Calliope articles from March 2000

Calliope archives from March 2000

MUSINGS.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... ... Suddenly we found ourselves standing in front of the ruins of two of the finest and most interesting buildings in Ancient America. Made of beautiful white granite, the walls contained blocks of Cyclopean size, higher than a man. The sight...

INCA TRAIL MAP TO MACHU PICCHU.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Over 5,000 people annually hike the 33 km (just over 20 miles) ancient Inca trail from the Urubamba River to Machu Picchu. This trail runs across mountain-sides, through a tropical cloud forest, along steep cliffs, and over log bridges held...

THE STONES OF MACHU PICCHU.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... On a steamy July afternoon in 1911, American explorer Hiram Bingham pushed aside a tangle of undergrowth and stared. For long weeks he had scoured the sweltering jungles of eastern Peru for clues. A casual remark from a native farmer... the...

THE INCAS.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Like the Andean peaks crowned by clouds, the origins of the Incas are obscured by the mists of legend. Scientists believe that tribal ancestors of the Incas migrated to the Americas from Asia thousands of years ago. Much later, around A.D....

From Legend to History: The Reign of Pachacuti.
March 1, 2000... When the Chancas threatened to overthrow Viracocha Inca, the eighth ruler fled in fear, taking with him his eldest son and intended heir. But the youngest son refused to leave Cuzco. He alone of the seven royal princes dared to defend the Inca...

WHO'S WHO IN INCA SOCIETY.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... The Sapa Inca or "supreme ruler" led Inca society. Advised by nobles and the auguries (predictions of the future through special signs) of priests, the Inca made all the laws and appointments to office, including selecting which of his sons was...

The City of Cuzco.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Inca legend claims that sometime in A.D. 1200, the Sun God, Inti, sent his son, Manco Capac, along with his sister-wife, Mama Ocllo, to earth, destination unknown, armed only with a golden rod. They were to thrust this rod into the ground, and...

THE GRANDEST ROADS IN THE WORLD.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Were the Inca roads more impressive than those built by the Romans? Here's how Cieza de Leon, a soldier who traveled the Inca roads in 1547, described them. The Incas constructed the grandest road that there is in the world as well as the...

The Inca Mail System.(messengers)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... The messenger system of the Incas was extremely efficient. Small huts, or chozas, stood every mile and a half along the entire length of the roads. Four Indian chasqui lived in each of these huts. All day, every day, two of them crouched at the...

Fun With Words.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... WORD STORIES Balsa In the 1500s, Spanish sailors off the coast of South America noticed how well the rafts used by the natives floated. That is, they sat high on the surface, unlike theirs that settled into the water when any weight...

From the Coastal Lowlands to the Mountain Highlands The Expressive Art of Inca Textiles.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Weaving was the most important Inca craft. The Incas adopted the textile techniques of earlier peoples like the Paracas of Peru's southern coast, whose textiles were among the finest ever loomed. In turn, the Incas passed their knowledge down...

Design Your own PONCHO.(creating a poncho)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... When you look at Inca textiles, you can see that they liked squares and triangles. They also liked bright colors. You can make a poncho, a simple slip-on top, in a design that an Inca would love. YOU NEED: * sheet of white shelf paper,...

TURMOIL AND DESTRUCTION.(a civil war among the Incas preceded the conquest by the Spanish)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... When Huayna Capac became the eleventh Sapa Inca in 1493, the empire was at the height of its power. Around 1525, Huayna Capac died in an epidemic that also claimed the life of his son and appointed heir, Ninan Cuyachi. Archaeological evidence...

Chroniclers of the Incas.
March 1, 2000... Since the Incas had no written language, they left no written records. Following the conquest by Pizarro, however, several accounts--by Spaniards and by Incas who had learned Spanish--were written about the Kingdom of the Sun. One of the most...

Agricultural Expertise ... in the Andes.(the agricultural skill of the Incas)
March 1, 2000... As the Incas expanded their rule throughout the Andes, they gained control of areas unlike their own steep peaks and valleys. There were hills of lush rain forest to the east and cold, flat deserts to the west. The distinctive climate and...

AN ENDURING LEGACY.(contributions of the Incas)
March 1, 2000... Hidden away amid the snowy peaks and remote valleys of the Andes, the great civilization built by the Incas seems far removed from the modern world. That they possessed some remarkable skills is clear to anyone who has seen even a photograph of...

THE INCA CREATION MYTH.
March 1, 2000... According to the Incas, in the beginning of the world, a long time passed in darkness and flood. Human beings did exist, but they lived in a world of great hardship because of the inhospitable environment. Finally, the creator god Viracocha,...

Temple of the Sun God.(Inca history)
March 1, 2000... The night before an important battle, the Inca ruler Pachacuti had a dream: He saw a supernatural figure with serpents wound around both his arms and puma heads protruding from his body. Rays of light surrounded his face. The figure wore the...

The Search for Inca Mummies.(discovery of 500-year mummies in Peru)
March 1, 2000... When I left the ruins at Llullaillaco (yu yay yako) in 1985, I did so with the intention of returning in a year or two. It was 14 years, however, before I was able to fulfill this dream. With me was a six-member archaeological team, all eager...

COUNTING KNOTS the Inca way.(extensive use of knots in the Inca civilization)
March 1, 2000... The Incas used knots to connect or hold objects in place, and to record history as well. Quipu (KEE poo), meaning "knot," was the Inca system of using knots to keep track of everything from newborn babies to the number of men who went to war....

Make Your Own QUIPU.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... Try making your own quipu to record: * the number of days in a month with and without rain * the number of births, both male and female, in your hometown for one month (watch the birth announcements in your local newspaper) * a...

Eyes.(Brief Article)(Poem)
March 1, 2000... Eyes... Eyes Look into someone's eyes Can you see his past? Can you see a glint of a tear that runs away in sad times But stays in good times? Can you see the twinkling light that glows when happy...

The Sonnet.(Brief Article)(Poem)
March 1, 2000... A sonnet is a poetic tool, Used to express the way you feel, You can write about a person or a duel, It doesn't always have to be real. One thing is for sure with a sonnet, They are hard to write, harder to think...

The Seasons.(Brief Article)(Poem)
March 1, 2000... Who brings the springtime? Who makes it hot? Who colors autumn leaves? Who chooses the cold spots? Four little children who live in the sky. Four little children like you and me. First is the spring child who...

BOOKS.(Review)
March 1, 2000... Adventures in Archaeology by Tom McGowen (New York: Twenty-First Century Books, 1997) is one of the Scientific American Sourcebooks. Its well-researched and fascinating chapters focus on "Digging Up the Past," "Lost Cities, Vanished Empires,"...

MEDIA.(Review)
March 1, 2000... The Americas Before the Europeans: 300-1500 (a 26-minute VHS video produced in 1985 and available through Landmark Media, Falls Church, Virginia) The Incas and Their History and Lima, Peru, Today (each is a 30-minute video available...

ALSO RECOMMENDED.(info sources on teaching about Incas)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... The Oxford Companion to Archaeology edited by Brian M. Fagan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996) South American Animals by Caroline Arnold (New York: Morrow Books, 1999) World Atlas of the Past: The Age of Discovery (Vol 3) by...

Cobblestone Resources.
March 1, 2000... Materials that complement this issue's theme, "The Inca of Peru," and are available from Cobblestone Publishing include: CALLIOPE Lost Cities (May/June 1991): "Machu Picchu," pages 33-37; "Digging Up the Past: Yesterday's Foods for Today's...

Meet the Incas on the Internet.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2000... This site focuses on the Inca Trail today. Although not geared for reference, there are many images. Also, if you do some "digging," you can find good information relating to the geography of the area and also Machu Picchu: ...