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.
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