It’s a warm sunny Sunday afternoon and I decided I would make a trip over to the National 
Museum of Peru. Only a few blocks from my house, the short walk is refreshing. I take my camera and snap some photos around the neighborhood on the way. The museum has four new exhibitions that I haven’t seen. The first is “El Qhapaq Ñan” or “The Inca Trail.” I had heard that the road system the Inca built stretched from Chile into Ecuador but the immensity of it had somehow escaped me until I saw this exhibit. The man power to build these roads, especially considering the technology of the times, must have been immense. Several major thorough fares in Lima were built over the main road running North and South. Besides the usual collection of ceramics, textiles and metallurgy that usually accompany these displays there are 
many photos. Just seeing the terrain some sections of the road were built in would give any modern 
engineer cause to admire their work.
The second exhibit was “Danza de las Tijeras” or “Scissor Dances.” The room contained multiple costumes from the different areas of Peru where this unique dance is performed. They are spectacular and the photos I include here don’t do them justice. I find it had to get good photographs of things in glass cases. Besides the costumes and musical instruments, they have a film being shown in a side room of the dances being performed. The costumes on display come from Apurímac, Ayacucho and Huancavelica. The third exhibit was on Puruchuco and Fardos. These were places that dealt with the last battles being fought between the Inca and their 
Spanish conquerors. Obviously that didn’t end well. I love the fact that I live so close to this museum and the National Library. They just finished the new National Theater right between the two which make where I live even better.
Finally, the last display was on “Chornancap,” a wealthy, powerful woman from the Lambayque culture. This had artifacts found in her tomb and tried to tell the story of this woman’s life. She is apparently something of an anomaly since it was unusual for women to a position like this in their society.
In between my visits to these exhibits I also toured a showroom where they were displaying woodwork by local artisans from Peru. These were pieces ranged from large furniture to small carved pieces of art to hang on the wall. If I were a rich man I’d have refurnished my apartment right there on the spot.
On Friday morning Larry and I gathered for our “Café and Chat” session. This time it mostly 
concerned writing and how things have been interfering with it lately. Naturally a small amount of politics entered the talk as well as local Peruvian goings on. Nothing of consequence this time but always a pleasure. Afterwards I 
met up with Kathy. I hadn’t seen her in over two months and was starting to worry about her. She’s doing OK, just a little down due to the lengthy divorce proceedings. She did manage to make a trip into Chile in that time. She said she enjoyed it a lot. She’ll be heading back to the US a week or so before I do. She’ll be babysitting her new grandbaby for three months before returning to Peru. Friday evening I joined 
Mona and Kelly for cocktails on their patio again. You have to love modern day communications. I got to hear all about their trip to Wisconsin and Kelly’s golf game. They had a great time.
The editing of “The Suitcase Murders” is progressing at a snail’s pace (how’s that for a cliché?). Digesting the suggestions and coming up with ways to not only incorporate them but the new twists to my story has proved challenging. So far, I’m much happier with the story. Otherwise, my week has been filled with the mundane chores of life and trips to the gym. Needless to say, but I’m going to anyway, “I’m happy as a clam.” Another cliché for you. Hope you all have another great week. Please get up and get active, exercise the brain and do something creative.
Tags: archaeology, dance, friends, furniture, inca, scissor, tomb, writer, writing