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Peru (Spanish: Perú, Quechua: Piruw, Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. It was conquered by the Spanish Empire in the 16th-century, which established a Viceroyalty with jurisdiction over most of its South American domains. Independence was declared on 1821 but consolidated only after the Battle of Ayacucho, three years later.
Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the high mountain peaks of the Andes mountain range and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a moderate Human Development Index score and a level of poverty of around 50%. Main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining and manufacturing of products such as textiles.
The combination in Peruvian territory of different ethnic groups over five centuries has formed a multiethnic society. This mixture has resulted in a wide diversity of cultural expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature and music. The country has also a rich cultural heritage, which includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu.
Peruvian culture is a fusion of the different traditions that have converged in its territory over several centuries. Main imputs have been provided by Amerindian inhabitants as well as Spanish colonizers that arrived after Conquest. Other important influences have been made by various ethnic groups from Africa, Asia and Europe. Artistic traditions span several millennia, starting with the elaborate examples of pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture of Pre-Inca cultures. The Incas maintained these crafts and made impressive achievements in architecture, for example, Machu Picchu.
After the Spanish Conquest, Baroque, influenced by native traditions, became the dominant art style. Most artistic creations were devoted towards religious subjects as can be seen in the paintings of the Escuela Cusqueña and in the numerous churches built during this time. Colonial traditions were replaced after Independence by modern European styles such as Neoclassicism until the emergence of Indigenismo in the early 20th century. In more recent times, Peruvian art has been characterised by its eclecticism with foreign art currents intermingling with local developments.
Peruvian literature can be traced back to the oral traditions of Pre-Columbian civilizations; writing was introduced with the arrival of Spaniards in the 16th century. Colonial forms of literary expression included chronicles and religious literature. After independence it developed along the lines of European currents such as Neoclassicism and Romanticism. By the early 20th century new developments had arisen as part of the Indigenismo movement. During the second half of that century, Peruvian literature became more widely known thanks to authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa.
In recent years, Peruvian cuisine has received widespread acclaim by the international media thanks to its diversity of ingredients and techniques. It is a blend of Amerindian and Spanish food with strong influences from other groups such as Africans, Arabs, Italians, Chinese and Japanese, all of which have added their own traditions to the mix. Climate diversity allows the production of a wide variety of plants and animals, both native and introduced. Common dishes include anticuchos, ceviche, humitas, and pachamanca to name just a few.
Peruvian music is very diverse, with Andean, Spanish and African roots. In Prehispanic times, musical expressions varied widely from region to region, instruments employed included the quena and the tinya. New instruments were introduced after the Spanish conquest, such as guitars and harps. This also prompted the appearance of crossbred instruments like the charango. There is an African contribution in rhythms and in cajón, a percussion instrument. As for folk dances, most renowned examples include Marinera Norteña, Tondero and Huayno. In recent decades, urbanization has influenced traditional Andean expressions, further adding to Peruvian musical diversity
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