Introduction:

Peru

Peru is a country in western South America.  It was inhabited 14,000 years ago by hunters and gatherers.  Subsequent developments include the appearance of sedentary communities that developed agriculture and irrigation, and the emergence of complex socio-political hierarchies that created sophisticated civilizations, technology and monumental construction.

The Andean civilization is a loose patchwork of different cultures that developed from the highlands of Colombia to the Atacama Desert.  The Andean civilization is mainly based on the cultures of Ancient Peru and some others such as Tiahuanaco.  The Inca Empire was the last sovereign political entity that emerged from the Andean civilization before conquest by Spaniards.  Tahuantinsuyo was a patchwork of languages, cultures and peoples.  The components of the empire were not all uniformly loyal, nor were the local cultures all fully integrated.  For example, the Chimú used money in their commerce, while the Inca empire as a whole had an economy based on exchange and taxation of luxury goods and labor. The portions of the Chachapoya that had been conquered were almost openly hostile to the Inca, and the Inca nobles rejected an offer of refuge in their kingdom after their troubles with the Spanish.

The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 16th century.  Spanish rule did bring Hispanic influences to the Andean region albeit a social and cultural segregation occurred in varying degrees.  Spanish rule ended or transformed many elements of the Andean civilizations influencing notably religion and architecture.

After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing.

The Peruvian population, estimated at 29.5 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans, and Asians.  The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua or other native languages.  This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

As of the late 20th century and the early 21st century, Peruvian cuisine has become widely regarded by professionals and the international media as "the best of Latin America." It is considered one of the most diverse in the world and competes with the top popular cuisines in the planet such as the French, Chinese and Italian cuisine.  In January 2004, The Economist said that "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines", while at the 2006 Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy of MadridFusión, regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum, Lima was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas".  Peruvian cuisine, widely represented in Lima, holds various Guinness World Records, for its diversity and quality.

Lima

Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru.  It is located in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima Metropolitan Area.  With a population fast approaching 9 million, Lima is the fifth largest city in Latin America, behind Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.  Lima is the industrial and financial center of Peru, and one of the most important financial centers in Latin America.  It has been defined as a beta world city.  Today it is home to many national companies.  Lima is also home to the oldest higher learning institution in the New World.  The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551 during Spanish colonial regime, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.

With a municipal population of 7.6 million, and 8.5 million for the metropolitan area, its population features a very complex mix of racial and ethnic groups.  Mestizos of mixed Amerindian and European (mostly Spanish and Italians) ancestry are the largest ethnic group.  European Peruvians are the second largest group.  Many are of Spanish, Italian or German descent; many others are of French, British, or Croatian descent.

The minorities in Lima include Amerindians (mostly Aymara and Quechua), Afro-Peruvians, whose African ancestors were initially brought to the region as slaves, are yet another part of the city's ethnic diversity.  There are also numerous Jews of European descent and Middle Easterners.  Asians make up a large number of the metropolitan population, especially of Chinese (Cantonese) and Japanese descent, whose ancestors came mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Lima has, by far, the largest ethnic Chinese community in Latin America.

Lima's climate is mild and comfortable, despite being located in the tropics and in a desert.  As the major point of entry to the country, Lima has developed an important tourism industry, characterized by its historic center, archeological sites, nightlife, museums, art galleries, festivals, and popular traditions and international cuisisne.  The Historic Center of Lima was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 by UNESCO due to its importance during the colonial era leaving a testimony to architectural achievement.

Like many other world capitals, Lima is home to prestigious museums, many of which are world renowned.  Lima's beaches, located along the northern and southern ends of the city, are heavily visited during the summer months.  Numerous restaurants, clubs and hotels have been opened in these places to serve the many beachgoers.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.  It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru.

Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472).  Often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.  The Incas started building the "estate" around AD 1400, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest.

Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls.  Its three primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.  These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.  Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

Since the site was never known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site.  Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like.  By 1976, thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored.  The restoration work continues to this day.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.  In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.  As Peru's most visited tourist attraction and major revenue generator, it is continually threatened by economic and commercial forces.