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. |
