Peru

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PERU

A trip to Peru, that faraway and mysterious land pounded by the sun in some parts and shrouded in mist in the mountains and in the lush tropical forest, is a disorienting yet fascinating foray into the history of a medley of peoples who joined together to create one of the most intriguing countries in Latin America.

Once home to the magnificent Inca civilization, Peru continues to hold an almost mythical fascination for anyone interested in this part of the world. Though its image has been tarnished by a recent wave of terrorism, Peru still extends a gracious welcome to visitors who are captivated by its enigmatic history, imbued with poetry yet punctuated by bloody conflicts, and by the remarkable contrasts that characterize its territory which is strewn with ageless treasures and has been inhabited since time immemorial.

Starting in the 13th century, this people formed a vast empire known as Tahuantinsuyu, a Quechuan word meaning "the four directions of the world". The Inca empire stretched along the Andes mountain range from Chile to modern-day Colombia, making it difficult to unify. It was ruled by an emperor believed to be a direct descendant of Inti, the Sun God; this connection entitled him to the powers of an uncontested monarch.

War booty plundered from the neighbouring peoples was distributed among the various classes of Inca society. The conquered peoples were uprooted from their land, and sent to other parts of the empire to prevent any attempt at rebellion. Here, they were enslaved and finally assimilated.

Historians believe the first emperor was Manco Cápac, who was succeeded by 12 other Incas. The last two, Atahualpa and Huáscar, were engaged in a bitter feud for control of the empire, which had become too big and difficult to govern. It is believed that the empire was founded in Cuzco around AD 1300, but didn't really develop until the reign of Pachacutec, the ninth Inca.

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Inca civilisation Inca society was based on a rigid social structure that included privileged classes: at the top of the pyramid was the nobility, made up of the Inca's male descendants and war chiefs, and the priesthood, essentially the sacrificers and dignitaries of the solar cult, and the people were at the bottom. The allyu, the basic unit of Inca society, formed an extended family grouped into a village.

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However, there was no inkling of the incredible epic that was to come, one that would lead Spaniard Francisco Pizarro and his men to destroy the great Inca empire. In 1520, with the help of Diego de Almagro, he decided to try to conquer Peru for King Charles V of Spain. After several failed attempts, Pizarro succeeded in vanquishing the Inca empire and betraying, and ultimately killing the Inca Atahualpa. In 1541, shortly after putting his ex-partner, Almagro, to death, Pizarro himself was killed by Almagro's son, Diego el Mondo.

The idea of getting out from under the Spanish yoke did not originate in Peru. In September 1820, nearly 11 years after the first independence movements, the Argentine soldier and patriot José de San Martín arrived at the port of Pisco, south of Lima, with an invading army. On July 12, 1821, he and his men marched straight into Lima, which had been abandoned by the Spanish troops. Peru was officially declared independent on July 28, 1821.

Around 1985, the Shining Path was planting more and more bombs and increasing its killings of innocent people. Plagued