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Peru

Stunning, Enigmatic & Fascinating

Peru is located along the west coast of South America and has one of the most interesting ancient cultures in the world – The Incas. Peru is a country of great riches and this is one of the reasons that tourists are fascinated when they arrive and discover the wonderful secrets of Peruvian history that they have only read about.

The mighty mountain range of the Andes runs through the middle of the country from north to south dividing it into three regions, the coast, the highlands and the Amazon jungle Peru has a rich cultural heritage of almost 20,000 years; there are many examples of it - from the ancient cave paintings to the stone and mud-brick monuments left by the Chavin, Tiahuanaco, Mochica and Chimu cultures, as well as by the more famous Incas.

The Inca civilization began as a tribe in the Cusco area, where the legendary first Sapa Inca Manco Capac founded the Kingdom of Cusco around 1200. Under the leadership of the descendants of Manco Capac, the state grew as it absorbed other Andean communities. It was in 1438, when the Incas began a far reaching expansion under the command of Pachacutec, whose name literally meant earth-shaker - he formed the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Pachacutec is also thought to have built mountain city of Machu Picchu, either as a family home or as a retreat.

Another part of the heritage of this beautiful country is represented by the enigma and mysteries of the past - the Nazca markings. The Nazca Lines are a series of geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau on the Pampas de Jumana. They were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and AD 700 and there are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fishes, sharks, llamas and lizards. The Nazca lines cannot be recognized as coherent figures except from the air. Since it is presumed the Nazca people could never have seen their work from this vantage point, there has been much speculation on the builders' abilities and motivation.

Breathtaking Natural Attractions

The symbiosis of the ancient cultures with the successive conquests, including the Spanish Conquistadors, which took place over time has made this an extraordinary country with a mix of music and folklore which, added to its natural attractions, its modern life and its gastronomy, make Peru a very attractive tourist destination.

The people are friendly, hospitable and curious of other cultures. This might be a genetic inheritance of the Inca civilization. They really want to know everything and will answer your questions frankly. The Spanish spoken here is probably the easiest to understand. They speak slowly and clearly without a strong influence of slang. The Peruvians have their own words for common concepts; visitors who speak a little Spanish will find their way easily and will learn a lot in a short time. Peruvian friends are easily made and they try to adapt to the knowledge you have of the Spanish language.

Peru is a very religious country and exuberant in its samples of faith. Each town has a patron saint to which they renew their faith every year. Frequently the local beliefs are linked to magic-religious beliefs whose origin gets lost in the prehispanic theology, full of complex meanings that are shown with symbols. This reaffirms the conflicting and fascinating character of their identity.  Fiestas are a part of Peruvian life.

Colourful Processions

The most important cult in Peru is that of the Señor de los Milagros that has believers in all the country and the world. The colorful and spectacular procession takes place every year in the month of October and is followed by the bullfights which are held during the months of October and November.

Fiesta Tours have been specialist tour operators in Peru since 1976. You can book direct: