Traveling through Peru's heritage.

Maranon: Patrimonio Historico, by Luis Vega Garrido. Lima. Peru: Editorial San Marcos 2002.

Maranon: Patrimonio Historico, by Peruvian journalist Luis Vega Garrido, describes the cultural and touristic grandeur of the towns along the torrential Maranon River. This bilingual tour guide reveals the existence of a varied pre-Inca architecture, a diversity of ecosystems, and natural, ecological, and traditional resources that make up the extraordinary heritage of Peru.

Vega Garrido traveled through the Maranon tenon for four years to conduct his research, at great effort and personal sacrifice, with support from neither governments nor other entities. He walked along the entire length of the mighty river solely to discover a genuine regional identity and publicize its great riches.

His guide explores the history and resources of the twenty-seven provinces and six departments that form the basin of this majestic river, a cultural route of great importance for Peru since early times. The region's archaeological monuments astonish and delight, with their stone constructions fashioned out of paving blocks joined by a special mortar.

Vega Garrido begins the tour with the Huanuco region, inviting us to admire the ruins of the Yarowilca empire, dating back to 12,000 B.C. Worthy of note are the Huanuco Pampa citadel and the Tantamayo towers, constructions considered unmatched by any other type of architecture. A highlight of the Ancash region is the Conehuco kingdom, where the pre-Columbian Chavin culture flourished.

We next visit the La Libertad region to contemplate the mythical Huamachuco civilization that flourished between 400 B.C. and A.D. 300. Farther north are the monuments of Pirka Pirka, Vira Vira, Pakarishca, and the cliff mummies of the Andes, which were recently discovered in the Lake Huayabamba district of Uchucmarca-Bolivar. More Lima one thousand years old, they date back to the Cajamarquilla culture.

This magical adventure of Vega Garrido's brings us in the Cajamarca region, where we can see the evolution of very old cultures like the Lluchos, in Cajabamba; the Chutas and Huambos in Cholta; the Ilucanos, in Cutervo: and the brave Pakamuros, in Jaen.

As the Maranon crosses the Andes and empties onto the Amazonian plain, our imaginations are kindled by the mysterious Chachapoya culture, dwellers of the mistcovered mountain, whose archaeological ruins bear testimony to a hidden civilization in the dense jungle fringe, the crowning glory of which is Kuelap fortress, "the most fabulous archaeological sight in the Americas." discovered in 1843. also nearby are the runs of La Congona, the Tupac Yupanqul palace, and the Revash and Karajia sarcophagi, among others. All these extraordinary monuments lie in watt of researchers who, it is hoped, will rescue them for the benefit of the Maranon basin communities.

Maranon: Patrimonio Historico also describes an ecological diversity with massive glaciers: the cordilleras of Huayhuash, Raura, Jancapampa, Huascaran, and Pelagatos, which offer an array of stunning snowcapped peaks, pristine lakes, and dazzling waterfalls of mystical fancy.

Likewise, the guide shows us the enchanted stone forests of rare, whimsical figures chiseled by Wind and rain. These forests are reputed to go back sixty million years. This virtual tour also enables us to enjoy renowned medicinal thermal baths, like those of Inca, in Cajamarca; Eden, Sarasara, and Cachicadan in La Libertad; Yuraciyacu, in Ancash; and Churin, Chuichin, and Huancahuasi, in Lima: in addition to a varied ecosystem ranging from a few hundred feet to over fifteen thousand feet above sea level, creating a varied and abundant flora and fauna.

The Spanish presence in this region is depicted through buildings from the early viceroyalty, dating from 1500 to 1700, among them churches and spacious mansions in a pure colonial style and tradition.

Maranon: Patrimonio Historico succeeds in revealing the secrets of this immensely complex territory--one that is nonetheless benevolent rich, and filled with hope.