A Sacred Landscape: The Search for Ancient Peru

Hugh Thomson has continued his well researched and well written adventure into understanding ancient Peru which he began in his earlier work, the "The White Rock". The previous reviewer gives some specific examples of Mr. Thomson's research, so I will focus on why this book is rated 5 stars. Hugh Thomson has written a very high quality narrative and has woven archeological and historical research into his own search for understanding the Incas. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the history of the America's, the spiritual develop of ancient peoples and the tragedy of the Spanish Conquest. It is also excellent for anyone who wonders what it is like to journey in the Andes.

Hugh Thomson's "A Sacred Landscape: The Search for Ancient Peru" is enjoyable reading from end to end of its 286 pages, which include nice maps and lots of photos. He has written in the first person, which adds to the pleasure of the read. The book is loaded with first-hand accounts of archaeological sites, along with personalized interviews and discussions with Andeanists, both scientific and adventurer types. We learned a lot about the recent re-discovery of Llactapata, the extraordinary archaeological site that lies 2.5 miles southwest of Machu Picchu proper. Thomson describes his work and the work of his colleagues at Llactapata in evocative detail; it makes you feel as if you were there swinging a machete. In particular, you get a good feel for explorer Gary Ziegler and Archaeo-astronomer Kim Malville, both of whom are from Colorado. Thomson also does a good job at describing earlier visits to Llactapata by Hiram Bingham, Johan Reinhard, and himself from over the last 100 years, and how these hurried visits had done little to really define the site. One reason why the book would be of special interest to archaeologists is that Thomson describes encounters with well-known Andean personalities and then goes on to give verbal sketches of their personalities and their strengths and weaknesses without pulling punches. You will find stories about Gordon McEwan, Jonathan Haas, Ruth Shady, Tom Zuidema, Gary Ziegler, Gary Urton, John Hemming, Richard Burger, Johan Reinhard, and many more. It is fun reading. One treat was Thomson's 10-page report on meeting with Gordon McEwan at Chokepukio that is just down valley a short distance from Cusco. The site is nicely described, but Thomson states it was a Wari site when it was actually pre-Wari, Wari, post-Wari, and then an Inca site. This problem, however, does not detract from his report. "A Sacred Landscape..." joins Thomson's earlier book, "The White Rock", in setting a standard on how to write about Andean archaeology in a manner that sells books and provides a glimpse of ancient Peru for the armchair traveler, serious tourist, and for those with a scientific bent.