Latest news with #Incas
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
The seven wonders of the world, ranked from best to worst
The seven wonders of the world are, well, wondrous, and each demonstrates the fascinating scale and skill of human creation. But everyone's got their opinion, and a brand-new survey has unveiled which 'wonder' is the most popular of all. How? Well, Iglu Cruise did some digging and compiled a ranking based on the proportion of five-star reviews each site has garnered on TripAdvisor. So, topping the list and beating out all six other wonders was (drum roll, please) Machu Picchu! That's right, the hilltop citadel in southern Peru, built by the Incas as a royal estate for emperors and nobles, is the highest-rated wonder in the world. Of the 20,132 TripAdvisor reviews, Iglu Cruise found 18,414 were five-star, giving it an impressive proportion of 91.5 percent overall. In second place? That would be the magnificent, otherworldly Taj Mahal, a grand mausoleum in Agra, India built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal – Valentine's Day ain't got nothing on this guy. A solid 84.1 percent people gave the marvel a five-star review, which was closely followed by the 81.7 percent positive score for the Great Wall of China. Check out the rest of the list below. The seven wonders of the world, ranked Machu Picchu, Peru Taj Mahal, India Great Wall of China, China Petra, Jordan Colosseum, Italy Christ the Redeemer, Brazil Chichén Itzá, Mexico Plus: Forget Spain – I went to Sweden and found the ideal summer holiday destination.
National Geographic
13-06-2025
- General
- National Geographic
How the potato went from banned to beloved
Potatoes were once so despised they were linked to leprosy. What changed? It's a tale of propaganda, survival, and ordinary people's resilience. The potato's journey from despised and feared to dinner-table staple reveals how this simple root reshaped economies and cultures. This history of the potato, like the spud itself, has been baked into folklore, mashed into politics, and fried into a thousand origin myths. However, the tuber's rise to global stardom wasn't a simple matter of hunger meets harvest—it was a slow-cooked saga of stigma, spin, and sheer necessity. What started as sacred Indigenous knowledge of the potato was swiftly rebranded as salvation. Monarchs, scientists, and opportunistic propagandists all took turns serving the spud as miracle, menace, or national mascot. Still, the potato's real ascent sprouted far from palace gates. While elites thought they were handing down deliverance, it was the people on the ground—farmers, foragers, and famine survivors—who really made the potato take root. This is the story of how this unlikely outsider made it to the center of the plate, and how optics, politics, and the people who had no choice but to eat it transformed the potato from a rejected root to a revolutionary staple. A ceremony performed after harvest to bring the spirit of the potato. In Incan civilization, the potato was considered sacred. Photograph by Jim Richardson, Nat Geo Image Collection Before it became comfort food, the potato was considered sacrosanct. High in the Andes, some 8,000 years ago, the Incas and their ancestors cultivated the crop not just as food, but as fortune. Nutrient-dense, cold-resistant, and capable of growing in thin, rocky soil, the potato thrived where little else could and sustained sprawling pre-Columbian civilizations for centuries. The Spanish conquistadors introduced the potato to Europe in the 1500s, smuggling it among the spoils of colonization alongside maize, cacao, and tobacco. But while the stolen gold and chocolate dazzled, the potato did not. It was fast-growing but unfamiliar, ugly, and covered in dirt like something best left unearthed. Though it had divine roots in South America, the strange tuber had to dig its way to respectability in the West. Potato propaganda By the 18th century, most French recipes were rooted in religion, so while orchard fruits and game birds were celebrated, anything dug from the 'devil's dirt'—like onions, carrots, and especially potatoes—was deemed fit only for peasants and swine. People believed the potato was akinto the deadly nightshade and linked to leprosy due to its spotted skin; it was deemed un-Christian, and its cultivation for human use was banned. Bulgaria's cultural capital France was facing a famine by the late 1700s and starving—literally and figuratively—for a solution. Due to dreadful weather and poor farming techniques, wheat fields lay fallow, bread was scarce, and bellies were empty. Portrait of Antoine Augustin Parmentier (1737-1813), French military pharmacist and agronomist. Photograph by Stefano Bianchetti/Bridgeman Images But Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a French pharmacist who survived on potatoes as a prisoner in Prussia, rose to become a staunch spokesperson for the spud. To sway the scientific community, he penned pro-potato pamphlets, won scientific accolades for using potatoes to treat dysentery and replace flour, and hosted glamorous, starch-studded soirées for Parisians and international elites. He also gave the tuber the royal treatment by gifting potato blossoms for Marie Antoinette's wigs and the king's lapels to debut exotic potato couture at court. Still, convincing the aristocracy to enjoy and advertise the potato wasn't enough. Parmentier had to win over the working class,who had long been taught to despise the spuds. Proving potatoes were edible meant staging the oldest marketing trick in the book: exclusivity. When Louis XVI granted Parmentier 54 acres of land near Paris, he had his potato plants guarded by day and left unprotected at night, tempting locals to 'steal' the coveted crop and plant it themselves. The stunt turned curiosity into cultivation. The redemption of the potato gave working-class families not just energy but also agency, and perhaps a little dignity on their dinner plates. Photograph by Bridgeman Images In 1772, the Paris Faculty of Medicine finally stamped the spud 'food safe,' sowing seeds of survival that France would soon be forced to reap when its wheat failed. Later in 1789, just as the French Revolution boiled over, Parmentier published a royal-backed murphy manifesto. By the century's end, potatoes had gone mainstream:Madame Mérigot's La Cuisinière Républicaine became the first potato cookbook, pitching the tuber as 'the petrol of the poor,' according to Rebecca Earle, food historian and professor at the University of Warwick. The potato's rise beyond Western Europe While Parmentier was staging tuber tactics in France, potato propaganda was planting roots across the globe. In Prussia, Frederick the Great saw political promise in the crop and ordered peasants to grow it. When they resisted, he threatened to cut off their ears and tongues, then used Parmentier-esque reverse psychology, declaring the potato a 'dish fit for a king,' essentially transforming it from pig food to royal fare. By the 19th century, the potato had evolved into palatable patriotism, driven by rulers, reformers, andscientists who knew that controlling food was a form of power. Peasants come to steal the potatoes grown by Antoine Augustin Parmentier, French agronomist (1737-1813). Photograph by Bridgeman Images Outside of Western Europe, Irish fleeing famine brought tubers into the Americas. In Russia, it became the backbone of everyday diets. Once promoted as a strategic food security crop in China, it's now the most widely grown staple and a street food favorite in the country. In Peru, the potato's birthplace, it remains a symbol of cultural pride and biodiversity, with thousands of native varieties still cultivated in the Andes. From Indian aloo gobi to Korean gamja jorim, the potato has managed to slip effortlessly into any cuisine, reinventing itself wherever it takes root and feeding millions along the way. The potato's impact today In modern Western food culture, the potato has faced a new kind of public relations problem. Once celebrated as a symbol of resilience, today it's often cast as a dietary delinquent: too processed and too passé. Much of the demonization of the potato is tied to how it's prepared. 'Most potatoes in the U.S. are eaten as highly processed snack food,' says Earle. 'We've forgotten that a simple boiled potato is a joy.' While it may have fallen out of favor in the U.S., the potato's role on a larger scale is far from fried. In kitchens around the globe, it's still prominent, feeding billions, and in food policy circles, it's gaining new attention as a climate-resilient, nutrient-dense staple. Earle puts it best: 'A potato cooked slowly from cold water, gently boiled and simmered until perfect, is nothing short of revolutionary.' In that humble preparation, class lines fade: anyone can afford it, and anyone can master it. A humble boiled potato becomes a taste of equality, with the power to nourish, unite, and upend the status quo.
Daily Mirror
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Dan Snow 'overwhelmed' finding remains of girl, 12 - 'She was my daughter's age'
Dan Snow explores the ruins of Machu Picchu in a compelling new show for 5. But the father-of-three was struck when he discovered the mummified remains of a young girl. Scaling Machu Picchu, Dan Snow 's latest adventure is anything but ordinary. But he was rattled by his encounter with a 600-year-old Inca mummy. The historian and presenter, 46, fronts Machu Picchu: The Discovery with Dan Snow on Channel 5, diving deep into the secrets of the ancient Peruvian city lost to the jungle for centuries. 'It is the most splendid and overwhelming location for a historical site. Nothing can prepare you for arriving there,' he says, 'I'd never visited before and it was one of my bucket list places. I was so desperate to do it.' Alongside the stunning scenery came cultural revelations. 'The Incas were very different,' he says, 'To understand their belief systems, you have to turn everything you understand from the West on its head. They used to keep their Emperors mummified, bringing them out on special occasions. Death wasn't the end for them. That was difficult because it's so different.' He adds: "Seeing the way the landscape is kind of organised – like a great big Coliseum. Such beautiful mountains, river valleys and then stunning buildings. All built with these extraordinary, exquisite stonemasonry techniques of the Inca. It is truly like a lost city in the jungle. It's the thing you dream about when you're a little kid." But one of the most striking of the show moments came when Dan encountered the frozen remains of a 12-year-old-girl, sacrificed to the mountain gods. 'She was perfectly preserved in ice,' he says, 'I had to hold her for a minute. She was my daughter's age. It was one of the most overwhelming things.' Dan has been married to criminologist and philanthropist Lady Edwina Louise Grosvenor since November 2010. Edwina is the second daughter of the 6th Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor. She and Dan lead a happy family life in the New Forest with their three children. Hidden from Spanish invaders and swallowed by rainforest, Machu Picchu remained untouched for centuries. 'It was just so inaccessible," says Dan. The Spanish never managed to get to it. Everything grows so fast that it was abandoned: The Spanish never found it, and before you know it the jungle had just taken over.' But reaching it wasn't easy. 'It was a really challenging place to film. Carrying all our equipment over these mountain paths,' he says, 'At one stage, we were swinging the camera, and I almost fell off into the valley below. It was exhausting.' The altitude only made things worse. 'People were having nosebleeds as we were trying to operate equipment,' Dan adds. 'Even in Cusco, one of the highest cities on Earth. It was one of the more challenging places I have had to operate for sure.' Now back from his visit, Dan's wanderlust is far from cured. 'I'd love to visit Easter Island," he says, 'There are Roman ruins in North Africa, even in China! The great happiness is that there's always opportunities.'
The Age
30-05-2025
- The Age
Luxury lodge in one of the harshest environments on Earth reopens
Northern Chile's Tierra Atacama has just reopened after a year-long, $US20 million ($32 million) transformation. All the work at the legendary luxurious hotel was designed to preserve its close connection to the local community, descendants of the Incas and Aymaras with living heritage that dates back 10,000 years. Built in the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, amid the driest non-polar desert on Earth, the lodge was conceived by Miguel Purcell, an Olympic skier and mountaineer. Tierra Atacama opened in 2008 with a mission to keep its environmental impact low while offering guests extraordinary experiences in one of the planet's most amazing landscapes. The 32-room retreat was built around a centuries-old cattle corral using traditional methods. It was filled with a curation of culturally relevant art, objects and materials, and each room was set with views of the Licancabur Volcano. The Purcell family went on to create Tierra Hotels, and now has two sister properties in the region under its umbrella. In 2022, it sold a majority shareholding in the company to Baillie Lodges. Founded by James and Hayley Baillie, Baillie Lodges owns and runs some of the world's most esteemed luxury adventure properties, including Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland. Internationally it owns Huka Lodge in New Zealand and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Canada's Vancouver Island. The fit is so strong that Purcell remains involved in the property and actually led the redesign project in person. He was joined by Tierra Atacama's original Chilean architects – Rodrigo Searle and Matias Gonzalez – who again used the surrounding environment as the starting point for design. Interior designer Carolina Delpiano, who has been responsible for the original interiors at all the Tierra properties since their inception, also took part. Chilean landscape architect Teresa Moller preserved the original walls and native vegetation while integrating changes to the built environment into the existing gardens and setting. Where possible, local tradespeople and artisans were employed to realise the vision.
Sydney Morning Herald
30-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Luxury lodge in one of the harshest environments on Earth reopens
Northern Chile's Tierra Atacama has just reopened after a year-long, $US20 million ($32 million) transformation. All the work at the legendary luxurious hotel was designed to preserve its close connection to the local community, descendants of the Incas and Aymaras with living heritage that dates back 10,000 years. Built in the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, amid the driest non-polar desert on Earth, the lodge was conceived by Miguel Purcell, an Olympic skier and mountaineer. Tierra Atacama opened in 2008 with a mission to keep its environmental impact low while offering guests extraordinary experiences in one of the planet's most amazing landscapes. The 32-room retreat was built around a centuries-old cattle corral using traditional methods. It was filled with a curation of culturally relevant art, objects and materials, and each room was set with views of the Licancabur Volcano. The Purcell family went on to create Tierra Hotels, and now has two sister properties in the region under its umbrella. In 2022, it sold a majority shareholding in the company to Baillie Lodges. Founded by James and Hayley Baillie, Baillie Lodges owns and runs some of the world's most esteemed luxury adventure properties, including Longitude 131° at Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island in South Australia and Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland. Internationally it owns Huka Lodge in New Zealand and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Canada's Vancouver Island. The fit is so strong that Purcell remains involved in the property and actually led the redesign project in person. He was joined by Tierra Atacama's original Chilean architects – Rodrigo Searle and Matias Gonzalez – who again used the surrounding environment as the starting point for design. Interior designer Carolina Delpiano, who has been responsible for the original interiors at all the Tierra properties since their inception, also took part. Chilean landscape architect Teresa Moller preserved the original walls and native vegetation while integrating changes to the built environment into the existing gardens and setting. Where possible, local tradespeople and artisans were employed to realise the vision.
