Variantes Lexicas

History of Peru.

For many travelers, the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Peruvian history is ‘Inca.’ Indeed the Inca civilization, the best-known and most-studied of South America’spre-Columbian cultures, is the one you’re most likely to encounter on the road. Yet the mighty Incas are merely the tip of the archaeological iceberg. Peru had a bounty of pre-Columbian cultures,some preceding the Incas by millennia.
Peru is unequaled in South America for its archaeological wealth, and many archaeologists find Peru’s ancient sites and cultures as endlessly fascinating as thoseof Mexico, Egypt or the Mediterranean. Learning about and visiting these centuries-old ruins is the highlight of many travelers’ journeys as well, and even those travelers with limited interest inarchaeology will find seeing some of the main sites rewarding.
What we know of Peru’s pre-Columbian civilizations has been gleaned almost entirely from archaeological excavation. With no written recordsavailable, archaeologists have had to derive historical information from the realistic and expressive decoration found on ancient ceramics, textiles and other artifacts. These relics are worthexamining wherever they are on display in Peru’s many archaeological museums.

By the early 19th century, the inhabitants of Spain’s Latin American colonies were dissatisfied with their lack of freedomand high taxation; South America was ripe for revolt and independence. In Peru’s case, what paved the way toward independence was the discovery and exploitation of a variety of rich mineral deposits,beginning with the seemingly inauspicious guano (seabird droppings) used for fertilizer.
The winds of change arrived in Peru from two directions. José de San Martín liberated Argentina and Chile, andin 1821 he entered Lima and formally proclaimed independence. Meanwhile, Simón Bolívar had freed Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
In 1822 San Martín and Bolívar met privately in Guayaquil, Ecuador....