Day 9: South America - PDF

South america Day 9 video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_0_0gsJKoo&t=1339s Latin American culture go back much further in time moving back to Continental land in the Pacific coast of South America is Peru a nation tied to the Sea by 1860 miles of coastline Peru is home to amazing fauna and...

South america Day 9 video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_0_0gsJKoo&t=1339s Latin American culture go back much further in time moving back to Continental land in the Pacific coast of South America is Peru a nation tied to the Sea by 1860 miles of coastline Peru is home to amazing fauna and is also the Cradle of some of the most developed pre-hispanic cultures in the continent Lima the only capital city in South America that faces the sea thank you a modern city that blends contemporary expressions with ancient cultures and the legacy of the Spanish occupation on land there are hundreds of colonial monuments and sacred pre-columbian sites at Sea the powerful waves attract Surfers from all over the world 13 and a half miles of cliffs separate the city streets from the ocean the slope inclines 40 degrees but at the Miraflores District it is a dizzying 85 degrees The Cliffs of the Costa Verde or Green Coast are a result of millions of years of erosion from the ocean Lima has a long history of earthquakes and tsunamis many in Lima look to avert this Fate by engaging in the multitudinous procession of El Senor De Los Milagros a tradition that started after a strong earthquake in 1687. the first Saturday of October the city of Lima is covered in purple over one million people participate in the 20-hour long procession paying tribute to the Lord of Miracles a unique Peruvian image of Jesus Christ the official story links this Christ to a 17th century painting by an angone slave over six hours south by car from Lima the desert holds wanders from ancient worlds in the region of Ika bordering the Western Andes we find the Nazca Lines a legacy of pre-inka civilizations an area of around 174 square miles containing a system of more than 800 straight lines 300 geometrical figures and others of animals plants and human-like drawings that can only be seen from above It is believed that the drawings were carved in the sand between 200 BC and 500 A.D some researchers suggest that they were used for astronomy and as a rain calendar for agriculture others think that they are manifestations of a social and religious nature some even venture to say they were Landing guides for extraterrestrial vessels we can only confirm that this is a system of figures that range between 164 and 980 feet in length and reveal great engineering capabilities by those who built them Peru the heart of the Inca Empire a civilization that covered over 1 500 miles in the South American Andes from the 12th to the 6th after the Spanish Conquest it became the epicenter of Christian evangelization in the Andean world 20 churches many of which were built on top of Inca palaces and temples the main one is the Basilica Cathedral De Cusco in front of the plaza de armas it took 132 years to build using blocks of red granite extracted from the Inca Fortress of success huaman there's also the Church of San Cristobal built on top of what was the front square of korcampata Palace the house of manko Kapak considered the first Inca ruler Cusco abounds in colonial Arts art but it's also the door to one of the most important archaeological regions in South America Peru's Indian Highland also known as the sacred Valley this region of Peru is where the Inca developed their military power and harvesting techniques under two hours by car Northwest from Cusco in the small town of oyentambo at 9160 feet above sea level it offered a vantage point for the Inca to safeguard one of the largest food producing areas in the Empire foreign the town's military purpose is evident in its pink Granite monoliths and the carved Stone Terraces the ones leading to the Temple of the sun were not used for agriculture but to avoid erosion in town time seems to have stopped many of these buildings date back to Inca times so they may be the oldest houses still in use in South America a railroad that starts in Cusco passes through oyatay Tambo and ends at the foothills of the legendary Machu Picchu the final part of the route follows the urubamba river as it descends to the sacred Valley here the vegetation becomes increasingly jungle like then in the middle of this dense wilderness one of the Seven Wonders of the World appears at an altitude of around 8 000 feet almost 80 000 Acres of protected land surround the archaeological site of Machu Picchu The Lost City built in the 15th century by the Inca government of bachacutec it was the administrative political and religious center of the empire so why build this incredible Citadel on top of a seemingly inaccessible Mountain one of the strongest theories suggests that the fault lines of no Machu Picchu provided large fractured rocks that could be used as construction material Ingenuity for using Nature's Bounty and construction is still alive and well in Peru in Lake Titicaca there are around 80 hand woven Islands Housing close to 1 800 people using totora a type of tool this unique group of islands was built by the uros an ancient culture of water people as they call themselves oh they escape from Inca Rule and took refuge in Lake Titicaca the world's highest navigable Lake to build the islands they collect the roots of the todora as it grows during the rainy season and cut them into large blocks foreign these blocks are then woven together to form an island which can last over 20 years each of these pedora islands is home to three to ten families who honor the memory of the uros through this practice at the southernmost part of Latin America is Argentina where dry and arid desert dominates the Northwestern landscape in the province of salta which borders Bolivia to the North Begins a Mountain Road that Trails the banks of the kolansoli river nearing the end of its almost 12 mile run one can see the Church of San Roque innuestra Senora Del Rosario in iruya a small town at the edge of the mountain that sits at over 9000 feet above sea level the celebration of the Virgen De Rosario is an example of the religious syncretism that defines iruya while the pre-columbian culture prevails an agricultural traditions of the region the popular festivities provide an example of the cultural blend that occurred during the Spanish Conquest although Catholic Worship Is predominant the clothing and ceremonial dances are proof of their indigenous roots the celebration marks the beginning of the planting season and the main celebration is the procession that takes place on the first Sunday of October this veneration to the Virgin was brought by the Spanish the indigenous populations worship pachamama or Mother Earth the only way to reach iruya is through the umaguaka Ravine located in the neighboring province of huhui foreign on both sides of the Rio Grande the different types of clay display a colorful landscape on the mountain range this Valley is full of multi-colored Hills like the ones in ornocal better known as the hill of 14 colors the mountain range dates back 75 million years when the last dinosaurs lived and its highest point sits at 15 600 feet above sea level almost 200 miles Southwest from ornokar is a vast extension of white land known as the salar of arizarro Salt Flat in the world at its southern end a small volcano with a weak eruption formed a perfect natural pyramid the cone of arita a true geological mystery salt and black lava combined to erect the sharp cone that stands 482 feet tall approximately the size of the Great Pyramid of kiops in Egypt scientists claim it was shaped by the intense Winds of the area salt and wind are the two primary elements of this region of Argentina about two hours by car near the municipality of dolar Grande there are a series of seawater Springs known as Ojos de Mar the microorganisms found here date back to the very origins of Earth foreign like stromatolites that endure environments with extreme conditions similar to what was Earth 3.5 billion years ago remains almost invisible to the human eye but it has existed for thousands of years the Argentine Patagonia at the southernmost end of Latin America covers nearly one-third of the Continental surface of Argentina with luscious mountains and valleys every year from June to December the Valdez Peninsula is home to hundreds of Southern right whales that migrate here to mate give birth and nurse their young this natural reserve is located halfway between Buenos Aires and the Garibaldi pass in Tierra del Fuego the southern right whale can be distinguished by its lack of a dorsal fin and by their unique v-shaped blow which can reach a height of up to 13 feet the whole region is Bountiful south of Valdez Peninsula Punta Tombo has the largest Continental Colony a magellanic penguins in the world around 800 000 specimens migrate here from September to April to give birth the males arrive first to secure a space for nesting females arrive a month later after giving birth the Penguins returned to Sea where they remain for the other half of the year foreign two hours away by car is Union Beach a long stretch of white sand that comes alive in summer one of its main attractions is a marine mammal that is endemic to Southern Argentina the commerson's dolphin a citation of barely five feet that stands out for its great swimming skills the congressman's dolphin usually swims near the coast in waters under 328 feet deep it is a social being that seems comfortable around humans [Music] at the foothills of the Andes on the opposite side of the country is Los glacieres National Park which hosts 1 000 square miles of desert covered by Ice twice the size of the city of Los Angeles it is the largest national system of protected areas in the country and the third largest source of fresh water on the planet if global warming continues at the current trend 60 of the ice in this park could be gone by the year 2100. the most famous of these glaciers is perito Moreno a glacier in constant movement every year the 3.1 miles of its frontal wall grows 2 300 feet towards the peninsula until the water pressure cracks the structure creating spectacular ruptures in the southernmost end of Argentina is Tierra del Fuego an island separated from the mainland by the Magellan Street its capital ushwaya city is the longest days and nights of the year in Argentina this city of over 80 000 residents started growing when a Penitentiary known as prison at the End of the World opened in 1920. it was the inmates themselves that built the prison and started populating this remote region our journey through the vast territory of Latin America and its natural wonders ends here a land rich with diverse cultures with people who are proud of their roots firmly towards the future thank you