Official name Republic of Peru, Span República del Peru
Local name Perú Timezone GMT -5 Area 1 284 640 km²/495 871 sq mi population total (2005e) 27 925 000 Status Republic Date of independence 1821 Capital Lima Languages Spanish and Quechua (official), Aymará also spoken Ethnic groups South American Indian (45%), Mestizo (mixed Indian and European) (37%), White (15%), Black, Japanese, and Chinese (3%) Religions Roman Catholic (90%), Anglican, Methodist, Peruvian Baha'i minorities Physical features Arid plains and foothills on the coast, with areas of desert and fertile river valleys; Central Sierra, average altitude 3000 m/10 000 ft, contains 50% of the population; highest peak, Mt Huascarán, 6768 m/22 204 ft, in W; forested Andes and Amazon basin (E), with major rivers flowing to the Amazon. Climate Mild temperatures all year on coast; dry, arid desert in the S; typically wet, tropical climate in Amazon basin; average annual temperatures 23°C (Jan), 17°C (Jul) in Lima; average annual rainfall 48 mm/ 9 in. Currency 1 New Sol (PEN) = 100 céntimos Economy One of the world's leading producers of silver, zinc, lead, copper, gold, iron ore; 80% of Peru's oil extracted from the Amazon forest; cotton, potatoes, sugar, olives; tourism, especially to ancient sites. GDP (2004e) $155·3 bn, per capita $5600 Human Development Index (2002) 0·747 History Highly developed Inca civilization; arrival of Spanish, 1531; Vice-royalty of Peru established; independence declared, 1821; frequent border disputes in 19th-c (eg War of the Pacific, 187983); several military coups; terrorist activities by Maoist guerrillas; bicameral Congress consists of a Senate and a National Chamber of Deputies; an elected President appoints a Council of Ministers.|
República del Perú Republic of Peru |
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Anthem: Somos libres, seámoslo siempre "We are free, let us remain so forever" |
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Capital (largest city) |
Lima 12°2.6′S 77°1.7′W |
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| Official language | Spanish, Quechua, Aymara 1 | ||||
| Government | Constitutional republic | ||||
| - President | Alan García Pérez | ||||
| - Prime Minister | Jorge del Castillo | ||||
| Independence | from Spain | ||||
| - Declared | 28 July 1821 | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total |
1,285,216 km² (20th) 496,222 sq mi |
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| - Water (%) | 8.80% | ||||
| Population | |||||
| - July 2005 estimate | 27,968,000 (41st) | ||||
| - 2005 census | 27,219,266 | ||||
| - Density |
22/km² (183rd) 57/sq mi |
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| GDP (PPP) | 2005 estimate | ||||
| - Total | $167.21 billion (50th) | ||||
| - Per capita | $5,983 (97th) | ||||
| HDI (2003) | 0.762 (medium) (79th) | ||||
| Currency | Nuevo Sol (PEN) | ||||
| Time zone | (UTC-5) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .pe | ||||
| Calling code | +51 | ||||
| 1.) Quechua, Aymara and other regional languages are also official in the areas where they are predominant. | |||||
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú or República del Perú pron.
In addition to being known as the cradle of the Inca empire, Peru is the home of many indigenous ethnic groups.
History
Ancient cultures
Archaeological evidence present in sites located in the caves of Piquimachay (Ayacucho), Chivateros, Lauricocha, Paijan, and Toquepala indicates that hunters and gatherers inhabited Peru 20,000 years ago.
Over the following 3000 years inhabitants switched to cultivating land, as evidence from sites such as Kotosh and Huaca Prieta shows.
Some of the more advanced Andean civilizations that appeared in 900 BC were:
Caral Chavin – the Peruvian Mother Culture, according to Julio C. Tello Paracas Mochica Nazca Tiahuanaco Wari ChimuThese cultures developed relatively advanced techniques of cultivation, gold and silver craft, pottery, metallurgy, and knitting.
Minor civilizations on the edge of the eastern Andes that were largely assimilated into the Incan empire include:
Malbecs Hu-Tyus Punos Mari-Tiu-Tie OlbraqeusNot all Andean cultures were willing to offer their loyalty to the Incas as they expanded their empire, and many were openly hostile.
The Incas
The Incas created the most vast and powerful empire of pre-Columbian America.
The empire originated from a tribe based in Cuzco, which became the capital.
In Cuzco, the royal city was created to resemble a puma;
Quechua was the official language, imposed on the citizens.
The Tahuantinsuyo was organized in dominions with a stratified society, in which the ruler was the Inca.
Many strange and interesting customs were observed, for example the extravagant feast of Inti Raymi which gave thanks to the God Sun, and the young women who comprised the Virgins of the Sun, sacrificial virgins devoted to the Inti.
From the European rationalist perspective, the Inca Empire has been seen like the utopia state.
Colonial Peru (Spanish rule)
Francisco Pizarro and his brothers were attracted by the news of a rich and fabulous kingdom. In 1531, they arrived in the country, which they called Peru.
At that moment, the Inca Empire was sunk in a five years civil war between two princes, Huáscar and Atahualpa.
For a period, Pizarro maintained the ostensible authority of the Inca, recognizing Tupac Huallpa as the Inca after Atahualpa's death.
Despite this, the Spaniards did not neglect the colonizing process. In 1542, the Spanish created the Viceroyalty of New Castilla, that shortly after would be called Viceroyalty of Peru. Nevertheless, the Viceroyalty of Peru was not organized until the arrival of the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo in 1572.
Toledo ended the indigenous state of Vilcabamba, executing the Inca Tupac Amaru.
The Viceroyalty of Peru became the richest and most powerful Spanish Viceroyalty of America in the 18th century. The creation of the Viceroyalties of New Granada and Rio de la Plata (at the expense of its territory), the duty exemptions that moved the commercial center from Lima to Caracas and Buenos Aires, and the decrease of the mining and textile production determined the progressive decay of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
Wars of independence
The economic crisis favored the indigenous rebellion from 1780 to 1781.
Supported by the power of the Creole oligarchy, the Viceroyalty of Peru became the last redoubt of the Spanish dominion in South America. San Martin, who had displaced the royalists of Chile after the magnificent battle of the Andes, and who had disembarked in Paracas in 1819, proclaimed the independence of Peru in Lima on July 28, 1821.
War and reconstruction
In 1879, Peru entered the War of the Pacific which lasted until 1884. The Peruvian Government tried to mediate the dispute by sending a diplomatic team to negotiate with the Chilean government, but the committee concluded that war was inevitable.
After the war, an extraordinary effort of reconstruction began.
During Leguia’s government periods (1908–1912 and 1919–1930, this last one was well-known as “the Oncenio”—The eleventh), the entrance of American capitals became general and the bourgeoisie was favored.
In 1929, Peru and Chile signed a final peace treaty, the Treaty of Ancon by which Tacna returned to Peru and Peru yielded permanently the rich provinces of Arica and Tarapaca, but kept certain rights to the port activities in Arica and decisions of what Chile can do on those territories.
After the world-wide crisis of 1929, numerous brief governments followed one another. During World War II, Peru was the first South American nation to align with the United States and its allies against Germany and Japan.
Between these two periods of time, it should be underlined the constitution of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA).
Modern politics
General Manuel A. But this resurgence was brief and gave the pretext for the armed forces to increase their control of the country and gather the strength and alternative ideology necessary for a coup d'etat
Meanwhile, the reformist attempt of Fernando Belaunde Terry’s first government failed to address the structural nature of social pathology, which continued to plague Peru.
In 1968, General Juan Velasco Alvarado’s lead a coup d'etat replacing the Belaunde government. Under the title of "President of the Revolutionary Government", the nationalist and left-leaning tone of Velasco was manifest by his government's promulgation of Peru's first substantial agrarian reform, which was aimed at stemming the tide of civil unrest, particularly in the Andes where land ownership patterns were profoundly inequitable.
Invariably, this gave rise to conflict with Peru's small elite, those with foreign capital interests and local oligarchs.
Frustrated by their inability to "rule" Peru, the Peruvian Armed Forces were forced to call for elections. The second was the start in 1980 of the armed struggle against the government by Shining Path, a breakaway faction of the Communist Party of Peru.
So, with great hope Fernando Belaúnde Terry was re-elected in 1980 to the Presidency. However, by the end of his term in 1985, Peru yet again faced a crisis that has gripped Peru for the past two decades: mounting external debt has stymied the actions of successive Peruvian governments.
With much optimism, the leader of Peru's APRA Party, Alan Garcia was elected President in 1985. After a promising start, the Peruvian economy was crippled by hyperinflation, isolated from the international financial community, and was in the throes of a bloody civil-war pitting the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement against the State and its allies.
Two years after he was elected; Credited by some sectors of Peruvian society and the international financial community with restoring macroeconomic "stability" to Peru after the turbulent Garcia years, Fujimori was widely criticized for what his opponents describe as an authoritarian regime, aided by the now imprisoned Vladimiro Montesinos, the former head of Peru's intelligence service, Servicio de Inteligencia Nacional (SIN).
Following a controversial third "re-election", mounting corruption, wide-spread political violence and gross human rights violations, Fujimori was forced to call for early elections. After his party lost control of the Peruvian Parliament, he was forced to resign from the Presidency of Peru.
In the turmoil following Fujimori's precipitous fall from power, Valentín Paniagua was selected as the transitional President.
In 2006, Alan García was once again elected President, defeating nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala. Former President Alberto Fujimori (currently in Chile) is awaiting extradition proceedings against him by the Peruvian government , while at the same time his political party Alliance for the Future gathered an important number of parliament members in the last elections.
Politics of Peru
The formal politics of Peru takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Peru is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system.
Cities
The primary urban centers include:
Lima (the capital, the primary economic and cultural center) Arequipa Trujillo Chiclayo Callao (Peru´s largest port) Cusco (the modern capital of the ancient Inca Empire) Piura Tacna Ica Puno Chimbote Huancayo Huacho Cajamarca Pucallpa Iquitos Yurimaguas Tarapoto MoyobambaGeography
At 1,285,220 km² (496,193 mi²) , Peru is the world's 20th-largest country (after Mongolia).
Peru's territory has an area of 1,285,216 km².
Eastern Peru consists mostly of the moist tropical jungles of the Amazon Rainforest, the largest on Earth.
The Peruvian Sea is home to a large amount and variety of fish life. The Sechura Desert is located in northwestern Peru along the Pacific coastline.
The main rivers of Peru include the Ucayali, Marañón, Amazon (which is formed by the confluence of the Marañón and the Ucayali), Putumayo, Pastaza, Napo, Jurua, and the Purus.
Physiographic regions
When the Spanish arrived, they divided Peru (because of political reasons) into three main regions: the Coastal region, which is bounded by the Pacific Ocean; However, Javier Pulgar Vidal, a geographer who studied the biogeographic reality of the Peruvian territory for a long time, proposed the creation of eight Natural Regions.
These eight Peruvian regions are:
Chala or Coast (a subtropical desert in the central and southern coast and a changing tropical savanna in the north coast) Yunga (consisting of subtropical arid fertile valleyes) Quechua Suni or Jalca Puna Janca Rupa - Rupa or High Jungle Omagua or Low JungleNatural and cultural Peruvian heritage
The Peruvian constitution of 1993 recognised the natural resources and ecosystem variety of its country as a heritage. In 1900, the National System of Natural Areas that are protected by the Peruvian Government (SINANPE) was created.
This map has 49 natural areas (13% of the country surface) that are preserved by the Government: 8 national parks, 8 national reservations, 6 national sanctuaries, 3 historical sanctuaries, 4 national forests, 6 protection forests, 1 communal reservation, 2 hunting enclosed lands and 11 reserved zones.
National Parks are places where the wild flora and fauna are protected and preserved.
National parks
Cutervo It is the oldest Peruvian National Park. This park is the habitat of the Puya Raimondi, the American panther or puma, the jaguar, the llama, the guanaco, the Marsh Deer, the Peruvian tapir, the Peruvian Piedtail, a hummingbird species, and many kinds of ducks.National sanctuaries
Huayllay Calipuy Lagunas de Mejia (The Mejia lagoon) Ampay Manglares de Tumbes (The mangrove swamps of Tumbes) Manglares de Vice, found in the Sechura Province of Piura Region (smaller than the Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary, are the southernmost mangrove swamp system in the Pacific region) Tabacones NamballeHistorical sanctuaries
Chacramarca Pampas de Ayacucho (The Pampas of Ayacucho) Machu PicchuNational forests
Biabo Cordillera Azul (The Biabo Blue Mountain Range) Mariscal Cáceres Pastaza–Morona–Marañon Alexander von HumboldtProtection forests
Aledaño Bocatoma del Canal Nuevo Imperial (Aledaño Intake of the New Imperial Canal) Puquio Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa spring of water) Pui–Pui San Matías–San Carlos Alto Mayo PagaibambaCommunal reservation
YaneshaHunting enclosed lands
Sunchubamba El AngoloReserved zones
Manu Laquipampa Apurimac Pantanos de Villa (The swamps of Villa) Tambopata–Candamo Batán Grande Algarrobal El Moro (El Moro carob tree groved) Tumbes Güeppí Chancaybaños Aymuru LupacaEconomy
Since 1990, the Peruvian economy has undergone considerable free market reforms, from legalizing parts of the informal sector to significant privatizations in the mining, electric/power, and telecommunications industries.
Still, some say that Peru's reforms have not led to sustained economic progress. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a U.S.-based think tank, "Income per person in Peru – the most basic economic measure of living standards – is currently about the same as it was 25 years ago.
In 1998, El Niño's impact on agriculture, the financial crisis in Asia, and instability in Brazilian markets undercut growth. 1999 was another lean year for Peru, with the aftermath of El Niño and the Asian financial crisis having an avdersely effect on the market economy.
Growth up to the year 2005 has been realized by construction, investment, domestic demand and exports. Peru's economy has become one of the most liberal market economies in Latin America.
In April 2006, Peru signed a trade agreement with the United States (known as the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, becoming the first country in the Andean Community of Nations (Comunidad Andina de Naciones,CAN) to sign it. Peru is currently negotiating trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, Singapore and India.
Peru has free trade agreements with the Andean Community, which is composed of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela. It also has free trade agreements with many of the countries in Mercosur as well as Thailand, and during the recent APEC summit, Peru declared intentions to sign free trade agreements with China, Japan, and South Korea.
Peru is also seeking a free trade agreement with the European Union.
In 2005 Peruvian exports were worth US$ 17.1 billion (an increase of 34.6% compared to 2004) and it is expected to grow 35% for this year reaching US$ 23.5 billion at the end of 2006. The markets of Peru have grown in all sectors (energy, construction, commerce, fishing, manufacturing, tourism, etc) in 2005 growing over 6.67% (one the fastest growth rates of market economies in South America) and it is projected to grow 7% for 2006.
For the next five years (until 2010) the Peruvian government has registered more than US$ 10 billion in private investment (both domestic and foreign) in the mining and energy sectors, as well as investments of US$ 15 billion in other sectors such as industry, commerce, tourism, seafood and agriculture, which will keep the economy growing annually at levels of 5% or more.
Poverty in Peru is high, with a poverty threshold level of 48% of the total population.
Military
| Peruvian Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| T-55 Tanks from the Armored Division | |
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 18 years of age for non-compulsory military service (1999) |
| Availability |
males age 18-49: 6,647,874 females age 18-49: 6,544,408 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service |
males age 18-49: 4,938,417 females age 18-49: 5,278,511 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually |
males: 277,105 females: 269,799 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $829.3 million (2003 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.4% (2003 est.) |
The Military branches of the Republic of Peru are as follows:
Ejército del Perú (Peruvian Army) Marina de Guerra del Perú (Peruvian Navy, includes Naval Air, Naval Infantry and Coast Guard) Fuerza Aérea del Perú (Peruvian Air Force)In the last few years social stability has brought the army back to its original objectives - control of the national sovereignty on the sea, land and air, as well as to protect the people, economy, and infrastructure from threats from both inside and outside of the country.
Peruvian Army
Headquartered in Lima, it has a strength of 75 thousand troops divided in four military regions with headquarters in Piura, Lima, Arequipa and Iquitos.
The equipment of the Peruvian Army includes several types of tanks (T-55 and AMX-13),armoured personnel carriers (M-113, UR-416), artillery (D30 howitzer, M101 howitzer, M109 howitzer, M114 howitzer), antiaircraft systems (ZSU-23-4 Shilka) and helicopters (Mil Mi-2, Mil Mi-17).
Peruvian Navy
Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Perú) is organized in five naval zones headquartered in Piura, Lima, Arequipa, Iquitos and Pucallpa.
The Pacific fleet flagship is the cruiser BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81), named for the XIX-century Peruvian Admiral which fought in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). The fleet also includes 8 Lupo class frigates (two of which were built in Peru during the 80's), 1 Daring class destroyer, 6 PR-72 class corvettes, 4 Terrebonne Parish class landing ships, 6 Type 209/1200 class German-built diesel submarines (the biggest submarine force in South America), as well as patrol vessels, tankers and cargo ships.
Peruvian Navy has also a naval aviation force, several naval infantry battalions and special forces units.
Peruvian Air Force
On May 20, 1929, the aviation divisions of the Peruvian army and navy were merged into the Peruvian Aviation Corps (CAP, Cuerpo de Aviación del Peru). In 1950, the corps was reorganized again and became the Peruvian Air Force (FAP, Fuerza Aerea del Peru).
The Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru - FAP) is divided into 6 wing areas, headquartered in Piura, Chiclayo, Lima, Arequipa, Rioja and Iquitos.
Also, it has SU-25 antitank aircraft, as well as MI-24 antitank helicopters, MI-8, MI-17 transport helicopters, and Aermacchi, A-37 Cessna and SuperTucano Embraer subsonic aircraft.
In 1995, the FAP took part in the Cenepa War against Ecuador covering operations by the army and navy.
Demographics
Ethnography
Peru is one of only three Latin American countries which have their largest population segment consisting of indigenous Amerindians, with around 45% of all Peruvians classified as such. While the Andes are the "heart" of indigenous Peru, the country's Amazonian region represents nearly 60% of Peruvian national territory and harbors a wide variety of indigenous groups that is rivaled only by its biodiversity.
The two major indigenous or ethnic groups are the various Quechua-speaking populations, followed closely by the Aymará that are mostly found in the extreme southern Andes.
Peru's Amazonian region is rapidly becoming urbanized. Examples of indigenous peoples residing in eastern Peru include the Shipibo, Urarina, Cocama, and Aguaruna, to name just a few.
At the national level, mestizos constitute the second largest segment of the population, at around 37% of the total population. The term traditionally denotes people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry, and most Peruvian mestizos are of this combination, but other lineages (most notably African) are also present, in varying degrees, in some segements of the mestizo population. Most mestizos are urban dwellers and can be seen in coastal cities of the north coast, where they show stronger Spanish inheritance, the central coast like Lima Region, Cajamarca Region, and also Arequipa Region.
Around 15% of the population is classified as "White", and they are for the most part criollos, the relatively unmixed descendants of the colonial Spanish colonizers.
The remaining 3% of the population is of black African ancestry.
The Afro-Peruvian population is concentrated mostly in coastal cities south of Lima, such as that of those found in the Ica Region, in cities like Cañete, Chincha, Ica, Nazca and Acari in the border with the Arequipa Region. Other large but poorley promoted segement of Afro-Peruvian presence is in the Yunga regions (west and just below the Andean chain of northern Peru) where sugarcane, lemon and mango production is still of importance, that is Piura and Lambayeque.
There is also a large presence of Asians, primarily Japanese and Chinese, that constitute some 3% of the population, which in proportion to the overall population is the largest of any Latin American nation.
Peru has the second largest population of people of Japanese descent in Latin America after Brazil and the largest population of Cantonese descent in Latin America. Historic communities inhabited by people of Chinese descent are found throughout the Peruvian upper Amazon, including cities such as Yurimaguas, Nauta, Iquitos and the north central coast (Lambayeque and Trujillo). In contrast to the Japanese community in Peru, the Chinese appear to have intermarried much more since they came to work in the rice fields during the Viceroyalty and to replace the African slaves, during the abolition of slavery itself.
Language
Peru's official languages are Spanish and, according to the Peruvian Constitution of 1993, Amerindian languages such as Quechua, Aymara and other such indigenous languages in areas where they predominate.
According to official sources, the use of Spanish has increased while the knowledge and use of indigenous languages has decreased considerably during the last four decades (1960-2000). At the beginning of the 1960s some 39% of the total Peruvian population were registered as speakers of indigenous languages, but by the 1990s the figures show a considerable decline in the use of Quechua, Aymara and other indigenous languages, when only 28% is registered as Quechua-speaking (16% of whom are reported to be bilingual in Spanish) and Spanish-speakers increased to 72%.
For 2005, government figures place Spanish as being spoken by 80.3% of the population, but among Amerindian languages another decrease is registered. Of the indigenous languages, Quechua remains the most spoken, and even today is used by some 16.2% of the total Peruvian population, or a third of Peru's total indigenous population.
The drastic decline in use and knowledge of indigenous languages is largely attributed to the recent demographic factors. The urbanization and assimilation of Peru's Amerindian plurality into the Hispanic-mestizo culture, as well as the new socioeconomic factors associated with class structure have given privilege to the use of Spanish at the expense of the Amerindian languages which were spoken by the majority of the population less than a century ago.
The major obstacle to a more widespread use of the Quechua language is the fact that multiple dialects of this language exist.
The percentage of native speakers of Quechua who are illiterate has been decreasing lately, as 86.87% of the Peruvian population is literate.
Culture
Like its rich national history, the popular culture of contemporary Peru is the result of a fusion of cultures, constituted primarily from the cultural legacy of the indigenous groups, and Spanish and African colonists.
Peruvian artistic creation
Peruvian cultural patrimony has its origin in the magnificent Andean civilizations, which flourished before the Spaniards’ arrival.
Some of the first artistic manifestations reflecting more advanced intellectual and technological evolution are artifacts found in the deposits of Chavín de Huántar and Cupisnique.
Between the 8th century BC and 1st century AD, the Paracas Cavernas and Paracas Necrópolis cultures developed.
In the period between the 3rd century BC and 7th century AD, the urban culture known as Mochica developed in Lambayeque.
The Wari civilization, which flourished between the 8th century and 12th century AD, was based in Ayacucho.
The Chimú town improvement on the principle of urban architecture.
The Inca Civilization incorporated, and in many cases perfected, many of the cultural techniques of the civilizations that preceded it.
Architecture
Peruvian architecture is a conjunction of European styles exposed to the influence of indigenous imagery.
The independence war left a creative emptiness that Neoclassicism of French inspiration could just fill.
Sculpture and painting
Peruvian sculpture and painting began to define themselves from the ateliers founded by monks, who were strongly influenced by the Sevillian Baroque School.
The artistic crossbreeding was more intense in the pictorial creation.
During XVII and XVIII centuries, the Baroque also dominated the field of plastic arts.
In the XX century, the establishment of the Fine Arts School of Lima (1919) printed the decisive impulse on Peruvian sculpture and painting. This movemevent was one of the props of the Peruvian contemporary painting, which more representative names are Fernando de Szyszlo, Alberto Davila, Armando Villegas, Sabino Springett, Victor Humareda, M.
Literature
In the history of Peruvian literature, the oral indigenous tradition and the technical resources of writing (incorporated by Spaniards) converge in each other.
Quechua and Aymara literature was transmitted in an oral way.
Later, the hegemony of Creole oligarchy in the Peruvian society favored the abandonment of the indigenous forms in favor of the European ones.
In the XIX century, Peruvian prose passed from the costumbrismo current: Manuel Ascensio Segura and Ricardo Palma, to the Modernism current: Manuel González Prada and José Santos Chocano.
Art
The art of Peru was shaped by the melting between Spanish and Amerindian cultures. During pre-Columbian times, Peru was one of the major centers of artistic expression in The Americas, where Pre-Inca cultures, such as Chavín, Moche, Paracas, Huari (Wari), Nazca, Chimu, and Tiahuanaco developed high-quality pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture.
Drawing upon earlier cultures, the Incas continued to maintain these crafts but made even more impressive achievements in architecture.
During the colonial period, Spanish baroque fused with the rich Inca tradition to produce mestizo art.
Painter Francisco Fierro made a distinctive contribution to this school with his portrayals of typical events, manners, and customs of mid-19th-century Peru.
Peru has passed early 20th century brought "indigenismo," expressed in a new awareness of Indian culture.
In the decade after 1932, the "indigenous school" of painting headed by José Sabogal dominated the cultural scene in Peru. A subsequent reaction among Peruvian artists led to the beginning of modern Peruvian painting. Sabogal's resignation as director of the National School of Arts in 1943 coincided with the return of several Peruvian painters from Europe who revitalised "universal" and international styles of painting in Peru.
During the 1960s, Fernando de Szyszlo, an internationally recognised Peruvian artist, became the main advocate for abstract painting and pushed Peruvian art toward modernism. Peru remains an art-producing center with painters such as Fernando de Szyslo, Gerardo Chavez, José Tola, Alberto Quintanilla, and José Carlos Ramos, along with sculptor Victor Delfín, gaining international stature.
Promising young artists continue to develop now that Peru's economy allows more promotion of the arts.
Crafts
Between the most spread crafts in Peru, there are the ceramics (either artistic or utilitarian), the carving, the silversmiths' work, the leather repoussage, the straw weaving, and of course the textile work, emphasizing the colorful weavings made of alpaca's wool.
Folkloric expressions
Pre-Hispanic Peruvian Andean cultures were especially bound to musical artistic expressions.
At the present time, different musical expressions (dances and songs), folkloric festivities (religious or not), arts and crafts, gastronomy and other activities (that varies according to different regions) are important expressions of Peruvian and Latin-American cultural heritage.
Music
Like its geography (28 of 32 world climates), its cuisine and its various ethnicities, Peruvian music is very diverse. Much of Peru's music is derived from Andean, Andalusian Spanish and African roots. Modern Peruvian music and Amazon influenced music is also common in Peru. Rock in Spanish and English, pop in Spanish and English, and Ballads are also popular among large sectros of the populations with Pedro Suarez Vertiz being the most popular rocker in Peru. Cumbias and its peruvian cousin technocumbias are popular among immigrants from the country side and their descendants to Lima and other cities in the coasts.
The Pre-Hispanic Andean musicians mostly used wind instruments such as the quena, the pinkillo, the erke, the antara or siku (also called zampoña), the pututo or pototo, etc.
With the Spanish conquest, new instruments arrived like harps, guitars, vihuelas, bandurrias, lutes, etc.
The cultural crossbreeding did not limit itself to the contact of Indigenous and European cultures.
Coastal music is rooted in the haciendas and the callejones of cities such as Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Tumbes and Ica. It involves a creole version of the Spanish guitar and the famous Peruvian instrument Cajon drum.
Andean Peruvian music
Andean music is rooted in the traditional native music, the Spanish orquestal and European Church musicals.
Cusco, Puno and Apurimac have a more pure native feel to their music whom even incorporate violins. Other Andean rhythms involve a fusion of European Church music and Huaynos such as the known song "El Cóndor Pasa", a traditional Peruvian song popularized in the United States by the folk duo Simon &
Jorge Bravo de Rueda's famous "Vírgenes del Sol" was popularized in 1951 by Yma Súmac.
Arequipa is region that probably that resembles best the mixing of the Spanish and the Andean cultures.
The Huaylas of the central Andes, by contrast, is a cheery, rhythmic style mostly popular around Cerro de Pasco, Huanuco Huaraz.
Coastal Peruvian music
The coast has a different feel to its music than its Andean counterpart.
It combines traditional European rhythms, strong gypsy emotional flair deriving from Flamenco and eastern European Zards, and also African based chorus and percussion.
This mixture is rooted especially in the central and northern coast, and has provided the wide range of dance and musical styles we hear today. Lima for example, is most well known musical style Peruvian Waltz known elsewhere as valse peruano and valsesito peruano.
Afro Peruvian music is commonly performed by duos of creole guitars, the Cajon, Cajita and the peculiar Quijada de Burro.
Examples of these dances are the Festejo and Landó, which are common to Afro-Peruvian communities of the southern coast.
The Marinera or Zamacueca of the central coast Lima is the current National Dance of Peru, named in honour of the marines who fought against the Chilean military in the War of the Pacific.
In the northern coast especially Lambayeque and Piura, the people are most famous for the Cumananas and the Tondero dance. These are the oldest and most mestizo expressions of Peruvian music and derive from the encountered mixture of the Gypsies, Africans slaves and migrant Andean cultures.
Peruvian coastal music has in its rich structure the participation of a local instrument called the cajón. This instrument has been mistaken very frequently with an Spanish origin (the cajon was introduced in Spain around the 1980's by Paco de Lucia, but the truth is that the cajon has been utilized in Peruvian music since the colonial times. Although it might also have gypsy influence it has been proved that the instrument is strictly of Peruvian origin since it is rooted in the Tondero, the Zamacueca, the Resabalosa and Peruvian coastal creole rhythms before any other expressions.
Dances
Between Dances of Native origin, there are the ones that are related to the agricultural work, hunting and war.
Dances of Ritual character are the achocallo, the pinkillada, the llamerada (dance that imitates the llama's walk), the kullawada (the spinners' dance), etc.
There are some Dances of War like the chiriguano that has an Aymara origin; the chatripuli that satirizes the Spanish Realist soldiers, and the kenakenas that is about the Chilean soldiers who occupied Peru during the War of the Pacific (1879).
The most attractive and internationally known Love Dance in Peru is the Marinera Norteña.
Popular celebrations
Popular celebrations are the product of every town's traditions and legends.
Transportation
Peru has a network of national highways maintained by the Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones (Ministry of Transportation and Communication) government agency. The Pan-American Highway is the most important highway in Peru, connecting the northern and southern portions of the country as well as connecting Peru with Ecuador to the north and Chile to the south.
Cuisine
There is great variety in Peruvian cuisine.
Peruvian cuisine is becoming more popular on the world gastronomic scene.
Peru's many climate zones also make it possible to grow a wide range of crops.
Some examples of typical Peruvian dishes are the the shrimp stew chupe de camarones, and the anticuchos (beef heart roasted in brochettes).
The best known and most popular Peruvian dish is ceviche, which is fish and shellfish marinated in lime juice. humitas (tamales), roasted guinea pig, papa a la Huancaina, Jalea de Mar, chilcano, sudado, aguadito, tallarin saltado, aji de gallina, arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), Seco de Res, chicharrones, tacu tacu, carapulcra (dry potato), choncholi, salchipapas, Mondonguito a la Italiana, chanfainita, ocopa, different Chifa dishes (Chinese food made with Peruvian ingredients), estofado, Bistec a la Pobre, arroz con pato, rocoto relleno, empanadas, pollo a la brasa, lechon, Picante de Mariscos, and Turron de Doña Pepa.
Caramel, also known as Manjar Blanco in Peru, is a very popular dessert.
Peruvian food can be accompanied by typical drinks like the chicha de jora, made with sun-dried corn. Peru's most well known beverage is the Pisco which originated in the Peruvian department of Ica.
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Sports
Football: The most popular Peruvian sport is football (soccer) World Cup appearances: 1930, 1970 (quarterfinalists), 1978 (quarterfinalists), 1982 and two Copa America trophies). Most of the population of Peru follow the World Cup tournament on television. Soccer legends from Peru include Hugo Sotil, Cesar Cueto, Roberto Challe, Jose Chumpitaz,Percy Rojas, Juan Carlos Oblitas and Teofilo Cubillas: Peru's best striker in the World Cup Finals with 10 goals.
Current renowned players include midfielder Nolberto Solano (Newcastle United), and strikers Claudio Pizarro (FC Bayern Munich), Jose Paolo Guerrero (SV Hamburg) and Jefferson Farfán (PSV Eindhoven). Universitario de Deportes, Alianza Lima, Sporting Cristal, and Cienciano are the biggest teams in Peru.
Taekwondo: Jean Carlos Gamarra, Silver Medal, 13th South American Games, Arequipa - Peru 1997. Bronze Medal, 11th Pan American Taekwondo Championships, Lima - Peru 1998.
Volleyball: Other popular sport is Women’s Volleyball (Silver medal in Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, Runners-up in World Championship in 1982 and 12 times South American champion).
Surfing: Felipe Pomar, 2nd World Surfing Championship, Peru 1965, Sofia Mulanovich, Women’s World Surf Champion in 2004 and 2005.
Sailing: Peru is the only country of the region that has won for six consecutive years the world Cup in the Sunfish Class. In addition, Peru has won the Central American, South American &
Shooting: Peruvian shooters have won 3 of Peru's 4 Olympic medals.
Tennis: Luis Horna and Jaime Yzaga are the most famous Peruvian tennis players.
Paleta Fronton
Paleta Fronton is a Peruvian sport born in Lima officially in 1945 in "Regatas Lima" Club.
Paleta Fronton is played with a wood, graphite or carbon blade and a black rubber ball.
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