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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Peruvian Music
Latin America's oldest musical traditions are those of the
Amerindians of the Andes. Their music is best known outside these countries
through the characteristic panpipes of poncho-clad folklore groups. However,
there's a multitude of rhythms and popular musics found here deserve a lot more
recognition, incuding huayno and chicha, still relatively unknown abroad, as
well as the distinct coastal tradition of Afro-Peruvian music, rooted in black
slaves brought to work in the mines.
For most people outside Latin America the sound of the Andes is that of bamboo
panpipes and quena flutes. What is most remarkable is that these instruments
have been used to create music in various parts of this large area of mountains
- which stretch 4500 miles from Venezula down to southernmost Chile - since
before the time of the Incas. Pre-Conquest Andean instruments - conch shell
trumpets, shakers which used nuts for rattles, ocarinas, wind instruments and
drums - are ever present in museum collections. And the influence of the Inca
empire means that the Andean region and its music spreads far beyond the
mountains themselves. It can be defined partly through ethnicity, partly through
language - Quechna (currently spoken by over six million people) and Aymara ,
both of which are spoken alongside Spanish and other Amerindian languages.
The dominant areas of Andean culture are Peru , Ecuador and Bolivia, the
countries with the largest indigenous Amerindian populations in South America.
Here, in rural areas, highly traditional Andean music, probably little different
from pre-Inca times, still thrives today at every kind of celebration and
ritual. But beyond this is a huge diversity of music, differing widely not only
between countries but between individual communities. Andean people tend to
identify themselves by the specific place they come from: in music, the villages
have different ways of making and tuning instruments and composing tunes, in the
same way as they have distinctive weaving designs, ways of dressing or wearing
their hats. Use of different scales involving four, five, six and seven notes
and different singing styles are also found from place to place, tied to
specific ritual occasions and the music which goes with them.
Tours of Machu Picchu
Andean music can be divided roughly into three types. Firstly, that which is of
indigenous origin , found mostly amongst rural Amerindian peoples still living
very much by the seasons with root Amerindian beliefs; secondly music of
European origin , and thirdly mestizo music , which continues to fuse the
indigenous with European in a whole host of ways. In general, Quechna people
have more vocal music than the Aymara.
Written by Jan Fairley, with thanks to Thomas Turino and Raúl Romero, Gilka Wara
Céspedes, Martin Morales and Margaret Bullen. Adapted from The Rough Guide to
World Music, Vol 2.
Traditional music
Panpipes , known by the Aymara as siku, by the Quechna as antara and by the
Spanish as zampoña, are ancient instruments and archeologists have unearthed
panpipes tuned to a variety of scales. While modern panpipes...
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Afro-Peruvian music
Afro-Peruvian music has its roots in the communities of black slaves brought to
work in the mines along the Peruvian coast. As such, it's a fair way from the
Andes, culturally and geographically. However, as it developed, particularly in
this...
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Chicha
Chicha , the fermented maize beer, has given its name to a new and hugely
popular brew of Andean tropical music - a fusion of urban cumbia (local versions
of the original Colombian dance), traditional highland huayno, and...
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Peru's performers
Many performers have achieved mass appeal and recording contracts in Peru and
can support themselves solely by their work as musicians. Nationally celebrated
performers include Florcita de Pisaq (a huayno vocalist), Pastorita...
read more >>
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
Read More testimonials »
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