Grima is a Colombian martial art of machete and defensive stick, developed by Afro-Colombian communities in the Cauca region. Its name is a contraction of the Spanish word for fencing, esgrima, and it blends African martial traditions with European swordplay. Cane cutters used the machete every day, so they learned to fight with it too, and the art became a practical form of self-defence. Practitioners tie it to the struggle for freedom, from the wars of independence to later civil conflicts. Today only a few masters remain, and many young people are drawn to urban life, so the tradition is campaigning for official heritage status in Colombia.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.