Steeped in pre-Columbian history, Peru is a land of rich cultural heritage, archaeological treasures, astounding natural diversity and magnificent colonial cities. Add to all this the most strikingly familiar image of South America – Machu Picchu, the lost citadel of the Incas – and you have a destination unrivaled by any other in South America.
Peru Multi-Sport Photo Gallery
Find out what past participants have said about this trip on the ROAM blog.
History
For many, the first word that comes to mind when thinking of Peruvian history is “Inca”. Certainly, the Inca civilization is the most studied and well recognized of South America’s pre-Columbian cultures, but Peru’s first inhabitants were nomadic hunters who migrated across the Bering Straight and into the Americas about 20,000 years ago.
Domestication of the llama, alpaca and guinea pig began by about 4000 BC and around the same time people began planting seeds and learning simple horticulture methods. Various forms of the Andean staple, the potato, began to be grown as a crop around 3000 BC and weaving and fishing took their first form. Between 2000 and 1000 BC ceramics began to develop from basic undecorated pots to sculpted, incised and simply colored pots of high quality. Horticulture improved dramatically with the development of irrigation as agricultural terraces began to be constructed in the highlands.
Between the initial years of civilization in Peru and the rise and fall of the Inca Empire, many cultures shared in the development of weaving, pottery, agriculture, religion and architecture. But for all its greatness, the Inca Empire existed for barely a century. Beginning in the 1430s, the Inca conquered most of the cultures in the area stretching from southern Colombia to central Chile. Like the Wari before them, the Incas imposed their way of life on the peoples they conquered and created magnificent cities with impressive urban developments. Thus when the Spanish arrived, most of the Andean area had been politically united by Inca rule.
Archaeology
Peru is unequalled in South America for its archeological wealth, and many experts find Peru’s ancient sites and cultures as exciting as those of Mexico, Egypt and the Mediterranean. Learning about and visiting these centuries-old ruins is one of the highlights of the Peru Multi-sport. This archaeological exploration begins in the city of Cusco, the center of the Inca Empire with a city tour rich in Inca and Spanish Colonial heritage and to the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, and Tambomachay. In the Sacred valley we make stops at Ollantaytambo, Moray and Pisac and an unforgettable visit to Machu Picchu.
Culture
Peru is multi-cultural society, with one part containing predominately white and mestizo middle and upper classes, and the other made up of mostly the poor Indian “campesinos”. Ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic, and soccer and bullfighting are among the most popular pastimes.
Traditional Andean music is popularly referred to as “musica folklorica” and is frequently encountered at street fairs and fiestas. The most representative wind instruments are quenas and zampoñas. Although string instruments were introduced by the Spanish musica folklorica groups make use of the charango, a tiny 10-stringed guitar with the box traditionally made of an armadillo shell. Percussion instruments include drums made from hollowed-out tree trunks and stretched goatskin and rattles of goat hooves.
Peruvian crafts are based on pre-Hispanic necessities such as weaving, pottery, and metallurgy. Today, beautifully colored woven cloth is seen in traditional ponchos, belts, rugs and tapestries. Pottery and jewelry are based on ancient designs; rituals and heritage are available for purchase or barter along with woven goods throughout the Andean highlands.
Geography
Peru lies in the tropics just south of the equator and can be divided into three distinctly different geographical regions: the Pacific coastal strip, the Andes Mountains and the Amazonian lowlands. On the coast, the capital city of Lima and the world-class Pacific surf are mainly desert, extending south to the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth.
Second only to the Himalaya, the Andes rise to over 18,000 feet just miles from the Peruvian coast with year-round glaciers over 15,000 feet. Between 9,000 feet and 13,000 feet lie agricultural lands that support half of Peru’s population. This rugged Andean landscape boasts dramatic jagged ranges separated by deep, vertical canyons rewarding you with incredible mountain scenery that sets the backdrop for much of our Peru Multi-Sport.
The eastern slopes of the Andes are cloaked in green cloud forest receiving abundant rainfall as they drop into the fabled Amazon basin. Over half of Peru lies within the vast wilderness of the Amazon basin which is penetrated by few roads and supports less than 5% of the country’s population. However, there are thousands of animal and bird species that call the remote jungle home, making Peru one of the most biologically diverse nations on the planet.
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