Central and South America

High-perched at almost 3,000m/10,00ft, this fortress was erected in the 10th century by a Pre-Incan civilization, the Chachapoyas. This jewel of northern Peru, located in the Amazonas region, can now be reached by cable car.

Finely chiselled gold jewellery and puma-shaped, stirrup-spout earthenware bottles – the recent discoveries of the Moche culture unearthed at the Trujillo archaeological site and in the tomb at Lambayaque bear witness to the expert craft skills of the early Andean cities along the northern coast of Peru.

The greatest Maya city of Guatemala fascinates tourists as much as it does archaeologists. The former explore the jungle-tangled temples and acropolises jaw struck, while the latter tirelessly pursue their research into the lifestyle and reasons for the fall of the capital of this once powerful kingdom.