Learn About Peru


	The Government Palace in Peru's capital Lima.

The third largest country in South America (after Brazil and Argentina), Peru is located on the western, or Pacific Ocean, coast of the continent. Much of Peru lies in the towering, snowcapped Andes, the great mountain range that runs the length of South America.

Peru was once the center of the vast Indian Inca Empire. Conquered by the Spanish in the 1500s, Peru was a source of great wealth for Spain, which ruled it as part of its own South American colonial empire for almost 300 years.

The Land
Peru spans the central part of the rugged Andes. The Andes are so high — second only to the Himalayas in altitude — that Peru has many ecological and climatic zones. Each of these zones has its own special plant and animal life and possibilities for development.

The Pacific Coast. The Pacific coastal area is a long, narrow strip of land between the Pacific Ocean and the western slopes of the Andes. This area may have rain only once or twice in ten years. But rivers flowing down from the Andes have deposited fertile soil that has been intensively irrigated for 7,000 years. Most of Peru's large cities and the huge farms where crops are grown for export are located in the coastal valleys. The climate of this region is hot and dry in the north and cool and humid farther south. During the cool winters (June to September), the sun rarely shines, and there are heavy fogs and mists.

The Andean Highlands. The lower slopes of the Andes have little irrigated land and are generally sparsely populated. Most highlanders live in the quechua zone, which begins at 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level and extends to 11,500 feet (3,500 meters). This is an area of beautiful valleys that can be farmed. The climate is temperate, with bright sunshine. Rains fall only in the summer months.

The Amazon Region. The lower eastern slopes of the Andes, known as the Montaña, and densely forested interior plains form part of the Amazon Basin. The climate is hot and humid, and rainfall is heavy throughout the year. This region covers more than half the area of Peru, but it is sparsely populated. Few roads cross the Andes to link the Montaña with the coast. The unfavorable climate and dense jungle growth also discourage settlement. Many small groups of Indians live along the lakes and rivers throughout the jungle. Peru's chief rivers — the Marañón and the Ucayali — flow north and east before joining to form the Amazon. Rivers are the roads and highways of the Amazon Basin, and most settlements are built along the riverbanks.

The Earthquake Threat. Geological faults, or deep fractures in the layers of rock, run the entire length of the Andean mountain range. These faults have produced many earthquakes in Peru. In 1970 north central Peru suffered the Western Hemisphere's worst known earthquake. About 70,000 people were killed, and another 500,000 lost their homes. Other earthquakes have caused extensive damage in Lima, Cuzco, Trujillo, and Arequipa.

Because the Andean slopes are very unstable, there are many landslides. Building and maintaining highways is therefore difficult and costly.

Major Cities
All cities in Peru have grown rapidly in recent years. Mestizos and cholos have moved to the coastal cities from the small highland towns in search of a better life.

Lima, the capital, is the most important city in Peru. It is the industrial, commercial, artistic, and literary center of the country, and it offers the greatest opportunities for employment. Greater Lima is the home of almost 30 percent of all Peru's people.

Callao, near Lima, is the country's leading port. Other major cities include Chiclayo and Trujillo in the north, Arequipa in the south, and Iquitos in the Amazon Basin.

History and Government
The first people came to what is now Peru at least 12,000 years ago. The oldest known city in the Western Hemisphere is located at Caral, north of Lima.

Pre-Columbian Peru
People in the Andes learned to domesticate plants and animals by 5500 B.C. They also discovered how to weave the intricate textiles of cotton and wool for which Peru is famous today. By about 3800 B.C., people in Peru had begun to irrigate their crops. A large political and religious cult called Chavín emerged in the highlands around 1500 B.C. and lasted for hundreds of years. The Moche people irrigated large areas around modern Trujillo about 500 B.C. They also built enormous temples. And they made beautiful pottery and gold and silver objects, which are highly prized by museums today. The Huari and Tiahuanaco empires controlled much of highland Peru and Bolivia by about A.D. 500. These states lasted for about 500 years.

In the 1200s the Quechua-speaking Inca tribe of Cuzco began its conquest of the region. Beginning in 1438 the armies of the Inca emperor Pachacuti and his son Topa Inca Yupanqui conquered much of the Andean area. Eventually the Inca Empire became one of the largest in the world. It stretched from Colombia to central Chile and ruled about 16 million people.

The Incas were famous for their efficient government. They were skilled engineers who built cities, roads, forts, irrigation systems, religious centers, and large suspension bridges to span the Andean chasms. The empire was thus disorganized when a small group of Spaniards led by Francisco Pizarro arrived in Cuzco and the largest native American Indian nation came to an end.

Colonial Peru
After the Spanish conquest, the Inca Empire became the Viceroyalty of El Peru, owned by the kings of Spain. Lima, founded by Pizarro in 1535, became the first important Spanish colonial outpost in South America.

During the 289 years of colonial rule, Peruvian society and culture were greatly changed. Spanish became the official language, and Catholicism the state religion. Land ownership fell into the hands of a few powerful families. The Indians were afflicted by European diseases and harsh working conditions, and many of them died. There were several Indian rebellions. The most famous was that of Tupac Amaru II, in 1780.

The Peruvian Republic International forces commanded by José de San Martín, of Argentina, declared Peru's independence in Lima on July 28, 1821. And the Venezuelan general Antonio José de Sucre led rebel troops to victory over the Spanish forces in Ayacucho in 1824. Mestizos and Peruvians of Spanish descent then took charge of the new government and the economy. One unstable regime followed another as military caudillos (strong leaders) fought for control. In the 1830s General Ramón Castilla promoted the profitable guano industry. He freed the slaves in 1854.

Peru's first civilian president, Manuel Pardo, involved Peru in Bolivia's quarrel with Chile over valuable nitrate deposits in the Atacama Desert. The War of the Pacific (1879–83) ended with the occupation of Peru by Chile. Peru lost substantial portions of its territory to Chile and was left bankrupt.

The economy improved, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, under Nicolás de Piérola and Augusto Leguía. The latter also helped re-establish Indian community rights over ancient lands. But his dictatorship provoked rebellion. A new political party, the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), was formed in 1924. Its leader, Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, played a major role in Peruvian politics until his death in 1979.

Continued demands for modernization and social justice led to the election of Fernando Belaúnde Terry as president of Peru in 1963. Belaúnde began some reforms, but he was overthrown by the military in 1968.

Peru's military rulers carried out wide-ranging economic and social reforms. The system that bound landless workers to the landowners on whose estates they worked was abolished, as was tenant farming. New taxes were imposed and Indian communities were reorganized. The government also nationalized many industries. But these reforms did not promote prosperity, and increased inflation brought social unrest.

Recent History. Public demand forced Peru's military leaders to accept a new constitution based on civilian rule. Belaúnde again served as president (1980–85), followed by Alan García Pérez (1985–90). In 1990, Alberto Fujimori won election.

Faced with huge economic problems and a spreading Communist guerrilla movement called Shining Path, Fujimori temporarily suspended the constitution in 1992 and ruled with the aid of the army. A new constitution in 1993 paved the way for his re-election in 1995. Fujimori's popularity declined as his power increased. Nevertheless he was re-elected president in 2000 amid charges of federal fraud. He was deposed in November and went into exile in Japan. Valentin Paniagua was named interim president. New presidential elections held in 2001 brought the opposition leader, Alejandro Toledo, to power. The following year, to shift power away from the central government, regional presidents were elected to govern 25 newly created provinces.

Write about it:
There are many different landforms in Peru. Create an outline that describes and explains the importance of these landforms. Next, summarize why earthquakes are a threat to the country of Peru.

Ice Mummies of the Inca
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/peru/
Learn about archaeologist, Johan Reinhard, who led an expedition to the summit of Sara Sara in Peru in search of frozen sacrificial mummies.

Manu, Peru's hidden rainforest
http://www.pbs.org/edens/manu/
Learn about a reclusive native tribe in Manu, the Yura.