Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Lima bust nets pre-Hispanic textiles

Shoppers at a tourist market in Peru's capital could have netted greater bargains than they thought — rare, pre-Hispanic textiles costing little more than a Machu Picchu magnet. Police and archaeologists raiding the block-long, outdoor Indian Market June 27 found swatches of centuries-old cloth — mainly from the Chancay culture — nestled among itchy llama sweaters and other mass-produced Peruvian handicrafts. (AP - click here to read complete article by Leslie Josephs)


Objects From a Long-Vanished Peru, Parading All Their Magnificent Plumage

As Darwin wrote, brightly colored feathers give certain species of birds an evolutionary advantage. Ancient Peruvians adapted such plumage for their own purposes, adorning ritual objects and personal accessories with startling yellows, reds, greens and blues. “Radiance From the Rain Forest: Featherwork in Ancient Peru,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is one of the few New York museum exhibitions ever to focus on this little-known art form. (NY Times - click here to read complete article by Karen Rosenberg)

Fugitive Peruvian bodyguard beauty arrested after months on the run

At 26, Lady Bardales had already been many things: a police officer, a security agent to the First Lady, a model and tabloid star. Then she was a fugitive. Bardales, captured in Peru this week, had been on the lam since Nov. 26, when she skipped out before a court could determine whether she was guilty of illegal enrichment. (AP - click here to read complete article)


Peru court convicts 2 for 1992 massacre, gives 20-year sentence

A former head of Peru's army intelligence service and an ex-member of a military death squad have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the killing of nine students and a professor in 1992. Local media are reporting that the court has convicted ex-intelligence chief Col. Alberto Pinto and Wilmer Yarleque, a former member of the Colina death squad, of murder late Thursday. The court's office did not immediately return calls. (AP - click here to read complete article)


Peru mining strike support collapsing

Support was collapsing for Peru's nationwide mining strike on Friday as employees at several big mines returned to work, against the wishes of labor federation leaders who vowed the walkout would continue. At a time when metals prices are sky-high, Peru's miners want the national Congress to pass a bill that would lift caps on profit-sharing. They also want a shorter work day and improved retirement rules. (Reuters - click here to read complete article by Jean Luis Arce and Dana Ford)


Peru slash bans on Farfan and Pizarro

Peru have slashed 18-month international bans on forwards Claudio Pizarro and Jefferson Farfan and defender Santiago Acasiete, freeing the trio to play for their country almost immediately. However, a fourth player, striker Andres Mendoza, will have to serve his full ban, the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) said in a statement. (Reuters - click here to read complete article)