Peru

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República del Perú
Republic of Peru


Flag	Coat of arms

Anthem
Somos libres, seámoslo siempre (Spanish)
"We are free, let's remain so forever"

Capital
(and largest city)

Lima
12°2.6′S, 77°1.7′W

Official languages Spanish, Quechua and Aymara

Government Constitutional republic

- President Alan García Pérez

- Prime Minister Jorge Del Castillo

Independence from Spain

- Declared 28 July 1821

Area

- Total 1,285,220 km² (20th)
496,222 sq mi

- Water (%) 8.80

Population

- July 2005 estimate 27,968,000 (41st)

- 2005 census 27,219,266

- Density 22 /km² (183rd)
57 /sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate

- Total $167.21 billion (50th)

- Per capita $6,125 (97th)

Gini^? (2002) 54.6 (high)

HDI (2004) 0.767 (medium) (82th)

Currency Nuevo Sol (PEN)

Internet TLD

.pe

Calling code +51

¹ Quechua, Aymara and other regional languages are co-official in the areas where they are predominant.

For other uses, see Peru (disambiguation).

Peru (Spanish: Perú, Quechua: Piruw, Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú (help·info), IPA: [re'pu.βli.ka del pe'ɾu]), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the south-east by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic whose capital city and seat of government is Lima. Its territory was the cradle of the Inca empire and, later, the seat of the Viceroyalty of Peru which had jurisdiction over all of Spanish South America. It is the home of many indigenous ethnic groups.

1 History
2 Administrative divisions
3 Politics
4 Cities
5 Geography
- 5.1 Physiographic regions
- 5.2 Natural and cultural heritage
6 Economy
7 Defense and armed forces
8 Demographics
- 8.1 Ethnography
- 8.2 Language
9 Culture
10 Folkloric expressions
11 Transportation
12 Cuisine
13 Sports
14 International rankings
15 Further reading
16 See also
17 External links
18 References and notes

History

Main article: History of Peru

Pre-Colombian Peru (through 1532)

Pre-Inca art.

In 900 BC appeared cultures like Caral, Chavin, Paracas, Mochica, Nazca, Tiahuanaco, Wari and Chimu. They were succeeded by powerful city-states, such as Chancay, Sipan, and Cajamarca, and two empires: Chimor and Chachapoyas. Chimor, some of Chachapoyas, and many city-states were eventually conquered by the Inca.

Inca expansion (1438 – 1527 CE)

The Incas (1438-1572) created the vastest empire of pre-Columbian America. It originated from a tribe from Cuzco, which became the capital. The empire was divided into four provinces: Chinchasuyo, Antisuyo, Contisuyo, and Collasuyo. Because it was quite large, it had an impressive system of roads to all points of the empire, called the Inca Trail, and chasquis, message carriers relayed information from anywhere in the empire to Cuzco. Its economy was based on the collective ownership of the land.

Quechua was the official language, imposed on the citizens. Inti, the sun god, was to be worshipped as one of the most important gods of the empire. His representation on earth was the Inca ("Emperor"). Machu Picchu is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Inca ruin.

Colonial Peru (1532-1824)

Pizarro and his followers in Lima, 1535.

Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro arrived in the country searching for Inca wealth, and found the empire weakened by a civil war. He captured and executed Inca Emperor Atahualpa during the Battle of Cajamarca on November 16, 1532. The situation was complicated by a power struggle between the Pizarro and Diego de Almagro families. The necessity of consolidating Spanish royal authority over these territories led to the creation of a Real Audiencia (Royal Audience).

Francisco de Toledo, the ninth Viceroy of Peru

The Viceroyalty of Peru (1542-1824) became the richest and most powerful Spanish Viceroyalty of America in the 18th century. But it gradually decayed, due to the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Granada and Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, duty exemptions that moved the commercial center from Lima to Caracas and Buenos Aires, and a decrease in mining and textile production. These events stimulated ideas of emancipation among the Spanish Criollo people, or Creoles.

San Martín proclaimed the independence in 1821.

This Viceroyalty fell after the decisive campaigns of José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar (1810-1824) in South America. On July 28, 1821, San Martin proclaimed the independence of Peru from Spain. Three years later, the Spanish dominion was removed definitively after the Battle of Junín and Battle of Ayacucho. But Peru's first elected president wasn't in power until 1827.

Republic of Peru (1824-)

After the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy (1836-1839), Chile's victory over Peru and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) resulted in Peru's loss of Tacna and the Arica Province in the Tarapacá Region.

The Naval Battle of Iquique of 21 May 1879

The military caudillismo arose from the warlike defeat and the economic collapse. The civilist movement, headed by Nicolas de Piérola, arrived to power with the 1895 revolution. The reformist character of Pierola’s dictatorship had continuity in Augusto B. Leguía’s.

After the world-wide crisis of 1929, numerous brief governments followed one another. It should be underlined the constitution of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) and the Peruvian Communist Party.

Dictatorial military governments (1948-1979)

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General Manuel A. Odría led a dictatorial military government that lasted for eight years (1948–1956). Inequitable land tenure (latifundio), wide-spread social marginalization and the Cuban example provided the impetus in the early 1960s for the emergence of Peru's armed left. 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. Belaunde's Government embraced numerous projects, including the Carretera Marginal de la Selva, a highway linking Chiclayo on the Pacific coast with previously "isolated" northern regions of Amazonas, San Martín, and Loreto. However, Belaunde was saddled with the popular perception that he was too close to foreign capital, moreover his economic decisions lead to the devaluation of the sol, and generalized unrest—both in the countryside and in Lima.

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. Velasco's government is credited with promoting peasant's rights, including the recognition of Quechua as a national language, communal land ownership, and populist social mobilization. (SINAMOS). Peruvian economy before thriving was ruined as thousands of landless peasants moved to Lima, the capital in a desperate search for jobs. The capital's population of about a million rose to over five million almost instantly, misery and crime became common sights and terrorism started to form.

Invariably, this gave rise to conflict with Peru's small elite, those with foreign capital interests and local oligarchs. Velasco's failing health, changed global conditions and poor planning resulted in a counter-reaction to Velasco's nationalist program. In 1975, General Francisco Morales Bermúdez's lead a coup d’etat, replacing Velasco as President. Morales Bermúdez's regime was characterized by a return to elite-oriented politics, which did little to stem civil unrest from a populace largely excluded from the social benefits of national citizenship.

Democratic restoration to the present day

Frustrated by their inability to "rule" Peru, the Peruvian Armed Forces were forced to call for elections. Meanwhile, as a background to the return to elected government two events that would deeply influence the next two decades of Peruvian history took place. The first was a constitutional convention led by the historical APRA Party that resulted in a new national constitution in 1979. The second was the start in 1980 of the armed insurrection of Shining Path, a breakaway faction of the Communist Party of Peru.

Fernando Belaúnde Terry was re-elected in 1980 to the Presidency, twelve years after he was ousted. 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. Moreover, Belaúnde was incapable of halting the massive increase in drug trafficking operations, or the insurgent revolts of the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA).

Alan Garcia was elected in 1985, becoming the first member of the APRA Party to be sworn as President. After a promising start, the Peruvian economy was crippled by hyperinflation, isolated from the international financial community, and faced a strong military opposition by the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) against the State and its allies. In a climate of generalized chaos, terror, and political violence, the electoral victory of Alberto Fujimori took place in 1990, when the virtually unknown University Rector defeated the famous Peruvian novelist and cultural icon Mario Vargas Llosa.

Two years after he was elected and in constant deadlock with the Peruvian Congress, President Alberto Fujimori summarily closed Congress and convened a referendum for elaborating a new Constitution (1992). 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 accusations of 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. Returning from the APEC summit in Brunei, Fujimori requested political asylum in Japan on the grounds of his Japanese citizenship. Nevertheless, the Peruvian Parliament impeached him and elected Valentin Paniagua as Interim President.

Following a hotly contested election, Alejandro Toledo became President (2001-2006), narrowly defeating Alan García (2006). In 2006, Alan García was once again elected President, defeating nationalist candidate Ollanta Humala.

After his political defeat, Ollanta Humala has faced several trials for his involvement in the fight against Sendero Luminoso and his role as opposition leader has faded away. Former President Alberto Fujimori (currently in Chile) is awaiting extradition proceedings against him by the Peruvian government,^[1] while at the same time his political party Alliance for the Future gathered an important number of parliament members in the last elections. Despite the dislike that certain social sectors feel towards Fujimori, he remains popular among the poor and his rule has been hailed by many for restoring economic stability and ending the reign of terror associated with Sendero Luminoso and the MRTA. Former Presidents Alejandro Toledo and Valentín Paniagua are represented in Congress by the Peru Possible-Center Front Alliance.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Peru

Peru's territory, according to the Regionalization Law which was passed on 18 November 2002, is divided into 25 regions (regiones). These regions are subdivided into provinces, which are composed of districts. There are a total of 195 provinces and 1833 districts in Peru^[2].

Lima Province is not part of any administrative region.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Peru

The Casa de Pizarro, Peru's governmental palace in Lima.

Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic and has a pluriform multi-party system. The President of Peru is the head of state and head of government; executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in the government and the Congress. The Judiciary is supposed to be independent of the executive and the legislature.

Cities

Map of Peru

The primary urban centers include:

Geography

Peruvian Amazon Basin.

Main article: Geography of Peru

At 1,285,220 km² [1] (496,193 mi²) , Peru is the world's 20th-largest country (after Mongolia). It is comparable in size to Chad, and is nearly twice the size of the US state of Texas, and being near the size of the also U.S state of Alaska.

Peru borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north; Brazil and Bolivia to the east; and Chile and Bolivia to the south. To the west lies the Pacific Ocean. Its population is more than 27 million people that speak Spanish, with others bilingual in Quechua or Aymara and other native languages.

Eastern Peru consists mostly of the moist tropical jungles of the Amazon Rainforest, the largest on Earth. In the southeast along the border with Bolivia lies Lake Titicaca — the highest navigable lake in the world. The Altiplano plateau is a dry basin located along the slopes of the Andes in southeastern Peru. Along the border with Chile, the Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet.

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, political causes^{[citation needed]} prompted them to divide Peru into three main regions: the Coastal region, bounded by the Pacific Ocean; the Highlands, located in the Andean Heights; and the Jungle, located in the Amazon Basin. These names are still used in Peru.

However, Javier Pulgar Vidal, a geographer who studied Peru's biology and geography for a long time, proposed the creation of eight Natural Regions. In 1941, the Third General Assembly of the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History approved this motion. These eight regions are:

Physiographic regions of Peru.

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 valleys)
Quechua
Suni (or "Jalca")
Puna
Janca
Rupa-Rupa ("High Jungle")
Omagua ("Low Jungle")

Natural and cultural heritage

View of the beach in Punta Sal.

The Constitution of Peru of 1993 recognized 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 Government (SINANPE) was created. This entity depends on the National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA). Also created was a map of protection and preservation of historical-cultural heritage and nature.

This map has 49 natural areas (13% of the country surface) that are preserved by the Government: eight national parks, eight national reservations, six national sanctuaries, three historical sanctuaries, four national forests, six protection forests, one communal reservation, two hunting enclosed lands and eleven reserved zones.

National Parks are places where the wild flora and fauna are protected and preserved. Natural resources exploitation and human settlements are forbidden.

National parks

Cutervo, created in 1961 and located in Cajamarca, is the oldest Peruvian National Park. It contains many caves, including the San Andres Cave is a home of the endangered guacharo (oilbird).
Tingo Maria is located in Huanuco. Its principal attraction is the Cueva de las Lechuzas (Owl Cave), another guacharo habitat.
Manu, located in the departments of Madre de Dios and Cuzco. It is most representative of Amazon biodiversity.^{[citation needed]} In 1977, UNESCO recognised it as a Reserve of Biosphere; and in 1987, it was pronounced a Natural Heritage of Humanity.
Huascarán is located in Ancash. It was also pronounced a Natural Heritage of Humanity and recognized as Reserve of Biosphere. Peru's highest snow-covered mountain (6,768 m) is found here, also named Huascarán. This park is the habitat of the Puya Raimondi, the Cougar, the Jaguar, the Llama, the Guanaco, the Marsh Deer, the Peruvian tapir, the Peruvian Piedtail, a hummingbird species, and many kinds of ducks.
Cerros de Amotape (Amotape Hills) is located in Piura and Tumbes. It has many dry-climate forests and endangered species such as the American crocodile.
The Abiseo River Park, another Natural and Cultural Heritage of Humanity site, is located in San Martín.
Yanachaga-Chemillen, a tropical forest preservation zone at 4,800 m, is located in Pasco. The Palcazu river, Huancabamba river, Pozuzo river and their affluents flows through the park. Some native communities still live in here. There are also archaeological fields from the Inca and Yanesha cultures.
Bahuaja-Sonene is located in Madre de Dios. It contains Puno Department's tropical forests, the Heath Pampas and part of the Tambopata-Candamo Reservation Zone.

National reservations

The National Reservation of the Lomas de Lachay, Lima, Peru.

Valle del Colca, Arequipa.

Pampa Galeras – Barbara D’Achille is located in Ayacucho. It is the habitat of the vicuña.
Junin is located in Junin. One of its main purposes is to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity of Lake Junin.
Paracas is located in Ica. Its main purpose is to preserve the sea ecosystem and protect the historical and cultural heritage of the area.
Lachay is located in Lima. Its main purpose is to restore and protect the ecosystem of the Lomas de Lachay (Lachay Hills).
Pacaya-Samiria is located in Loreto. Its main purpose is to preserve the ecosystems of the Omagua Region and to promote the indigenous towns.
Salinas and Aguada Blanca are located in Arequipa and Moquegua. Their main purpose is to preserve flora, fauna and landscape.
Calipuy is located in La Libertad. Its main purpose is to protect guanaco populations.
Titicaca is located in Puno. Its main purpose is to preserve Lake Titicaca's ecosystems and landscape.

National sanctuaries

Huayllay
Calipuy
Lagunas de Mejia ("Mejia Lagoon")
Ampay
Manglares de Tumbes ("Mangroves of Tumbes")
Manglares de Vice, found in the Sechura Province of Piura Region (the southernmost mangrove swamp system in the Pacific region; smaller than the Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary)
Tabacones Namballe

Enclosed hunting lands

Reserved zones

Economy

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Buildings in San Isidro, Lima's largest financial district.

Aerial view of La Punta, Callao.

Main article: Economy of Peru

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, tourism, services, and telecommunication industries. Aided by foreign investment and cooperation between the former Fujimori administration, the IMF, and the World Bank, economic growth was rapid in 1994–97 and inflation was kept low. This was a great accomplishment, considering that just a few years earlier inflation was over 2,000% a year and collapse of the economy was imminent.

Some analyses indicate that Peru's reforms have not led to sustained economic progress, however it is advancing slowly but firmly. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a US-based think tank, "Income per person in Peru – the most basic economic measure of living standards – is about the same as 25 years ago. This is a remarkable long-term economic failure."^[4]

After the 1998 crisis, the economy began a period of expansion. Growth till 2005 was realized by construction, investment, domestic demand and exports. Peru became one of the most liberal market economies in Latin America. Its petroleum, natural gas and power industries are expected to increase due to relatively high domestic and foreign influx of capital in the tourism, agriculture, mining, and construction sectors since 1995. In 2006, the GDP grew 7.7%, and it is expected to grow 6.5% in 2007 and 6% for five years after 2008.

In April 2006, Peru signed a trade agreement with the United States, the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, becoming the first country in the Andean Community of Nations (Comunidad Andina de Naciones, CAN) to sign such an agreement.^[5] As of June 2006, Peru's Congress had approved the agreement and the pact awaits approval by the US Congress. Peru is negotiating trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, Singapore and India. It has free trade agreements with the Andean Community (comprising Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela) and with many of the countries in Mercosur, as well as Thailand. During the recent APEC summit, Peru declared intentions to sign free trade agreements with China, Japan, and South Korea.

Peru also seeks free trade with the European Union, which would greatly expand its markets. It could export agricultural products, textiles, clothing, shoes, petroleum derivatives, natural gas, minerals, fish and seafood products, tourism goods, and manufactured goods.

Exports were US$ 17,350 million in 2005 (a 34.6% increase since 2004) and US$ 23,500 million in 2006 (a growth of 35% since 2005). They are expected to reach US$30,000 million by the end of 2007 and US$40,000 million by the end of 2008. The government aims to reach US$100 billion by 2012. The markets of Peru grew in all sectors (energy, construction, commerce, fishing, manufacturing, tourism, etc) in 2005 by over 6.67% (one the fastest growth rates of market economies in South America) and 7.7% in 2006. They are expected to grow 6.5% in 2007, making 7 consecutive years of strong growth.

For the next five years (until 2010) the government has registered more than US$ 10,000 million in private investment (both domestic and foreign) in the mining and energy sectors, and US$ 15,000 million in other sectors such as industry, commerce, tourism, construction, seafood and agriculture, which will keep the economy growing annually at strong levels of 6% or more. The government has an intense sub-contracting policy and has signed agreements with many international oil and gas companies to explore oil reserves. It is expected that Peru will become a net energy exporter in 2009, when the Camisea gas project is fully developed and new oil and gas reservoirs are put in production.

Poverty in Peru is high, with a poverty threshold level of 48% of the total population. The level is reducing slowly and is expected to be 20% of the population within 10 years. In 2006, a new phenomenon of rebirth of the middle class began reaching almost 50%. During 2006-2007 it is expected that the growth of employment will be stronger outside the capital, considerably reducing poverty.

Defense and armed forces

Main article: Military of Peru

Peruvian Army T-55 tanks

The Peruvian National Defense is structured under the Joint Command of the Armed Forces (Spanish: Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas (COCOFA)), which is under the orders of the Defense Minister, the political head of the defense organization.

The Military branches of Peru are:

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)

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Peru

Ethnography

El Señor de los Milagros Procession

People from peruvian andean region.

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. Most are found in the southern Andes, though a large portion are also to be found in the southern and central coast due to the massive internal labor migration from remote Andean regions to coastal cities, especially Lima, during the past four decades. 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. These tropical lowlands, however, are sparsely populated.

The two major indigenous or ethnic groups are the Quechuas (belonging to various cultural subgroups), followed by the Aymaras, mostly found in the extreme southern Andes. A large proportion of the indigenous population who live in the Andean highlands still speak Quechua or Aymara, and have vibrant cultural traditions, some which were part of the Inca Empire, arguably the most advanced agricultural civilization in the world. Literally dozens of indigenous cultures are also dispersed throughout the country beyond the Andes Mountains and in the Amazon basin.

Peru's Amazonian region is rapidly becoming urbanized. Important urban centers include Iquitos, Nauta, Puerto Maldonado, Pucallpa and Yurimaguas. This region is home to numerous indigenous peoples, though they do not constitute a large proportion of the total population. 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 Amerindian ancestry, and most Peruvian mestizos are of this combination, but other lineages (most notably African) are also present, in varying degrees, in some segments 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 10% of the population is classified as criollos, the relatively unmixed descendants of the colonial Spanish colonizers. The majority of the criollos live in the largest cities, concentrated usually the northern coastal citites of Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, and of course the capital Lima. The only southern city with a significant population is Arequipa. To the north Cajamarca and San Martin are also cities with a strong Spanish influence.

The remaining 3% of the population is of black African ancestry. The Afro-Peruvians, a legacy of Peru's history as an importer of slaves during the colonial period. Today also mulattos (mixed African and European) and zambos (mixed African and Amerindian) constitute an important part of the population as well, especially in Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque, Lima and Ica regions.

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. Important communities are found all over the Morropon Province, such as in the city of Chulucanas, Yapatera town of the same city, and other even smaller farming towns like Pabur or La Matanza and even in the mountainous region near Canchaque. Further south, the colonial city of Zaña or farming towns like Capote and Tuman in Lambayeque are also important regions with Afro-Peruvian presence.

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

A highland woman preparing thread for textiles

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. Today, Spanish is spoken by some 80.3% of the population, and is the language used by government, media, and in education and formal commerce. There has been an increasing and organized effort to teach Quechua in public schools in the areas where Quechua is spoken.

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 number of Aymara-speakers and other indigenous languages is placed at 3%, and foreign languages 0.2%.

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 variations among these Quechua dialects are as pronounced as - for example - the differences between Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. Quechua, along with Aymara and the minor indigenous languages, was originally and remains essentially an oral language. Therefore, there is a lack of modern media which use it: for example books, newspapers, software, magazines, technical journals, etc. However, non-governmental organizations as well as state sponsored groups are involved in projects to edit and translate major works into the Quechua language; for instance, in late 2005 a superb version of Don Quixote was presented in Quechua.

The percentage of native speakers of Quechua who are illiterate has been decreasing lately, as 86.87% of the Peruvian population is literate. More encouraging, nationwide literacy rate of youth aged 15 to 24 years is 96.8%.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Peru

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. This cultural mixture has been further enriched by the contributions of other immigrant groups, particularly Asians and non-Iberian Europeans.

Peruvian artistic creation

The Pachacamac Temple.

Panoramic View of Cusco from Sacsayhuaman

Peruvian cultural patrimony has its origin in the magnificent Andean civilizations, which flourished before the Spaniards’ arrival. Peru's archaeological treasures are evidence of many significant achievements comparable to those of other great civilizations.

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. These are examples of symbolic and religious art including gold and silver work, ceramics,architecture and stone sculpture. These sites date as far back as the 14th century BC and 11th century BC, respectively.

Between the 8th century BC and 1st century AD, the Paracas Cavernas and Paracas Necrópolis cultures developed. The Paracas Cavernas culture produced beautiful polychrome ceramics with religious representations as well as monochrome ceramics. The Paracas Necrópolis culture is characterized by its delicate fabrics in complex styles.

In the period between the 3rd century BC and 7th century AD, the urban culture known as Mochica developed in Lambayeque. Nazca culture also developed in this period in the valley of río Grande, in Ica. In Mochica culture, the magnificent Huaca del Sol and Huaca de la Luna, Huaca Cao Viejo and Huaca El Brujo and the Huaca Rajada of Sipan are worth mentioning. They are notable for their cultivation in terraces and hydraulic engineering, as well as some of the most original ceramics, textiles, and pictorial and sculptural art in the Andean world.

The Wari civilization, which flourished between the 8th century and 12th century AD, was based in Ayacucho. This civilization may have been the first Andean culture to define a planned urban layout. Such a concept was later expanded to zones like Pachacamac, Cajamarquilla, Wari Willca and others. Tiahuanaco culture developed by the borders of lake Titicaca between the 9th century and 13th century AD. This culture introduced monumental lithic architecture and sculpture as well as military urbanism. These advances in architecture were possible thanks to the discovery of bronze for making tools.

The Chimú town improvement on the principle of urban architecture. This civilization built the city of Chan Chan in the valley of the Moche river, in La Libertad, between the 14th and 15th centuries AD. The chimú were also skillful goldsmiths and made remarkable works of hydraulic engineering.

The Inca Civilization incorporated, and in many cases perfected, many of the cultural techniques of the civilizations that preceded it. There are many examples of original Inca architecture and engineering that have outlasted later Spanish colonial structures. In this regard, the rich Inca heritage can still be observed in cities like Cuzco, the fortress of Sacsahuaman, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and extensive stone roads that united Cuzco with the four cardinal points of the Inca Empire. The Spanish conquest displaced, not without violence, native artistic practices and concepts, although in many cases, it made for enriching hybrids of traditional Spanish and native art.

Architecture

The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa (1621-1656)

Peruvian architecture is a conjunction of European styles exposed to the influence of indigenous imagery. Two of the most well-known examples of the Renaissance period are the Cathedral and the church of Santa Clara of Cuzco. After this period, the mestization reached its richer expression in the Baroque. Some examples of this Baroque period are the convent of San Francisco de Lima, the church of the Compañía and the facade of the University of Cuzco and, overall, the churches of San Agustín and Santa Rosa of Arequipa, its more beautiful exponents.

The independence war left a creative emptiness that Neoclassicism of French inspiration could just fill. The XX century is characterized by the eclecticism, to which the constructive functionalism has been against. The most considerable example is San Martin Plaza in Lima.

Sculpture and painting

Cathedral of Lima facing the Plaza de Armas

Colonial Houses at Historic Center of Trujillo

Peruvian sculpture and painting began to define themselves from the ateliers founded by monks, who were strongly influenced by the Sevillian Baroque School. In this background, the stalls of the Cathedral choir, the fountain of the Main Square of Lima and great part of the colonial production were registered.

The artistic crossbreeding was more intense in the pictorial creation. This crossbreeding gathered, without ambages, the native heritage and materialized, without incisions, the historical continuity. You are able to see this in the portrait of prisoner Atahualpa, from Diego de Mora, or in the linens of the Italians Mateo Pérez de Alesio and Angelino Medoro, the Spanish Francisco Bejarano and J. de Illescas and the Creole J. Rodriguez.

During XVII and XVIII centuries, the Baroque also dominated the field of plastic arts. In the XIX century, the French neoclassic and romantic currents found his best representatives in

In the XX century, the establishment of the Fine Arts School of Lima (1919) printed the decisive impulse on Peruvian sculpture and painting. In sculpture, we have some remarkable names like Luis Agurto, L. Valdettaro, Joaquin Roca Rey, J. Piqueras, Alberto Guzmán, Victor Delfín and F. Sánchez. Between the painters, we have Daniel Hernández, R. Grau, Cesar Quispez Asin and Jose Sabogal. Sabogal headed the indigenous movement. 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. A. Cuadros, Angel Chavez, Milner Cajahuaringa, Arturo Kubotta, Venancio Shinki, Alberto Quintanilla, G. Chavez, Tilsa Tsuchiya, David Herskowitz, Oscar Allain and Carlos Revilla.

Literature

In the history of Peruvian literature, the oral indigenous tradition and the technical resources of writing (incorporated by Spaniards) converge in each other. From the beginning, it was possible to gather and to express the different and complex cultural realities that entered in conflict immediately after the conquest.

Quechua and Aymara literature was transmitted in an oral way. It was linked to religious, agrarian, affectionate, festive or funeral rites. These characteristics became into certain forms of poetry or prose, as it is observed in the first historical chronicles of the Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (Los comentarios reales) or Felipe Huaman Poma de Ayala (la Nueva crónica y buen gobierno) and in the identification between the yaravies and the patriotic and romantic poetry. One of the most outstanding exponents here was Mariano Melgar.

Later, the hegemony of Creole oligarchy in the Peruvian society favored the abandonment of the indigenous forms in favor of the European ones. Then the neoclassicists arose like Manuel Ascencio Segura and Felipe Pardo y Aliaga. They held themselves almost until the end of the XIX century. At this time, the romantic current was imposed thanked to the works of Carlos Augusto Salaverry and Jose Arnaldo Marquez, between others. The general crisis derived from the War of the Pacific gave place to the Modernism. Its best exponents were Jose Santos Chocano and José María Eguren. After them, the Avant-gardism current popped up strongly impelled by the magazines: Colónida and Amauta. Amauta magazine was founded in 1926 by José Carlos Mariátegui. Between its collaborators was César Vallejo. Meanwhile the Indigenous current in poetry was reborn thanked to Luis Fabio Xammar. The avant-gardist writers were fragmenting in different lyric proposals like the ones of Xavier Abril, Alberto Hidalgo, Sebastian Salazar Bondy, Carlos Germán Belli, and others. They were opening new and diverse expressive fields.

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. In the XX century, the indigenous prose reached some of its culminating moments with Ciro Alegría and José María Arguedas, Sebastián Salazar Bondy, Manuel Scorza and Julio Ramón Ribeyro. Without leaving the realistic approach, Mario Vargas Llosa. Some of the most remarkable names in poetry are Emilio Adolfo Westphalen, Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Carlos Germán Belli, Antonio Cisneros, Washington Delgado, Marco Martos, Carmen Ollé and in narrative: Miguel Gutiérrez, Gregorio Martínez, Alonso Cueto, Guillermo Niño de Guzmán, between others.

Art

Iglesia de la Compañía, Cuzco

The Inca stonghold of Sacsayhuaman near Cuzco

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. The mountain town of Machu Picchu and the buildings at Cuzco are excellent examples of Inca architectural design.

During the colonial period, Spanish baroque fused with the rich Inca tradition to produce mestizo art. The Cuzco school of largely anonymous Indian artists followed the Spanish baroque tradition with influence from the Italian, Flemish, and French schools.

Painter Francisco Fierro made a distinctive contribution to this school with his portrayals of typical events, manners, and customs of mid-19th-century Peru. Francisco Lazo, forerunner of the indigenous school of painters, also achieved fame for his portraits.

Peru has passed early 20th century brought "indigenismo", expressed in a new awareness of Indian culture. Since World War II, Peruvian writers, artists, and intellectuals such as Cesar Vallejo and José María Arguedas have participated in worldwide intellectual and artistic movements, drawing especially on U.S. and European trends.

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. In fact, almost all agricultural communal works were accompanied by music and singings (generically called in Quechua language: taqui). The ethnic diversity of ancient Peru made diverse traditions and customs coexist across the time. They were strongly determinants of the rich development of Post-Hispanic Peruvian folklore.

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

Main article: Music of Peru

The Quena, a Peruvian wind instrument typical of Andean 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. As of 2006 in Peru, most young Peruvians in the cities listen to reggaeton. Tropical Latin music such as Salsa and Merengue is very popular too in Lima and Callao. Local singers include Antonio Cartagena and Willi Rivera among others. Rock in Spanish and English, pop in Spanish and English, and Ballads are also popular among large sectors 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. In cities like Lima and Arequipa music in English is commonly listen and played in Top 40 Radio stations in addition to Reggaeton and Rock in Spanish. During the 80's and 90's Rock in Spanish and English, and Salsa were the most common music styles in Lima and other major cities.

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. They also used diverse membranophone instruments such as the tinya (hand drum), the wankar, instrument of big dimensions, the pomatinyas - made of cougar's skin-, and the runatinyas - made of human skin-. The runatinya was also used in battles.

With the Spanish conquest, new instruments arrived like harps, guitars, vihuelas, bandurrias, lutes, etc. Due to these instruments, new crossbred Andean instruments appeared. These crossbred instruments are still in used nowadays: the Andean harp and the charango. The sounding box of the charango is made of the armadillo's shell.

The cultural crossbreeding did not limit itself to the contact of Indigenous and European cultures. The African slaves' contribution was demonstrated in rhythms and percussion instruments. This influence is visible in musical forms like festejo, zamacueca, etc.

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

A Peruvian man playing the zampoña.

Andean music is rooted in the traditional native music, the Spanish orquestal and European Church musicals. The southern Andean region is famous for the Huayno, a mestizo happy chant that involves Charango guitar, beautifully-toned lamenting vocals and sometimes the Andean Harp. The Huayno Ayacuchano is probably the most famous of its styles since it is played on Creole and even Spanish guitar, adding to its feel an even a more soulful and romantic expression.

Cusco, Puno and Apurimac have a more pure native feel to their music whom even incorporate violins. Famous tunes are the Muliza and Valicha Cusqueña, whom are also very romantic and melancolic. 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 & Garfunkel and featured in the movie "The Graduate". The original composition consists of a Yaraví, followed by an Inca "Pasacalle" and a Huayno fugue, three traditional Inca rhythms.

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. Arequipa city is the proud creator of the famous Yaraví, a melancholy style that involves Spanish or Creole guitar that is sung A Capela. It has been popularized to the rest of the Andean communities after the Pacific War in honor of Mariano Melgar (local hero). The music evokes to the solitude of the mountains, the miners and the Andean farmer. It is a mix of gypsy Zards and Huayno.

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 is called musica criolla and its rooted in a fusion that evokes to traditional Spanish, Gypsy (Roma People) and African influence.

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 vals peruano and valsesito peruano. The rhythm involves a singer, a chorus, Creole Guitar, Peruvian Cajón and spoon players. It is widely popularised by the great Chabuca Granda, who is considered the most important composer of coastal Creole music, with such songs as La Flor de La Canela, Fina Estampa, and José Antonio. Other commonly known Peruvian valse tunes are Alma Corazon y Vida, Odiame, Propiedad Privada, El Plebeyo, and El Rosario de Mi Madre, some of these songs are twisted to Bolero or Salsa version by Caribbean artists.

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. Susana Baca is a renowned singer and composer of Afro Peruvian music. She won a Grammy award in 2002 for her album Lamento Negro.

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. Among Peruvians of the coast, it is considered as traditional and representative as the Tango is to Argentina. The dance evokes from a mixture of Eastern European gypsy, flamenco and the elegance of the Peruvian Paso Horse. Many people take classes and look forward to the annual Marinera Festival held in the city of Trujillo every July, with thousands in attendance.

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 Cajon. This instrument has been mistaken very frequently with a Spanish origin (the Cajon was introduced in Spain around the 1980s 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 Resbalosa and Peruvian coastal Creole rhythms before any other expressions.

Dances

Marinera Norteña, the most representative dance in the coast of Peru.

Between dances of native origin, there are the ones that are related to the agricultural work, hunting and war. Some choreographies show certain Christian influence. Two of the most representative Andean dances are the kashua and the wayno or huayno. The kashua has a communal character and it is usually danced in groups in the country or open spaces. The huayno is a "salon ball". It is danced in couples and in closed spaces. The yaravi and the triste have also an Andean origin. They are usually songs with very emotional lyrics.

Dances of ritual character are the achocallo, the pinkillada, the llamerada (dance that imitates the llama's walk), the kullawada (the spinners' dance), etc. Between the Hunting dances, it can be mentioned: the llipi-puli and choq'elas. They are dances from the altiplano related to the vicuña's hunting.

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). There are also Carnival dances. A Carnival is a western holiday that, in the Peruvian Andes, is celebrated simultaneously with the crops time. Many rural communities celebrate the youths' initiation during these holidays with ancestral rites and crossbred dances. New couples might be established.

The most attractive and internationally known Love Dance in Peru is the Marinera Norteña. This dance represents a man's courting to a young woman. There are local variants of this dance in Lima and the other regions of the country.

Popular celebrations

Popular celebrations are the product of every town's traditions and legends. These celebrations gather music, dances, meals and typical drinks. In addition to the religious celebrations like Christmas, Corpus Christi or Holy Week, there are others that express the syncretism of the indigenous peoples' beliefs with the Christians'. An example of this kind of celebration is the Alasitas (an Aymara word that, according to some studious people, would mean «buy me») that combines a crafts and miniatures fair with dances, meals and a mass. Another example is the peregrination of the Q'oyllor-ritis (Cuzco), that gathers the ancient cult to the apus (tutelary divinities of the mountains) with a peregrination to a Christian Sanctuary in a long trek to the top of a mountain, of more than 5000m above sea level, that is covered with snow.

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

Main article: Peruvian cuisine

Ceviche

There is great variety in Peruvian cuisine. Common plants include maize, tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, rocoto (also called uchu), oca, ulluco, avocado (palta), chirimoya, lúcuma, and pineapple (anana). Meat comes from animals such as the huemul (similar to the little red brocket), llama, and Guinea pig (cuy). As American, European and Moorish culinary traditions combined, new meals and ways of preparing them arose. The arrival of Africans and Chinese also influenced the development of Creole cuisine.

Peruvian cuisine is becoming more popular on the world gastronomic scene. It is a blend of Amerindian and Spanish food with influence from other groups, including Africans, Italians, Chinese and Japanese, all of whom have added their own ingredients and traditions to the mix.

Peru's many climate zones also make it possible to grow a wide range of crops. There are the dozens of native potato, maize and chile pepper varieties from the Andes, with rocoto being one of the most popular. Fish and seafood from the Pacific coast, mangoes and limes from the coastal valleys, and bananas and manioc from the Amazon jungle add distinctive touches to the national cuisine.

Some examples of typical Peruvian dishes are the shrimp stew chupe de camarones, and the anticuchos (beef heart roasted in brochettes). Olluco con charqui is a casserole made of ulluco and charqui, the Andean pachamanca is comprised of meats, tubers and broadbeans cooked in a stone oven, and the lomo saltado is a dish of fried meat, tomatoes, and onion which is reminiscent of Chinese cuisine but is served with fried potatoes. The picante de cuy is a casserole of fried guinea pig.

The best known and most popular Peruvian dish is ceviche, which is fish and shellfish marinated in lime juice. The most popular ceviche is a type of seafood cocktail where the fish has been marinated in lime with onions and hot peppers, but not cooked. The lime's acid denatures the protein and turns the fish white, "cooking" it. There are several types of ceviche that include fish only, mussels, or mixed seafood. Other typical food include staples from the Andes; 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.

Manjar Blanco, a dessert similar to caramel, is very popular in Peru. Also Crema Chantilly is very popular in cakes. Other desserts include Mazamorra Morada, arroz con leche, flan, picarones, Crema Volteada, leche asada, torta helada, and the little know but delicious King Kong, that hails from the provice of Chiclayo.

Peruvian food can be accompanied by typical drinks like the chicha de jora, made with sun-dried corn. There are also chichas made of purple corn and peanuts. The most popular soft drink is called Inca Kola, which is a yellowish cream soda, but other sodas are popular too, such as Kola Inglesa, Guarana Backus, and other very common fruit sodas like orange, pineapple, and lemon. Peru's most well known beverage is the Pisco which originated in the Peruvian department of Ica. People from Chile have tried to steal the Pisco, claiming it belongs to them. They have also tried to steal the Suspiro Limeño, another dessert.

Sports

Football (soccer): The most popular Peruvian sport is football World Cup appearances: 1930, 1970 (quarterfinalists), 1978 (quarterfinalists), 1982 and two Copa America trophies). Most of the population of Peru follows 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. In 2003, Cienciano won the Copa Sudamericana by beating Argentinian club River Plate, and then proceeded to beat Latin American powerhouse Boca Juniors from Argentina too in the SuperCup played in Miami.

Taekwondo: Jean Carlos Gamarra, Silver Medal, 13th South American Games, Arequipa - Peru 1997. Bronze Medal, 11th Pan American Taekwondo Championships, Lima - Peru 1998. 19th in World Male Fin Weight Ranking, 2001. Gold Medal, American Open, U.S.A. 2002. Member of the World Taekwondo Federation Hall of Fame, Seoul - S.Korea.

Jean Carlos Gamarra (right) is declared winner.

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 the Central, South American & Caribbean Championships for six years in Sunfish Class. In the Optimist Class, it was three times World Champion in Team-Racing in 1997, 1998, and 1999, and have more South American Champions in J24, Windsurf, Laser Class and Lightning.

Shooting: Peruvian shooters have won 3 of Peru's 4 Olympic medals. Edwin Vásquez won Peru's only gold medal in London 1948 Olympic Games, while Francisco Boza (Los Angeles 1984), and Juan Giha (Barcelona 1992) both won silver medals.

Tennis: Luis Horna and Jaime Yzaga are the most famous Peruvian tennis players. Tennis Hall of Famer and Davis Cup and Wimbledon winner Alejandro Olmedo was born in Peru but he played for the United States.

Two men playing Paleta Fronton in Lima, Peru

Paleta Fronton is a Peruvian sport born in Lima officially in 1945 in "Regatas Lima" Club. This sport has its roots in the "Pelota Vasca" brought by the Spanish Conquerors and the domestic "Pelota Mano" wrongly called at that time "Handball" because of the English influence. - - Paleta Fronton is played with a wood, graphite or carbon blade and a black rubber ball. The court consists of a concrete wall of 5 meters in height and 6 meters in width with lines on the floor limiting the court

International rankings

Organisation	Survey	Ranking
Heritage Foundation/The Wall Street Journal	Index of Economic Freedom	63 out of 157
The Economist	Worldwide Quality-of-life Index, 2005	53 out of 111
Reporters Without Borders	Worldwide Press Freedom Index	112 out of 167
Transparency International	Corruption Perceptions Index	70 out of 163
United Nations Development Programme	Human Development Index	82 out of 177
World Economic Forum	Global Competitiveness Report	74 out of 125
A.T. Kearney/Foreign Policy Magazine	Globalization Index 2005 PDF	53 out of 62

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