The beliefs & culture of the remarkable Nasca peoples are captured in these incredible drawings. Everyone was mummified when they died & burial sites dot the desert landscape. One of the driest places on earth.

The charming Spanish colonial town of Arequipa (elevation 2600 ms) founded in 1540s. The Dominicans, Franciscans & Jesuits followed the conquistadors in search of souls. The convent (red), Santa Catalina, is remarkably intact despite earthquakes & was home to 170 Dominican nuns.

There are over 3000 varieties of potato grown in Peru, many in the fertile Colca valley, where amazing condors fly. Potatoes came to Ireland in the late 16C via Iberia (& not with Sir Walter Raleigh). A luxury to begin with, they soon became a staple crop.

As a child I had a jigsaw map of the world that showed the floating villages of Lake Titicaca, the highest lake at 3800 ms. Over past few days I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with these creative & joyous people as we prepare for the Inca trail. A dream come true.

Thanks Samantha. So glad you enjoyed it.

Early modern Cusco (at 3,400 ms) was the most important town in the Americas. The conquering Spanish appropriated magnificent Inca buildings as the eg of Qorikancha illustrates when the golden temple became a Dominican convent. Today an Irish pub overlooks the main square. 🇵🇪🇮🇪

The big day has come. Today we begin the Inca trail - a 4 day trek to Machu Picchu. Excited & daunted. Really touched to receive this lovely letter from Intrepid Travel - Enrique & all of the guides have been amazing. I could not be doing this without them.💚🙏

The 45km Inca trail -4 days of gruelling trekking at altitude (3500+ms)- was incredibly challenging physically. The majestic & moody landscapes, the campsite camaraderie & the incredible Inca ruins made it all worthwhile. A phenomenal experience & then came Machu Picchu …🤩

High emotions followed by sheer jubilation as we saw Machu Picchu from sun gate. MP was the summer residence of Inca royal family & home to 700. Abandoned shortly after Spanish conquest in 1530s it lay abandoned until 1910s when it was rediscovered. Huge 🙏to Orlando & team

Located in 17C Spanish mansion Machu Picchu Museum houses 366 Incan artefacts returned home by Yale University in 2011, after Hiram Bingham took them in 1912. These include a late 14C Incan mummy in her 60s. Analysis of bones tells much about disease, diet (corn) & daily life.

Inca Museum charts the empire & its brutal destruction. Military conquest & subjugation. Control of labour, land, gold, silver & natural resources. Creation of a service elite & strategic marriages. Suppression of Quechua language, Inca religion & customs. Sound familiar? 🇵🇪🇮🇪

Carlos Fitzcarrald/gerald of Irish origin was a rubber baron in 1890s. He exploited indigenous peoples to extract rubber in Amazon basin & used profits to build incredible mansions. Roger Casement called out their brutality & atrocities. He’s remembered as an humanitarian 🇵🇪🇮🇪

Jane Ohlmeyer ABEI Embassy of Peru in Ireland Fitzcarraldo film with Klaus Kinski came out 40 years ago when I was at Trinity and I remember seeing it then. There is another documentary about the making of the film showing how they dragged the boat over the hills to Iquitos. imdb.com/title/tt008394…

Women are also hiding in plain sight in early modern Peru. Portraits of elite women survive while these remarkable drawings by Inca nobleman Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala (d. c1616) show others involved in textile production & agriculture. Chosen women are depicted on vases.

Introducing the VOICES project at this year's TudorStuartIreland Jane Ohlmeyer European Research Council (ERC) Trinity Long Room Hub TCD History The ADAPT Centre

From the coastal desert to lake Titicaca & the high Andes & from Machu Pichu to the tropical Amazonian jungle, it’s been a trip of a lifetime. The peoples of Peru are fantastic & the variety of flora & fauna incredible. Loved my time in beautiful Peru. A real adventure 🇮🇪🇵🇪

Bravo! 👏👏👏 Another command performance at the fabulous Clandeboye festival.

Just love working in the wonderful main reading in National Library of Ireland … & as for that Lego model - it’s the best. 🤩

Please do share! Monks in Motion Jane Ohlmeyer Archdiocese of Dublin National Museum of Ireland National Library of Ireland IrishResearch John McCafferty The Irish Times Irish Historical Soc TheIrishHistoryShow Newstalk's Talking History The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland National Museum of Ireland Royal Irish Academy Library Royal Irish Academy Digital Repository of Ireland (DRI)

Meet the Maddisons. Elizabeth had 17 children - 10 boys & 7 girls - and lived until she was 79. Her wealthy husband, Lionel, a coal merchant & local bigwig, paid for this remarkable monument in Newcastle cathedral, beside the castle.