UNIFE Day #3

     Today was different from the usual session at UNIFE. We began normally, with a lunch that integrated both English and Spanish, and went to our university class. Today was focused primarily on history, with a deeper discussion of the Incan dynastic cycle than yesterday, followed by the internal struggles between the conquistadors after the Conquest. It was interesting to see how the Incan empire and the Spanish army were as divided as any other human society rather than monolithic units of people. 
     Next, we toured El Museo Oro de Peru; started initially as a private collection by a Peruvian businessman named Miguel Mujica Gallo. We toured two of its main sections - the Peruvian artifacts section, and the international weapons collection. The Peruvian artifacts section had a particular emphasis on PreColumbian artifacts, and featured everything from clothing to jewelry to mummies, divided primarily by culture of origin and historical period. It also had an excellent collection of post-Conquest antiques, the centerpiece of which were Catholic religious icons and jewelry. 
     The weapons of the world section was more disorganized, but was astonishing in its range of possessions. Weapons from nearly every aspect of ancient and modern warfare were represented, including armor, cavalry gear, guns, knives, swords, uniforms, and more. These included a sword of Francisco Pizarro, the personal pistols of Marquis de Lafayette, and other weapons owned by important figures in Peruvian and South American history. What struck me most was the pristine condition of of all the arms; each of them was well maintained, and looked very formidable. 
     Today's class and museum tour were excellent reminders of how much more complicated the history of a place tends to be then people realize. People seldom give the losing side of a war (e.g. the Incas and other PreColumbian Indians) full credit for their accomplishments, and do not give enough attention to the nuances of their histories. Worse, people remember even less that the victors of a war (e.g. the Spanish) were seldom as competent as we like to remember, and often had trouble guiding themselves after they had won. If we really want to understand history and current events, we need to have a more complete understanding of all the parties involved.