Wow, thanks for all the excellent info.! Makes me want go pack our bags right away and leave tomorrow, lol.
I know there are things you should and shouldn't do and places or situations to avoid, but as some have said, it's generally a safe place to travel if you've done adequate research in advance and I'm not worried enough not to go. SA just seems to be such a absolutely fascinating place and like no other on the planet.
I know someone who went to Peru with a buddy and visited the Machu Picchu and Sacsay Huaman Inca ruins. He loved his visit there.
I only know a handful of spanish words and don't know if there is a language barrier as one travels around. I started studying spanish a few years ago but didn't get very far as there were too many other things in the way.