“Raiders of the Lost Ark” wasn’t even a movie yet and we were living that life! A summer in Peru started it all.”

“We were just tourists fascinated by the country and a sense of going back in time. And we began to fall into adventure. A new friend we met in Lima wanted us to mount a modest raft expedition down the Urubamba River east of the Andes in search of the lost city of gold, but the idea was derailed when we realized that lack of money and possible death might be a problem. Yet, as the Peruvian adventure unfolded, we survived an earthquake, bandits, and bus trips careening down curving, narrow mountain roads with no railings and massive drop offs. We spent time with a tomb raider who was getting very rich and paranoid, several days with Gerald Hawkins trying to decode the Nazca lines, looked for salt caves with untouched artifacts, and spent the night sleeping above the Macchu Picchu ruins. We never wanted to leave Peru, but teaching jobs that would keep us there were only obtainable stateside. Once home, Doug decided to immerse himself in ancient cultures and becoming an archaeologist and I was excited about being immersed in the treasures of the past. So Peru beguiled us and later gave birth to The Mummy’s Bundle.”

— Mary & Doug Hancock