La Semana Santa (March 30, 2018)

Post by **Martin Hash** » Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:39 pm

In grade school I could never tell the difference between the Inca, the Maya, and the Aztecs. Now that I have a half-Incan grandson (his mom's family even speaks Quechua), YouTube videos detailing the ancient history of MesoAmerica are my favorites. I now know that Peru contains the origins of the Incan civilization, and I'm surprised as to the amount of ruins throughout the country. I also found out there’s lots of controversy about the age of famous cities like Machu Pichu, how they were constructed, and where the inhabitants originated? Of course, it could just be YouTube cranks but it's still jolly good fun.

Modern day culture is just as interesting: Peru is a Catholic nation, and we were visiting during Easter, with excursions to Tarapoto and ChaChapoyas during Santa Semana (Holy Week). The restaurants were closed but the plazas were bustling, the churches were packed, and there were multiple Catholic parades with a crowd of men in white robes and hats carrying a reclining Jesus over their heads, followed by a statue of Mary. It was an immense crowd for a town that size, and where did they find all trombone and horn players?