GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PERU

Here you can find important information about Peru classified into the following categories:

Population - Language - Religion - History - Economy - Culinary variety -
Music - Museums - Cultural calendar - Time difference - Voltage

Peru’s total estimated population is 27.9 million inhabitants, 72.3 % of whom live in the urban areas and approximately 8 million are concentrated in Lima’s metropolitan area.
Of the total inhabitants, approximately 4 million are Quechua and Aymara speaking natives who inhabit the midsouth Andean region and Lake Titicaca area, and a further 0.5 million are Amazonian natives.

More than half of the population lives below poverty line.
33.4% of all Peruvians are under 15 years old.

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80.3 % Spanish (entire country), 16.2 % Quechua (Andean region), 3.2 % other such as Aymara (department of Puno) or Ethnic languages (Amazon). As part of its rich cultural tradition, Peru features many different languages. Although Spanish is commonly spoken across the country, Quechua is a major legacy of the Inca empire, and is still spoken with regional dialects in many parts of Peru.

In addition, other languages are spoken such as Aymara (in Puno) and a startling variety of dialects in the Amazon jungle. In the Peruvian Amazon there are in total 16 different linguistic families which belong to 42 different ethnic groups.

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About 82 % of the Peruvian population is catholic.
Peru is a naturally religious country: a diversity of beliefs and freedom of worship can be seen from the wide range of festivals and rituals that feature both Catholic fervor and the mysticism of age-old pre-Hispanic cultures.

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Upper Paleolithic (Lauricocha-Huanuco, 8000 BC)
First traces of human presence are discovered although there has been evidence of humans dating as far back as 10-12,000 BC.

Early History - Regional pre-Columbian civilizations
The coast and highlands of Peru were inhabited by flourishing cultures that mastered highly sophisticated social and administrative systems; leaving behind a vivid artistic record of their activities, as in the case of the Lord of Sipan of the Moche or Mochica culture, comparable in wealth to the treasures of the pharaohs discovered in Egypt. The most outstanding cultures are:

The Inca Empire (ca. 900-1535)
Their origin lies lost in legends when Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, a man and woman of divine features, rising from the waters of Lake Titicaca and driving a golden staff into the fertile soils of the Vilcanota river valley, founded the city of Cusco, the "navel of the world". The Inca Empire, or Tahuantinsuyo, reached its zenith under the rule of Inca Pachacutec, comprising throughout its extension the territories of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Argentina as we know them today.

Colonial period (1532-1554)
In 1532, Francisco Pizarro reaches the shores of Tumbes and takes advantage of the weak empire. Due to ongoing conflicts between the brothers Huascar and Atahualpa, both claiming leadership, the empire suffers internatl disruption. In November 1534 Pizarro finally occupies the Imperial City of Cusco and on January 18, 1535, founds Lima, the City of Kings. The Spanish conquest of Peru is a time of bloodshed, oppression and civil war among the Spanish themselves, which ends with the violent deaths of all the first conquerors.

The Viceroyalty 1554-1821
By Royal Decree, Charles I, King of Spain, established the Viceroyalty of Peru which, alongside Nueva España (Mexico), was the center of colonial administration up to the 18th century.
Nonetheless, it was also a period of discontent, with the natives continuously uprising against Spanish hegemony and colonial oppression. The revolutionary movements of greatest consequence were those under the leaderships of Tupac Amaru and Santos Atahualpa.

Peruvian Independence 1813-1821
By the dawn of the 19th century, practically throughout all Latin America the struggle for independence becomes widespread, the greater part under the direction and encouragement of "libertadores" Simon Bolivar, Sucre and Jose de San Martin, leaders of the battle campaigns against the royalist armies.
On July 28, 1821, Independence is declared and the Republic of Peru is founded.

The Republic since 1821
The first hundred years of the Republic are marked by conflicts with neighboring nations due to disputes on territorial boundaries. Especially the war with Chile (1879-1884) over the possession of important natural resources such as "guano" (natural fertilizer) and the saltpeter had a tremendous negative impact on the nation. In 1922, under the Salomon Lozano Treaty, Peru relinquishes the lower region of the Putumayo in its entirety, and specifically the Amazon Trapezium, thus granting Colombia access to the Amazon river.
In 1941, the conflict shifted to the North with the neighboring nation of Ecuador; both of whose territorial limits were settled in 1998 under the Brasilia Act signed October 28, 1998.
Throughout the 80's, to the beginning of the 90's, Peru suffered from the impact of widespread terrorism and narcotics trafficing. These were both subdued in the mid to late 90's and Peru today is a very different nation than that of fifteen years ago.
In 1998, Peru was hit by a severe economic-financial crisis and has yet to recover from the impact of its effects. During the general elections held in March 2001, Dr. Alejandro Toledo was voted Constitutional President of the Republic for the 2001-2006 term.

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Peru, throughout the course of its history, has been associated with gold, guano and rubber. Although these commodities are plentiful, widespread development of an industrial manufacturing structure has not formed. Although Peru is a nation rich of natural resources of high quality, its economy has not yet found its way to a long-term positive economic development.

The main productive economic sectors are associated with the fishing activity (particularly the international production of fish meal as food for cattle). As regards the mining sector in metal and hydrocarbon extraction, Latin America's leading gold mine, Yanacocha is situated just outside of the Peruvian city of Cajamarca..

Contracts for the extraction of the natural gas discovered some time ago in the Peruvian jungle, have recently been signed with leading international companies.

The tourism industry is still developing in Peru and is mainly associated with the traditional historical and archaeological tourist destinations.

In the last few years, the country has been undergoing one of its greatest recessions as a result of inadequate neo-liberal policies of the former government. This is also the main reason for the nation's low inflation rate and has caused the extremely high rates of unemployment, detrimental to certain traditional sectors, such as agriculture. This development has also lead to an increased internal migration to the main cities, particularly the capital Lima.

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The Peruvian cuisine is very diverse. On the coast the dishes are based on fish like sea bass and sole, as well as seafood like large prawns, mussels, octopus and crab. Also used a lot are chicken and beef.
In the highland many things are based on potatoes, quinoa, wheat, beef and pork. In the rainforest nearly all typical dishes are based on sweet water fish like the paiche and the dorado, which are combined with yucca, palm hearts and bananas.
The variety of fruits and vegetables is great, and they are always fresh. Especially the coast is a paradise for those who like fresh ingredients as they can be bought cheaply here.

Typical dishes:

Anticucho: Grilled beef heart.
Chicharrón de Chancho: Grilled pork meat with a thick crust of fat.
Ceviche: Cold dish of raw fish or shellfish with onions and chilli pepper, cooked only by the juice of the very acid Peruvian lemon put over it some minutes before serving.
Chupe de Camarones: Soup of shrimps, potatoes and vegetables.
Ají de gallina: Chicken with a lightly piquant cream sauce.
Lomo Saltado: Morsels of beef sautéed with onions and peppers, served with fried potatoes and rice.
Pachamanca: A variety of different sorts of meat and vegetables, that are cooked in a hole in the earth on top of hot stones.
Rocoto Relleno: Red peppers filled with beef.
Estofado: Stew of meat, corn, potatoes and carrots with a piquant sauce of cheese and peppers.
Sopa a la Criolla: Typical soup containing noodles and meat.

In the Selva (rainforest):
Tacacho: Dumplings of a special sort of banana and bacon, at times mixed with manioc and beans.

Fruit:

Lucuma: The shape is similar to that of a fig, the colour is more that of an avocado, only a bit more brown in pigment, and its size is that of a medium orange. Its inner part is compact and rich, beige to ochre colour. Its consistency is very much like a cooked potato, but in taste it is much sweeter and lightly creamy. Bedded in the pulp are some seeds that look like chestnuts, only a slightly bit heavier.

Granadilla: Similar to an orange with a hard, even shell. With a bit of force this shell can be pressed inwards. Below there is a white soft skin, some millimeters thick, that has to be overcome before reaching the edible part of this fruit. Inside is of a ball of small seeds with a watery shell. This shell is sweet, biting on the seeds gives it a sour note.

Papaya: The papaya here, in comparison to those brought to Europe, have the size of a Honeydew melon. The shell of the papaya is yellow, and is not eaten. The pulp is yellow to red, and in the hollow centre one finds many black seeds that are also not eaten. The papaya is used for juices and fruit salads, and improves in taste when mixed with a bit of lemon juice.

Lime: The Peruvian lime is no bigger than approximately 4 cm. Limes are used for a variety of things, such as salads, sauces, or on fish. The dark green lime has a stronger taste than the lemon, and the Peruvian lemon is so sour, that it created a whole new dish: the cebiche, for which the fish or shellfish is marinated within minutes, and makes the raw fish ready to eat only by the acid of the lime.

Tamarinde: Lengthy fruit with a hard, brown shell, that is similar to a peanut with more than two parts. In these one finds seeds covered with a fine, dark orange pulp. Take care, the tamarinde is extremely sour, and can hurt the tongue, but it contains abundance of vitamin C. The tamarinde is often used in jam.

Caihua: Light green in colour, it is the shape of a sweet pepper but looks more like a flower pod that has yet to blossom. A bit lengthier than our normal peppers. Its shape is irregular, and some parts are covered with a sort of soft thorn. In the center of the fruit grows a small, black part, that can not be eaten. The Caygua is cooked or used in salads, but also as jugo, in this case not for its taste, which is ranges from mild to nothing, but for its slimming effect – for which one could ask himself why it yet has not found its way to us.

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According to archaeological research, music has a 10,000 year old tradition in Peru.

Prior to the Spanish invasion, the Inca culture had not developed stringed instruments, prefering wind and percussion instruments. To celebrate religious conventions or rites often a large number of drums, rattles and flutes was used.

Andean music:
Andean music frequently contains lots of wind instruments, such as pan pipes or reed pipes (zapona or quena). During a long period Andean music was viewed as primitive by big cities, but migration process in the middle of the 19th century helped it to finally gain kudos in the bigger cities especially in the seventies - just think of "El Condor pasa" and its worldwide success - it became a main pillar for the Peruvian music industry.
Andean music contains dances and songs, such as Huayas, Sayas or Diabladas.

The Coast also offers lots of different styles and varieties in music, but one thing is certain: you will encounter salsa music everywhere you go.

Musica criolla:
Musica criolla arised from the mixture of European ballroom and folk dances like Polka and Waltz with European and African elements. From the thirties to the fifties it was succesfully exported to lots of countries all over the world and immediatly gained its term as typically Peruvian music. One of its most important features, the cajon (Sp. caja=box), which is an instrument played by hands, sometimes gets listed as originally belonging to Spanish flamenco.

Musica negra:
Although closely related to musica criolla, musica negra is a specialised term for a Peruvian style. Initially developed by black slaves, musica negra's influences are largely West African and Spanish. One of the most well known songs in the musica negra genre is the song 'Toro Mata'

Musica chicha:
Influenced by salsa, Colombian cumbia and Andean huayno, musica chicha represents another urban style of Peru's musical lanscape: Borrowing its name from an Andean beverage made out of fermented corn, it shows its connection to salsa (sp. means sauce). Some may say that this mixture thereby shows a loss of quality, but still it represents the diversity of Peru´s big cities quite well.

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Public Holidays:
(all public institutions are closed these days of the year)

Festivals in Peru:

Every year about 3000 traditional festivals are celebrated in Peru, the majority of which are dedicated to the Holy Saints of a town. The festivities are held alongside other activities such as fairs, processions, pilgrimages, dances, craft shows and other events which all bristle with spirit and joy.

6 January BAJADA DE REYES (Kings of Jerusalem entrance) Belen
In the town of Belen various kinds of contests take place. Among them are dances like the Tijeras, Huaylillas and the Wiraquos.

20 January FESTIVAL DE LA MARINERA Trujillo
Marinera is one of Peru's most elegant dances. Couples from all over Peru compete in the country's largest Marinera competition which takes place in Trujillo. During the dancing festival other processions are held. This creates a celebratory atmosphere within the entire city. The Trujillaños meet at the central square in order to dance and celebrate.

1 - 14 February VIRGEN DE LA CANDELARIA Puno
At this time of the year the streets of Puno are filled with dancers in colourful robes and custumes especially at the shores of Lake Titicaca. More than 200 music and dance groups arrive in order to praise the Virgin Candelaria. In the course of a colourful procession the virgin is carried through the whole city. The festival's highlight is the dance of the demons or diablada, a spectacle that you should not miss.

February FIESTA DE LAS COMADRES Y COMPADRES Ayacucho
This religious festival is celebrated in all churches of Ayacucho. The participants decorate their bodies with fruit, biscuits and candy when dancing through the streets of the city.

March/April SEMANA SANTA Ayacucho
The Holy Week (Semana Santa) is the most important religious week for the people of the Andes. In Ayacucho, Peru's biggest religious festival is celebrated. In the evening of Good Friday the lights are dimmed in order to commence the procession of Christ of Calvary.
On Easter Monday a procession in the cathedral starts which announces Christ's resurrection with fireworks. The path is illuminated with white candles, creating a very impressive sight for the visitor. Do you want to learn more about the Peruvian Holy Week? See our sites.

March/April EL SEÑOR DE TEMBLORES Cusco
Believers tell the legend of an effigy of the crucified Christ that protected he city from being destroyed by an earthquake in 1650. From that year on the natives render homage to the effigy of Taitacha Temblores, the Lord Of The Earthquake. The Lord Of The Earthquake is carried out of the church and through the city just like the Inca did in former times with their mumies of priests and sovereigns. This procession is also very interesting since the visitor gets an insight into how Christanity and local Andine religions have developed.

1 to 15 May HOLY FESTIVAL OF THE VIRGIN OF CHAPI Arequipa
This religious feast was initiated by colonial muleteers who were worshipping the Virgin of Chapi who is said to have performed many miracles. During this time of year the town (located about 45 km away from Arequipa) becomes the center of pilgramage from all over the country especially from the South. Hundreds of people carry handmade candles accompanied by fireworks at night.

3 May FIESTA DE LAS CRUCES (Festival of the Crosses) Ayacucho
This festival, also known as travelers' feast, takes place in the neighborhood of Puca Cruz. The previous day the citizens gather together in order to worship crosses by singing and dancing to folk music. On 3 May all the decorated crosses are carried to the church of San Francisco de Asís accompanied by musicians. After the mass and the blessing of the crosses the dancing starts which lasts until the next day.

24 June INTI RAYMI Cusco
Every year on 24 June Cusco celebrates the festival Inti Raymi, midwinternight in the Southern hemisphere. Inti Raymi used to be the largest and most precious Inca festival and is a homage to the God of the sun. Still today it is one of the most impressive festivals in Peru. The Inti Raymi takes place in the old fortress Sacsayhuaman (2 km out of Cusco). Thousands of actors make the past live up once more and with rituals show their gratefulness to the sungod. Inti Raymi starts at the church Santo Domingo. With an clear and strong voice the Sapa Inca thanks the sungod for his mercy on this holy day. After that the procession moves in a slow and dignified manner, on to Sacsayhuaman. The Inca in a royal palanquin is carried at the forefront of the prossession.

June CORPUS CHRISTI (Corpus Christi) Cusco
In the region around Cusco this festival is held to honour the Holy Spirit converted to a continuation of old Inca traditions that praised the sun. For this occasion all 15 Saints and Virgins of the cathedral are carried out of the church and decorated with elegant robes, gold, silver and jewels. In long processions with music, dances and fireworks they are carried through the city. On the central square the people put up altars decorated with mirrors, flags, twigs and pictures. Next to the central square many culinary specialities are offered and loads of beer and chicha flow. After moving the pictures into the cathedral the people gather to drink and feast.

June MOUNTAINEERING WEEK Huaraz
For one week thousands of tourists from all over the world as well as from within the country gather in order to compete and practice adventure sports such as mountaineerin, hiking, mountain biking, rafting, paraglyding and rockclimbing. They also visit the various archeological sites in the proximity. During the festival diverse concerts and shows with traditional dances take place.

28 - 29 July FIESTAS PATRIAS Peru
On 28/29 July the whole country celebrates Independence Day. On 27 July various music events take place on different squares and in parks throughout the country. The next day, before the military parade starts in the centre of Lima, the president visits the Te Deum in the cathedral. On this day the Feria del Hoger which is the country's largest fair starts. So does the Feria de La Molina which is an internationally famous music festival. In different parts of the country various agriculture and cattle fairs take place, such as those in Cajamarca, Piura and Monsefu.

Last week of September FESTIVAL DE LA PRIMAVERA Trujillo
Spring festival in Trujillo. During the festival many different competitions offer the opportunity to glance at the varieties of the typical Marinera dance. During this week all streets, flats and houses are decorated and bandwagons are drawn through the city accompanied by processions. The beauty queen is elected, which is as much a part of the Trujillian spring festival as is a competition of drummers who travel from all over the world in order to compare their skills.

18 - 28 October SEÑOR DE LOS MILAGROS Lima
On 18, 19 and 28 October Lima celebrates one of the most multifaceted processions on earth. The whole month through the palanquin of the "Lord Of Miracles" is dragged to different places in the city followed by thousands of pilgrims who are dressed in purple robes. In the street the vendedores (street food venders) offer a very special sweet dish, the famous Turron de Doña Pepa. In order to honor the Lord Of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros) the bullfight season starts in Lima. World famous Toredores can be seen in the Plaza de Acho, the oldest corrida stadium of Latin America.

25 - 28 October FIESTA DE YUNGAY
This festival takes place in order to celebrate the anniversary of the city's political foundation. There are various traditional shows as well as crafts markets and fairs.
A special event is held out on the fields. Ribbons with the names of every woman that is still single in town are tied to trees. Attached to the ribbons are rings. Young men on horseback then try to pass a stick through the ring and take it down. The one who succeeds is supposed to get the love of the girl that the ring belongs to.

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Peru is 5 or 6 hours behind GMT, depending on the time of year, as the Peruvians do not use the summer day-light saving system as countries in the European union and North American continent do. Only three countries on the South American continent practice this system.

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Peru has a 220 Volt alternating current, travelling from mainland Europe you won´t need to bring a multi-adapter, but for any traveller from the British Isles an adapter for appliances such as hairdriers and electric shavers is esential.

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