History has never been my forte. I have often found myself challenged by the complexities of history classes. Someone I know once curiously suggested that my struggle with history could relate to the fact that I was in large part removed from my own.
The son of two Polish parents, I spent a few short weeks in Poland when I was three years old. The only thing I can remember is a strong distaste for beet soup. Unlike my enterprising twin sister, I have yet to return. While I understand Polish, I can´t speak it. When relatives call from Warsaw, I usually burrow myself in the furthest corner of my parents´ house.
The vestiges of Latin America´s turbulent history remain vivid throughout the streets of Lima. When the Spanish discovered the Americas in search of gold and precious metals more than 500 years ago, they killed in the name of “civilization” to subdue and conquer the indigenous masses they considered barbarians. The ensuing plunder left hundreds of thousands dead from disease, and the Spanish set in motion a transformation of society designed to Christianize indigenous populations and extract New World wealth to enrich the Spanish Crown.
Ten years after Columbus discovered the Americas, a Spaniard by the name of Francisco Pizarro set sail from Spain to the New World among a fleet of 30 ships. Pizarro is known as the conqueror of the great Inca empire, which ruled considerable parts of western South America from the early 13th century to the early 16th century. Pizarro conquered Peru in 1533 and founded the city of Lima two years later.
When Raul Greenwich, an EPAF employee, asked me last week to join him in a special photo shoot of the remains of Francisco Pizarro at the National Cathedral in Lima, I was ready for my history lesson.
For years, archeologists and forensic specialists have debated whether sufficient evidence exists to confirm the authenticity of the found remains as those belonging to Pizarro. Greenwich, who studies archeology at the University of San Marcos in Lima, is part of a special investigative project conducting a comprehensive analysis of the bones, a process involving numerous historians, archeologists, and EPAF experts. His findings supporting the authenticity of the remains were presented at the 4th Congress of the Latin American Forensic Anthropology Association this past April in Lima.
Watch my trip to Pizarro´s chapel …
[youtube]tQ76Cq0zn0Y[/youtube]Posted By Ash Kosiewicz
Posted Jun 23rd, 2008
4 Comments
Cesar Saenz Luyo
June 23, 2008
Siempre escuché que los restos que hay en la Catedral de Lima no son de Francisco Pizarro y que su presentación en nuestra Catedral responde a otras razones e intereses de la historia. En los últimos tiempos nunca se volvió a tratar el tema, hasta hoy en que veo con expectativa los resultados de este nuevo estudio. Si hay razones concretas que prueben que los restos son de Pizarro, pues difúndanlo y se terminará con el misterio.
Interesante!. Pizarro es un personaje que aparecio en nuestra historia en la Conquista del Imperio Inca. La forma como lo hizo es cuestionable. Sin embargo su presencia en nuesta historia marco el inicio de una nueva etapa para esta parte del mundo. Algunos ven con resentimiento lo que hizo Pizarro y su gente, quienes se aprovecharon de la abundancia de oro de los Incas. En fin! es la historia y quizas los rezagos aún vivimos ahora.
Translation: I always heard that the remains that are in the cathedral in Lima were not truly those of Francisco Pizarro and that their presentation in our cathedral was due to other reasons and other interests. In recent times the issue was never again considered, until now that I see the expectations from the results of this new study. If there are concrete reasons that prove that the remains are those of Pizarro, then let them be known and let´s end the mystery.
Interesting! Pizarro is an individual that I appreciate in our history of the conquest of the Incan empire. The way in which he conquered is questionable. However, his presence in our history marked the beginning of a new stage of this part of the world. Some see with resentment what Pizarro and his men did, given they took advantage of the abundant gold of the Incas. In the end, this is our history and maybe even today we still live under its influence and the events that occurred.
Holly
June 25, 2008
An interesting juxtaposition between this project’s work and that of EPAF. They both draw on the importance on archaelogy / forensic anthropology as a means of explaining the past, whether it be recent or distant.
RAUL GREENWICH
October 21, 2008
MUCHAS GRACIAS ESTIMADO ASH POR EL INTERÉS QUE HAS DESPERTADO EN LA INVESTIGACION DEL PAIBHFP, AQUI TE DEJO UN LINK EN DONDE SE PODRÁ VER MAS AVANCES SOBRE LA INVESTIGACION QUE DIRIJO Y SOBRE LO QUE SE VIENE DESPUES. SALUDOS UN ABRAZO.
http://worldtv.com/greenwich-channel/
RAUL G.
PAIBHFP
DIRECTOR
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June 19, 2012
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Cheers!
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