. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ministerio de Cultura del Perú (@minculturape) "This act constitutes a grave disrespect toward our history and cultural heritage, as well as a violation of the regulations that protect archaeological heritage sites," the ministry said. The vandal faces up to six years in prison and has not been identified. Chan Chan was the site of the largest earthen architectural city in pre-Columbian America, according to the United Nations. It once held temples, dwellings and storehouses, often decorated with abstract motifs. Chan Chan reached its peak in the 15th century as a vast city that was home to about 30,000 people, and was 20 kilometers (12 miles) square. It is located about 550 kilometers north of Lima near the coastal city of Trujillo, and has been a UNESCO site since 1986. Along with the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Sacred City of Caral-Supe, Chan Chan is one of the most beloved archaeological sites in Peru.
The Age
11-05-2025
- General
- The Age
Everyone has a version of meat on a stick, but this might be the first
The dish Anticuchos, Peru Plate up There are certain culinary ideas so simple, so perfect, that they transcend cultural and geographical boundaries. Think meat wrapped in bread, versions of which appear across the globe. Or a basic starch used to form hearty porridge (congee, ugali, actual porridge). And then we have meat on skewers. You will find hunks of protein on pieces of wood in Japan (yakitori), Russia (shashlik), the Middle East (kebab), and Peru. Here the dish is known as anticuchos, and the classic presentation is slices of beef heart, skewered and roasted over hot coals, served up fresh at street-side stands and cheap restaurants across the nation. The meat here is often marinated in vinegar, garlic, cumin and local aji amarillo peppers, and it doesn't always have to be heart – tour around the country and you will find various cuts of beef, though also llama or alpaca meat, and sometimes even chicken. All are tasty, and form a worthy entry to the global meat-on-sticks pantheon. First serve Anticuchos have been around for centuries, in fact there's a case for claiming these as the original meat-on-sticks snack. The history of anticuchos stretches back to Incan times, in pre-Columbian America. These early versions are thought to have been made using llama meat; with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, Latin Americans began using beef hearts, as well as imported spices such as garlic. The name also stretches back to the Incas and their Quechua language: 'anti' means east, and 'kucho' means cut, so these skewers are translated as 'cuts from the east'. Though they're originally Peruvian, they're popular now throughout Latin America. Order there
Sydney Morning Herald
11-05-2025
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Everyone has a version of meat on a stick, but this might be the first
The dish Anticuchos, Peru Plate up There are certain culinary ideas so simple, so perfect, that they transcend cultural and geographical boundaries. Think meat wrapped in bread, versions of which appear across the globe. Or a basic starch used to form hearty porridge (congee, ugali, actual porridge). And then we have meat on skewers. You will find hunks of protein on pieces of wood in Japan (yakitori), Russia (shashlik), the Middle East (kebab), and Peru. Here the dish is known as anticuchos, and the classic presentation is slices of beef heart, skewered and roasted over hot coals, served up fresh at street-side stands and cheap restaurants across the nation. The meat here is often marinated in vinegar, garlic, cumin and local aji amarillo peppers, and it doesn't always have to be heart – tour around the country and you will find various cuts of beef, though also llama or alpaca meat, and sometimes even chicken. All are tasty, and form a worthy entry to the global meat-on-sticks pantheon. First serve Anticuchos have been around for centuries, in fact there's a case for claiming these as the original meat-on-sticks snack. The history of anticuchos stretches back to Incan times, in pre-Columbian America. These early versions are thought to have been made using llama meat; with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, Latin Americans began using beef hearts, as well as imported spices such as garlic. The name also stretches back to the Incas and their Quechua language: 'anti' means east, and 'kucho' means cut, so these skewers are translated as 'cuts from the east'. Though they're originally Peruvian, they're popular now throughout Latin America. Order there
