Growing up in the late 1800s, Julio Tello, an Indigenous boy, spent time exploring the caves and burial grounds in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Nothing scared Julio, not even the ancient human skulls he found. His bravery earned him the boyhood nickname Sharuko, which means brave in Quechua, the language of the Native people of Peru.
At the age of twelve, Julio moved to Lima to continue his education. While in medical school, he discovered an article about the skulls he had found. The skulls had long ago been sent to Lima to be studied by scientists. The article renewed Julio's interest in his ancestry, and he decided to devote his medical skills to the study of Peru's Indigenous history.
Over his lifetime, Julio Tello made many revolutionary discoveries at archaeological sites around Peru, and he worked to preserve the historical treasures he excavated. He showed that Peru's Indigenous cultures had been established thousands of years ago, disproving the popular belief that Peruvian culture had been introduced more recently from other countries. He fostered pride in his country's Indigenous ancestry, making him a hero to all Peruvians. Because of the brave man once known as Sharuko, people around the world today know of Peru's long history and its living cultural legacy.
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Julio C. Tello dreamed of documenting Indigenous history through an Indigenous perspective. Growing up in the shadow of the Andes mountains in the late 1800s, Tello heard about the glorious history of Peru from his father. The widespread death and destruction that followed in the wake of the Spanish invasion nearly erased thousands of years of pre-European history, but Tello was determined to discover it all. His fearless curiosity earned him the nickname Sharuko, which means brave in his Quechua language. He graduated from medical school in Lima, Peru, in 1909 and earned a graduate degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1911. Upon returning to Peru, he made many important archaeological discoveries and became known as the “founder of modern Peruvian archaeology.” From the discovery of ancient skulls in his youth to his appointment as director of Peru’s Museum of Anthropology in 1939, Tello’s drive to uncover the heritage of his people helped him become Peru’s first Indigenous archaeologist. Brown’s bilingual narrative is clear and straightforward, making Tello’s life and achievements easily accessible. Chavarri’s colorful and upbeat illustrations highlight Tello’s discoveries, from the endpapers featuring stone heads extracted from the Chavín de Huántar site to the motifs of Paracas textiles. A highly recommended and inspiring portrayal of dedication and perseverance for today’s generation of explorers.
Gr 3-6-Julio C. Tello dreamed of documenting Indigenous history through an Indigenous perspective. Growing up in the shadow of the Andes mountains in the late 1800s, Tello heard about the glorious history of Peru from his father. The widespread death and destruction that followed in the wake of the Spanish invasion nearly erased thousands of years of pre-European history, but Tello was determined to discover it all. His fearless curiosity earned him the nickname Sharuko, which means brave in his Quechua language. He graduated from medical school in Lima, Peru, in 1909 and earned a graduate degree in anthropology from Harvard in 1911. Upon returning to Peru, he made many important archaeological discoveries and became known as the "founder of modern Peruvian archaeology." From the discovery of ancient skulls in his youth to his appointment as director of Peru's Museum of Anthropology in 1939, Tello's drive to uncover the heritage of his people helped him become Peru's first Indigenous archaeologist. Brown's bilingual narrative is clear and straightforward, making Tello's life and achievements easily accessible. Chavarri's colorful and upbeat illustrations highlight Tello's discoveries, from the endpapers featuring stone heads extracted from the Chavín de Huántar site to the motifs of Paracas textiles. VERDICT A highly recommended and inspiring portrayal of dedication and perseverance for today's generation of explorers.-Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County P.L., Tucson, AZ?(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.