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Quinoa - Mother Grain of the Incas

28 Nov 2011
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27November11 Agriculture Ancient Food Incas Quinoa South America

"This Mother Grain of the Incas has been grown in the Andes of South America for centuries. Quinoa is a small seed about the size of millet. It is very high in protein and is closer to the United Nation's FAO ideal balance for amino acids than any other common cereal grain. Quinoa is high in essential amino acids: lysine, methionine, and cystine, which are particularly important for vegetarian diets and in correcting deficiencies in legume diets. Quinoa is high in calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin E and some of the B vitamins. Colorado-grown Quinoa has a rich, delicate, nutty taste and can be substituted for nearly any grain in almost any recipe."

via en.wikipedia.org

Chan Chan

10 Nov 2011
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09November11 Cities Incas Native American Peru World Heritage Site archaeology

"The largest Pre-Columbian city in South America, Chan Chan is an archaeological site located in the Peruvian region of La Libertad, five km west of Trujillo. Chan Chan covers an area of approximately 20 km² and had a dense urban center of about 6km². Chan Chan was constructed by the Chimor (the kingdom of the Chimú), a late intermediate period civilization which grew out of the remnants of the Moche civilization. The vast adobe city of Chan Chan was built by the Chimu around AD 850 and lasted until its conquest by the Inca Empire in AD 1470. It was the imperial capital of the Chimor until it was conquered in the 15th century. It is estimated that around 30,000 people lived in the city of Chan Chan.

Chan Chan was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986."

via en.wikipedia.org

Farming Like the Incas

16 Sep 2011
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15September11 Agriculture Incas South America Terraces archaeology

"The Andes are some of the tallest, starkest mountains in the world. Yet the Incas, and the civilizations before them, coaxed harvests from the Andes’ sharp slopes and intermittent waterways. They developed resilient breeds of crops such as potatoes, quinoa and corn. They built cisterns and irrigation canals that snaked and angled down and around the mountains. And they cut terraces into the hillsides, progressively steeper, from the valleys up the slopes. At the Incan civilization’s height in the 1400s, the system of terraces covered about a million hectares throughout Peru and fed the vast empire.

The ghost of the Incas’ farming achievements still shadows the Andes. The remnants of ancient terraces appear as lines of green on the mountains. Former irrigation canals carve hollows into the land. Today, in a corner of the Andes, people are breathing new life into ancient practices. Inspired by recent archaeological research, they are rebuilding terraces and irrigation systems and reclaiming traditional crops and methods of planting. They do this in part because Incan agricultural techniques are more productive and more efficient in terms of water use. But these modern farmers also believe the Incan ways can offer simple solutions to help protect communities’ food supply in the face of climate change."

via smithsonianmag.com

Quinoa - Mother Grain of the Incas

Chan Chan

Farming Like the Incas

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