The path
to Peru
Turn right at the abandoned Jeep and don’t let the howling monkeys scare you. The Empires of Mystery has plenty to teach about the Incas and their ancestors, but Florida International Museum plans to make visitors feel like they’re on an expedition to the most remote corners of Peru -- or in an Indiana Jones movie. In fact, the voice of actor John Rhys-Davies , whom you may remember from The Last Crusade, will guide the tour, and staffers will wear safari vests. After a brief introductory film, museum goers will enter a darkened area and emerge on a path simulating ancient pavement that winds past heavy tropical foliage and dappled light of jungle netting, listening to the sounds of wild animals and earth tremors. It will lead to surprising places: from a Miami customs warehouse to mountaintop Machu Picchu, aerial views of the Nazca lines, into tombs and temples, with mummies and tomb guardians hidden around each corner. Along the journey will be pottery, textiles and other artifacts left by the Paracas, Moche, Chancay and other peoples, as well as the Incas. Pay close attention and you’ll see the beauty of their arts and their ways of life and death. The trip requires between one and two hours, but it will take you back thousands of years.
Story by Chris Sherman
Photos courtesy of Florida International Museum
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(click on photos for enlargement)
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