The land of gold and of the
sun-worshipping Incas, Peru was
sixteenth-century Europe's major
source of treasure, and once the
home of the largest empire in the
world. Since then the riches of the
Incas have fuelled the European
imagination, although in many ways
the country's real appeal lies in
the sheer beauty of its various
landscapes, the abundance of its
wildlife, and the strong and
colourful character of the people -
newly recovered after a period of
political upheaval, from the 1980s
until the early 1990s, that was as
bloody and unpredictable as any
during the country's history.
Above all, Peru is the most
varied and exciting of all the South
American nations. Most people
visualize the country as
mountainous, and are aware of the
great Inca relics, but many are
unaware of the splendour of the
immense desert coastline and
the vast tracts of tropical
rainforest . Dividing these
contrasting environments, chain
after chain of breathtaking peaks, the
Andes , over seven thousand
metres high and four hundred
kilometres wide in places, ripple
the entire length of the nation. So
distinct are these three regions
that it is very difficult to
generalize about the country, but
one thing for sure is that Peru
offers a unique opportunity to
experience an incredibly wide range
of spectacular scenery, a wealth of
heritage, and a vibrant living
culture.
The Incas and their native allies
were unable to resist the mounted
and fire-armed conquerors, and
following the Spanish Conquest in
the sixteenth century the colony
developed by exploiting its Inca
treasures, vast mineral deposits and
the essentially slave labour which
the colonists extracted from the
indigenous people. After achieving
independence from the Spanish in the
early nineteenth century, Peru
became a republic in traditional
South American style, and although
it is still very much dominated by
the Spanish and mestizo
descendants of Pizarro, some ten
million Peruvians (more than half
the population) are of pure Indian
blood. In the country, native life
can have changed little in the last
four centuries. However,
"progress" is gradually
transforming much of Peru - already
the cities wear a distinctly Western
aspect, and roads and tracks now
connect almost every corner of the
Republic with the industrial urbanizaciones
that dominate the few fertile
valleys along the coast. Only the
Amazon jungle - nearly two-thirds of
Peru's landmass but with a mere
fraction of its population - remains
beyond its reach, and even here oil
and lumber companies, cattle
ranchers, cocaine producers and
settlers, are taking an increasing
toll.
Always an exciting place to
visit, and frantic as it sometimes
appears on the surface, the
laid-back calmness of the Peruvian
temperament continues to underpin
life even in the cities. Lima may
operate at a terrifying pace at
times - the traffic, the
money-grabbers, the political
situation - but there always seems
to be time to talk, for a ceviche,
another drink ? It's a country where
the resourceful and open traveller
can break through complex barriers
of class, race, and language far
more easily than most of its
inhabitants can; and also one in
which the limousines and villas of
the elite remain little more than a
thin veneer on a nation whose roots
lie firmly, and increasingly
consciously, in its ethnic
traditions and the earth itself.
