How To Become An Expert On The Moche Culture For Your Travel To Peru

If you think Peru is all about the Incas and Machu Picchu, maybe you need to think again. Two thousand year ago a mysterious and little know civilization inhabited the north of Peru. In recent years archaeologists - with a little help from grave robbers - have uncovered some of the most wonderful pottery and jewellery ever to emerge from an ancient civilization.

So if you're thinking about a Peru vacation, how do you find out more about the fascinating and little-known Moche empire? Here's 4 places you can include on your Peru tour to become a Moche expert.

1. Larco Museum in Lima
Start in this beautiful museum tucked away in an unprepossessing district of Lima. The well-placed displays showcase the mixing pot of different cultures that have populated Peru over the centuries.

Make sure you see the incredible weaving of the Paracas culture and the Quipu of the Inca. There is Moche gold and history but the real stunner in this museum is the storeroom. Floor to ceiling shelves of Moche pottery: pumas, fish, condors, gods, warriors and images of all kinds integrated into pots; and, in a different section, a whole harem of erotic pottery.
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2. Huaca de la Luna
Now, armed with a little background and an appreciation for the pottery skills of the Moche, head up the coast to Trujillo. Just outside town are the Huacas de la Luna and Sol (temples of the moon and sun).

Huaca de la Luna is a pyramid shaped tomb that has been opened and then preserved rather than restored (like Machu Picchu). Local archaeological students act as guides to explain the wonderful, colorful friezes and what they can tell us about Moche society.

Maybe just as interesting is the constant work in progress with archaeologists beavering away daily to keep the colors intact and preserve the exposed murals from the elements. It is a rare experience to see such vibrant colors in a tomb that has sat in the desert for hundreds of years.

3. Tombs Near Chiclayo
Still heading north, the next stop is Chiclayo. The Moche were a bloodthirsty lot. Scenes on pots have shown us that they held ritual battles The vanquished had their blood drained to be given as an offering to the gods. The knife for the blood letting, the pot to hold it and the blood itself were all important emblems.

Like the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Moche believed that when we die we go to the afterlife. Important members of society were buried with all their riches, family and servants around. In Huaca Rajada there are reconstructions of the rich tombs of the Lord of Sipan and others, and the on site museum houses many of the artifacts found there.

4. Gold in Lambayeque
Aside from the pots and the blood, the thing the Moche are know for is their amazing metalwork skills. Peru's showcase museum is the Royal Tombs Museum in Lambayeque just outside Chiclayo, a place packed full of gold and silver pieces from the Moche.

Included are some bizarre plates used as a kind of enormous nose ring, very large earrings and some elaborate masks actually used as pendants.

Peru Tour Package- Avail the best from it

"Peru" one of the favored destinations is widely appreciated for its distinctive features. The city is bestowed with immense natural beauty, rich heritage, beautiful museum and many more. On travelling to Peru, you can explore the amazing sites of Machu Picchu, Cusco, Choquequirao, or Sillustani, fly over the Nazca Lines, venture into the Tambopata Rainforest, navigate through Lake Titicaca, or hike the Inca Trail. Moreover, you can also enjoy some outdoor activities on the coast, rivers, mountains, or jungle trail all the while discovering the wide variety of flora and fauna in Peru.

Now, exploring is just click away as there are many travel and tour operators available in Peru that offers holiday tour packages for tourists who wish to enjoy the blissful experience of the city. To explore Peru, you need the guidance of an expert tour organizer. These travel agencies offer innumerable Peru travel package that not only help in planning and booking your hotels and travel tickets, but will also make sure that you get the most from holidaying in Peru. Moreover, with the help of tour packages you can make your holiday memorable one. There are ample of tour packages that can be selected upon your choice. Take advantage of these tour packages, which offer our best deal on trips that explore all regions of this beautiful country.

These travel and tour operators also conduct personalized trip and offer you a special rate on your trip to Peru. Some of the best tour packages that you can avail from these tours operator are; family, adventure, luxury, culinary, history, culture, and nature tours. These are the best value in Peru travel and all the services are managed by expert team of professionals who have year long experience in the domain. They are dedicated to providing excellent service and making your travel planning as easy as possible. The vacation packages offered by these tours operator are very flexible and also offer you customize services so as to make the perfect vacation for you.

The Peru private tours organize everything for you and make sure that your accommodations are handled well. These tours operator create holidays keeping in mind your convenience, preferences, interests and time constraints. Right from mountains, beaches, forests, trekking trails, to almost everything, they offer a luxury vacation spot that's just right for you in Peru. They help you with every problem so that you can relax, chill and enjoy your holiday to the maximum.

While exploring Peru, you can experience the hidden beauty of the city and off course, you will always want to come back so that you can experience everything else that Peru vacation can offer to you. Peru offer its visitors with amazing experience, so each time you visit, you will be amazed by its beauty.

4 Peru Souvenier Ideas To Delight Your Friends and Family

A Peru vacation may seem like a nice time, but really it's a high pressure situation. Waiting for you back at home are your loved ones; you know if you return empty-handed you'll be confronted by ill-concealed looks of disappointment. Friends and family need souvenirs. Fact. But they don't just want something to put down amongst all the other foreign trinkets that they've been given, they are after something special. Something that they proudly show every time they invite guests over.

You're in luck; Peru has some incredible treasures waiting to be plundered, and you can take heart that your approach will be much nicer than the Spanish 500 years ago. Here are some of your options for impressive Peru souvenirs to delight your friends and family.

Peru pottery souvenirs
One of the most popular products in the world of crafts is pottery. Pottery is the main activity of Quinua, a town that is found 25 miles from Ayacucho. The uniqueness of these works is in the quality of the red and cream colored clay that makes for highly expressive pieces. The best-known pieces are small churches, houses, chapels and bulls called the Toro de Quinua. You can also find pieces that are figures of peasant farmers or have a variety of religious themes.

The 'Chulucana' pieces of the northern jungles by the Arabelas communities are created using particular methods such as beating the clay with a paddle that give it a special appeal. They make heavy use of the black color in their jars and also create characters such as dancers and magicians as well as animals that come alive in the hand-worked clay.

Another area of Peru that is famous for its pottery is Puno, known for its pottery bull figures (toritos de Pucara). The figures were originally used during cattle branding ceremonies as a ritual element, a flask that was used by the high priest to drink a special mixture made with the blood of the cattle. Churches, country chapels and homes are also feature items made by the potters of Puno, and pieces feature images of dancers, musicians and various types of flora and fauna from the area of Lake Titicaca.

Peru stone carving souvenirs
Materials found in Puno such as basalt, granite and andesite are used for stone carvings as well as a white alabaster more commonly called Piedra de Huamanga which is found in Ayacucho. A shortage of marble and porcelain caused the birth of the Huamanga stone carvings in colonial times. At that time, the carvings were mostly of the infant Christ and other religious themes but later on, artisans found the stone to be an excellent material for carving and started creating other religious motifs as well as Nativity scenes. Figures that are rougher in nature are carved primarily as souvenirs for visitors.

Peru mask souvenirs
Masks can be purchased from the southern Andes where they are created and are used in conjunction with a dancer' s costume. They are used primarily during festivals and depict angels, demons, Spaniards and various kinds of animals. Plaster, leather, wood, wire sheeting and tin make up the materials of masks and are as varied as their place of origin.

Peru wood carving souvenirs
The town of Molinos near Huancayo is one of the Peru' s current wood carving centers. The primary products include utensils, decorative pieces and toys as well as animals such as dusks, horses, roosters, lions and a variety of mythical beasts.

Bring back one of these from your Peru vacation, and you'll be greeted with squeals of delight. Happy hunting!