Peruvian Culture

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More than any other Andean country Peru embodies all the conflicts, cultures, and contradictions of Latin American civilization. The city of Cuzco was the seat of the Incan Empire until the arrival of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1531, executing the rival princes Huáscar and Atahualpa, and bringing about the long and bloody reign of Spanish and Catholic domination, which was justified fining the indigenous peoples of the Incan empire as “savages.”

Yet up until then, however, the Incas had demonstrated an impressive capacity for building and design, culminating in the archeological landmark, Machu Pichu. Music figured prominently pre-Colombian Peruvian life, with songs and pan flutes integrated into the daily tasks of work. Many folk songs from that epoch are still sung today. There were also long-established traditions of dance, often used in religious rituals. High quality sculpture, pottery, textiles, and jewelry were hallmarks of Incan culture.

However, with subjugation came integration, as the Spanish introduced string instruments, such as harps and guitars to native musical customs. And in the ensuing four hundred plus years, as races and cultures have mixed, so have traditions. The work of Peruvian composer Andres Sas combines classical European with native Incan melodies. The arrival of African slaves in the 19th century, as well as Chinese and Japanese laborers for the construction of railways, added to the complexity of Peru’s historical diversity.

Architecturally, Cities such as Cuzco still retain the imprint of their Incan past, and sometimes integrating the styles of European colonialism, which itself has left an impressive legacy in terms of churches and public buildings. Peru is also notable for a rich, and often very experimental, literary tradition that has attracted worldwide interest, most notably the works of Mario Vargas Llosa.