Adventures Online: Discover Peru, Machu Picchu & the Inca Empire

1:45 p.m. Welcome and Orientation. Our Group Leader will greet us and provide a brief overview of the program and today’s schedule including Zoom protocol. 2:00 p.m. Introductions. We will say hello to one another, share our expectations, and meet our resident expert who will give lectures and lead online field trips. 2:25 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about a little-known side of Peru and its different natural regions. From the dramatic coastal desert to the exuberant rain forest on the other side of the mountain range of the Andes, Peru is an exceptionally rich country. 2:55 p.m. Break. 3:05 p.m. Online field trip. We will “visit” Lima, capital of Peru. Founded in 1535 as the Spanish capital of the newly conquered lands, almost a decade later it was designated as the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Among the highlights we will see are the Main Square, Presidential Palace, Basilica Cathedral, and other important buildings in the downtown area where this clash of civilizations left its marks. We will also learn from our local experts that Spaniards were not the first inhabitants in this beautiful city located by the Pacific Ocean. 3:45 p.m. Q&A Session. 4:00 p.m. Break. 4:10 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about “actual” Lima and its people. Meet a Limeño — a local resident — and learn about some places that are only for locals. You will be able to ask what you like. 4:50 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 5:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

2:00 p.m. Review of the day. 2:05 p.m. Online field trip. We will take a walk along the cobblestone streets of Cuzco, capital of the Inca Empire, known as “the navel of the world” and a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. We will be able to admire highly crafted early stone architecture preserved in the foundations and lower stories of Spanish colonial structures in their historical context.The Inca civilization flourished in ancient Peru between c. 1400 and 1534 CE. Pachacutec, the ninth Inca ruler, was one of the most successful. The empire eventually extended across western South America from Quito in the north to Santiago in the south, making it the largest empire ever seen in the Americas. 2:45 p.m. Interactive Q&A session. 2:55 p.m. Break. 3:05 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about Inca religion and, more specifically, about the “cosmovision” of Andean civilizations which the Incas also observed. As was the case with many of these ancient cultures, religion was indivisible from history, politics, and indeed all facets of community life. We will also learn about the Qorikancha (Coricancha) archaeological site, once the sacred Temple of the Sun complex. We will also learn about Sacsayhuaman, the last Inca fortress, as well as why and when the Empire fell. 3:45 p.m. Interactive Q&A. 4:00 p.m. Break. 4:10 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about influences of the imperial past on the present day, how the educational and health systems work, and everyday Cusqueño life. 4:50 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 5:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.

2:00 p.m. Review of the day. 2:05 p.m. Online field trip. Our resident expert will take us on an online journey to the Sacred Valley of the Incas, now known as the Urubamba Valley. This area is the perfect example of how the Inca administration worked on a daily basis. We will “visit” Morai, where we will learn how the agricultural and terrace system worked and still works. Textiles and pottery are a very important part of the Andean life then and now, and so we will visit Chincheros to learn about the process of dying fabrics and producing magical colors from the nature. We’ll also see how past and present coexist harmoniously in Ollataytambo, the only living Inca city that has survived 500 years and preserves Quechua traditions. 2:45 p.m. Interactive Q & A session. 2:55 p.m. Break. 3:05 p.m. Lecture. Our expert will explain the great network of communication that connected the Inca Empire which, at its peak, comprised 12 million people and covered what is now Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and Argentina, and part of Colombia and Ecuador. We will learn how they built the Inca Trail: the road system that allowed their “chasquis” — runners — to deliver messages throughout the empire. How did they collect taxes and tributes and keep track of them? Did they have a currency? Did they have a writing system? We’ll find the answers to these questions and more. 3:40 p.m. Interactive Q & A session. 3:50 p.m. Break. 4:00 p.m. Online field trip. Machu Picchu is deservedly a wonder of the world and the most famous Inca wonder. We will see the most important spots within the archeological ruin and learn about the importance of each structure. 4:40 p.m. Interactive Q&A. 4:50 p.m. Wrap-up and farewells. We’ll recall what we’ve learned during our virtual adventure and say farewell to new Road Scholar friends. 5:00 p.m. This concludes our program.