Indiana Jones and the Problem of Historical Inaccuracies

Perhaps the last place one would search for historical accuracy is in a summer Hollywood blockbuster but the sheer popularity of the Indiana Jones franchise means that what fables are contained in its plot are bound to have a huge impact on peoples perception of the world.

That’s a key concern for many Peruvians who fear misrepresentations of their culture and history in the newest film in the franchise, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of Crystal Skull.

Peru has long had a special place in the archeologist's fictional world since a pair of Peruvian porters led the hero to the temple in the prelude of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In fact, many say Indiana Jones was subtly inspired by real-life explorer Gene Savoy who spent much of his life searching for the many “lost cities” of the Incas.

Yet, the Indiana Jones franchise has often played fast and loose with the reality of Peruvian history, culture and tradition and the latest film is no exception. While many may dismiss the liberties as ‘it’s only a movie’ many Peruvians are concerned about the effect of the film given broad misconceptions about their country that already exist due to widespread inaccuracies.

"Even if it is fiction there are many incorrect facts," said Historian Manuel Burga, the former head of the University of San Marcos in Lima. "This is going to be damaging to many people who do not know our country, because it shows a Peruvian landscape that is not real.”

Most damaging is a broad lack of distinction between the Mayan cultures of central Mexico and the Inca cultures of Andean South America. These two empires are separated by thousands of miles and hundreds of years but the film constantly portrays them as near equivalents.

This is reinforced by howlers such as the Jones’ impossible claim he learned to speak the Peruvian native tongue of Quechua in Mexico in the 1910s. Interesting feat since the language is isolated to the Andean highlands.

The film also makes gross geographic liberties such as placing the Nazca Lines located on the Peruvian Pacific Coast near the mountain city of Cusco several hundred miles away in reality.

Worst of all, the film subtly reinvigorates the crackpot theories of Erich von Daniken whose bestselling book “Chariots of the Gods” has often been unquestionably cited as a source despite it’s woeful lack of scientific basis.

Fatal accidents mar start of tourist season in South America

As the summer tourist season begins to gain momentum in South America, a number of fatal accidents involving foreign visitors have dominated international attention.

Last Thursday a group of cyclists on Bolivia’s famous “Highway of Death” were slammed into by a Toyota Land Cruiser. One Briton on a bike was killed and eight of the people in the vehicle perished when it plunged over the cliff. Two other cyclists – also from the UK – were injured.

The incident follows the death of a US cyclist on the road April 19.

The highway between Bolivia’s capital of La Paz and Peru drops 3,600 meters in just 64 kilometers. Although paved in 2007, its hairpin turns and vast views have made it a destination for bicyclists with more than 25,000 riding it each year.

In southern Peru, five French tourists perished on April 9 when the plane they were in crashed near the Nazca lines. The pilot, who survived, claimed one of the passengers became frantic and tugged on the pilot's safety harness.

The famous geometric figures and rude drawings scoured into the desert hundreds of years ago are best viewed from the air and a cottage industry has emerged to handle the demand. According to officials there are about 40 small planes that make the 30-minute flights over the lines and air traffic becomes seriously congested during the tourist season.

Peruvian lawmakers vowed to strengthen restrictions on the planes to ensure better safety but just this weekend another plane had a close call when it experienced mechanical problems and was forced to land on the Panamerican Highway near the town.

In the most widely covered incident this year four British teenage girls and their tour guide were killed on April 12 in a bus crash in Ecuador. Fifteen others were injured when the bus struck another truck. The girls were on of the hundreds of gap-year tourists – young Europeans traveling the world in the year prior to university.

While these incidents garner massive amounts of foreign attention they are usually not considered in proper context. Since tourists almost inevitably travel in groups, accidents subsequently tend to involve larger numbers.

Moreover, the standard of safety for tourists may be wanting in comparison to many places in Europe and the US but it often is much higher than regular standards in the country in question. For example, bus accidents involving dozens of victims are depressingly common in rural Andean communities – but tourists rarely use these bus lines or travel to these areas.