Peruvia

Chachapoyas Discovery: Agence France Press, the Associated Press, Reuters and Sky report that U.S. and Peruvian explorers uncovered "a stone city, made up of five citadels at 9,186 feet above sea level, stretches over around 39 square miles and contains walls covered in carvings and figure paintings," according to exploration leader Sean Savoy Ontaneda. He also declared that "it is a tremendous city ... containing areas with stone etchings and 10-meter (33-foot) high walls." ALSO: "Replete with stone agricultural terraces and water canals, the city complex is thought to have been home to the little-known Chachapoyas culture." NOTE: "Savoy, a Peruvian-American, accompanied on the expedition by his U.S. father, Gene Savoy, named the site Gran Saposoa." Reuters has several photos in situ through Savoy's Andean Explorers Foundation; Sky has a mummy and an edifice; the AP offers only a dated photograph of Manuel Cornejo.

War of the Pacific, cont.: Merco Press reports that General Jose Antonio Graham Ayllon, Commander in Chief of the Peruvian Army was this week the guest of his Chilean counterpart General Juan Emilio Cheyre Espinoza who was bestowed with the highest honour medal for foreign officials "Victory Cross." (See photograph.) Graham said that "this must be remembered so as not to repeat errors of the past; never again war between Chile and Peru…never again. No war ever, because wars are no good for nobody." CITED: Both the Latinobarómetro and Apoyo polls. ALSO: "The latest public opinion poll in Peru shows 64% of interviews supporting a diplomatic solution to the border dispute with Chile, 30% taking the matter to an international tribunal and only 4% favoring the use of force."

Toledo's Numbers Inch Up: Bloomberg and the Center for Public Opinion and Democracy reviews the Apoyo poll released earlier this week which shows President Toledo "regaining public backing in Peru. ... 10% of respondents approve of the president’s performance, a 2% increase since June." NOTE: "Methodology: Interviews to 1,590 Peruvian adults in 15 Peruvian cities, conducted on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, 2004." SEE ALSO: ‘Toledo’s Numbers’ in August 16’s Peruvia.

Government Budget/Spending: Bloomberg reports that "Peru plans to reduce the budget deficit to 1% of gross domestic product in 2005, from 1.4% this year as tax revenue climbs," according to Minister of Economics and Finance Pedro-Pablo Kuczynski. NOTE: "The government, which will present next year's budget draft to congress by Aug. 31, expects to meet this year's target, Kuczynski said in a telephone interview in Lima. ALSO: "Peru's $61 billion economy grew for a 36th month in June, setting a record for the longest expansion, as increasing consumer demand helped drive growth beyond the mining and gas industries." SEE ALSO: ‘Gov’t Budget/Spending’ in August 17’s Peruvia.

Mining: Bloomberg (last item) reports that Southern Peru Copper Corp. "company will spend about $94 million in facilities to allow a contractor to build a $306 million upgrade of its copper smelter located in the southern town of Ilo," according to spokesman Guillermo Vidalon del Pino. ALSO: Minsur SA "may rise after the price of tin for three-month delivery on the London Metal Exchange rose 3.7% to $9,175 a metric ton, its steepest rise in one month."

Slower Growth: Bloomberg reports that "Credicorp Ltd., the holding company for Peru's biggest bank, expects profit growth to slow to 4% in 2005 after an almost 50 percent surge this year," according to the company’s Chief Financial Officer Walter Bayly Llona. Banco de Crédito has 206 bank branches in Peru and two offices overseas and "controls Peru's El Pacifico-Peruano Suiza SA insurance company and Colombia's Banco Tequendama." CITED: Mariano Paz Soldan, the chief executive of Profuturo AFP pension fund.

Shell Sells to Chileans: The Financial Times reports that Royal Dutch/Shell "has continued its cull of underperforming assets with the sale of its fuels business in Peru to Chile's Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP)." See Also: Shell Peru Sells to Chileans' in Peruvia.

Protect the Inca Trail: National Geographic News reports that the the World Conservation Union "is heading an initiative to restore and revitalize sections of the Gran Ruta Inca. The project aims to provide unique resource for tourism and to promote the sustainable development of the high Andean corridor." The article cites Karin Muller (who produced a National Geographic documentary and and a book, Along the Inca Road: A Woman's Journey into an Ancient Empire) who says that "the network functioned like a nervous system, allowing Inca rulers to keep tabs on their people and keep their empire running smoothly."

Understanding Alianza/U Rivalry: The Guardian (last item) offers a humorous take on in their ‘What I Did On Holiday’ series on El Classico: "the Lima derby between Alianza Lima and Universitario, in the notoriously dodgy district of La Victoria" including "we had to pass the Alianza fans, who spat a juicy mixture of abuse and saliva at us. ... During the game I was treated to the sight of the Universtario fans directing a Braveheartesque mass moonie to the Alianza fans. ... Many of the La Victoria locals were also milling around, looking for some post-match action. We edged though a crowd of the local youth, which included young teenagers scraping machetes across the ground in front of the taxi and banging on the windows."

Truth Commissions Are Deeper: Michael Schifter and Vinay Jawahar (both from InterAmerican Dialogue) publish Reconciliation in Latin America: A Fine Balance in the new Brown Journal of World Affairs (Fall 2004; XI: 1) that argues that truth commissions "are now widely viewed as central to the broader task of constructing durable and high-quality democracies."

Bishops Against Morning-After Pill: Zenit reports that "the Peruvian bishops' conference has published a scientific report on the abortifacient effect of the ‘morning-after’ pill. NOTE: "The report was prepared by the bishops' Bioethics Commission and surveys the research of the last 30 years done on the effects of levonorgestrel, the component of so-called emergency contraception." ALSO: "According to the research, the morning-after pill causes modifications in the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus, which impedes the implantation or nesting of the human embryo."

Presbyterians Against Toxic Pollution: Worldwide Faith News reports on the 2004 Presbyterian Peace and Justice Conference where "Presbyterians Emily Krause and Patti Nussle recounted meeting residents in a remote mountain town outside Lima, Peru, who the two claim are being poisoned by toxic emissions from an American-owned plant there. "The children in La Oroya, Peru, had levels of lead in their bloodstream four, five and six times the safe limit," said Krause.

Agence France Press runs this headline in Nepal: "Nepal's Maoists follow Peru's Shining Path game plan."

Nobby and Solano: The Evening Mail reports that Nolberto Solano has warned his Villa team-mates that they cannot afford to drop points against Albion if they want to bring European football to Villa Park next season. The Peruvian international is in line to replace Lee Hendrie (shoulder) on Sunday after completing a three-match ban. Australia's SBS reports that Claudio Pizarro "is still some time away from returning to the field as he recovers from surgery on a fractured skull - suffered during the Copa America last month. "

Business Venture: The Miami Herald and Hispanic Business run identical profiles of Peruvian American Mónica Ramírez and her new business, Zalia Cosmetics with "a line of 110 products is being rolled out Wednesday in Miami, one of four major Hispanic markets across the country where it will be available in Victoria's Secret Beauty shops. Until now, it's only been sold in New York and New Jersey at three shops dubbed Zalia BeautiLounges."

Dirty Water: Georgia’s Gainesville Times reports on Allen Savage who is "legally blind, is working as a Spanish translator with Amazon Medical Missions." NOTE: Savage states that, "In Peru, the water is filthy. They drink, bathe, and wash clothes and dishes in the same river."

Food In SanFran: The San Francisco Examiner runs a review of Mochica, a Peruvian restaurant owned by Carlos Altamirano. "You haven't tasted ceviche until you've eaten Mochica's. Altamirano offers five variations. Ceviche, raw fish marinated in lime and salt. ... What I particularly admire about Mochica is its committment to indigenous Peruvian ingredients."