Peru

Where the name comes from

Peru’s origin is uncertain; suggested sources include Birú, an Indigenous regional name, and Pelú, a chief’s name Spanish explorers reportedly heard.

First people

Caral, one of the oldest cities in the Americas, was built about 5,000 years ago, and Moche, Wari and other Andean societies followed before the Inca Empire, ruled from Cusco.^1,2,3

Known for

Peru is known for Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel high in the Andes, and for its food, from ceviche to hundreds of kinds of potatoes.⁴

Outside contact

The Spanish conquest began in 1532 and created a second capital at Lima, centre of the Viceroyalty of Peru.¹

The modern country

Independence was proclaimed in 1821, and victory at Ayacucho in 1824 broke the main royalist army.¹