Peru Culture

A culture is an idealized pattern of meanings, values, and norms differentially shared by the members of a society, which can be inferred from the non-instinctive behavior of the group and from the symbolic products of their actions, including material a artifacts, language, and social institutions.

The main industries that are in Peru are pulp, paper, coca leaves, fishmeal, steel, chemicals, oil, minerals, cement, auto assembly, and shipbuilding. Some of the foods you might eat in Peru consist mainly of soups and stews, corn pancakes, rice, eggs and vegetables. Seafood is excellent there, even in the highlands. Local specialties include ceviche, seafood prepared in lemon juice; lechon, a whole baby pig; and cuy, a whole roasted guinea pig. I might just stick to the seafood as I don’t think I could handle the whole baby pig or the roasted guinea pig!

Peru’s music has a style of music and dance known as Afro-Peru: a mixture of African and Peru culture. Within the music, the music has a style of soul. The dance is highly energetic and sensual, which can be traced back to African

Peru is much smaller in land mass and population and is unique in its culture. The history of the country is interesting; Peru was once part of the Incan Empire, the largest Native American Empire in the world. It started in Peru and made allies with other tribes to get to its massive size. The empire got about eight to ten million people before Francisco Pizarro came with his conquistadores. Francisco Pizarro started his conquest on 1531 and ended it in 1534. On July 28, 1821, Peru proclaimed its independence, but the Spanish were not finally defeated until 1824. The Mexican Native Americans known as the Aztecs were more cruel when expanding. They would raid other tribes and murder or sell off the people. They got to around 5 million inhabitants before Hernandez Cortez came and destroyed the empire with his army of Spaniards .

In the United States, the Hispanic race refers to people from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, Central American, and other countries of Spanish origin. According to the 2010 Census,

Peruvians now make Moche, wall hangings, and clothes from alpaca wool. Music is also important to Peruvians, one of there music/dances is Baile de las Tijeras or Dance of the

When people think of Peru they don’t imagine in depth about the exploration of Peru and how it was cultivated as the country it is to this very day. One person important to the findings of Peru was an explorer and conquistador that go by the name of Francisco Pizarro and his exploration and conquering of Peru. The foundation of the culture, such as traditions, customs, and religion during the findings of the conquest are vital to knowing how this impacted Peru. Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire with only two hundred men compared to the Incas that had thousands but the culture of Peru still survived even after the conquest.

National identity is maintained by means of language, religion, and music. Festivals like the Fiesta de la Cruz and Inti Raymi exemplify the integral practices and aspects that unites Peru with its fellow Latin American countries while still maintaining independent themes. The Fiesta de la Cruz is celebrated on the 3rd of May every year and is a celebration of the cross in which Jesus died. Inti Raymi is an Incan religious ceremony that honors the god of the sun, Inti. Peru has blended a series of Spanish, Andean, and African elements into their music style. Music of the Andes is mainly preserved historical music that has been passed down from generation to generation. Few original compositions have been written down and have often been blended with other melodies or altered in some way. Much of the music in Peru is associated with various festivals and dances that have cultural or historical significance. The Chujchu is a satirical dance that depicts several slaves overworking themselves and subsequently dying from malaria and labor; towards the end of the dance, death himself comes to retrieve the poor soul. Another prominent dance in Peruvian culture is the Qhapaq Ch'unchu. This dance focuses on the Virgin Mary as she is paraded around town and is protected by the most chivalrous warriors who have dedicated their lives to serving this iconic religious figure. Peru is not limited to just

Peru is not only mountains like most people think, the country actually has chilly sierras, a dry coast, and a humid jungle. Peru is a large country of contrasts when it comes to the regions and climates that come with each region (Shields 10-13). The amount of people occupying these regions in the country is an impressive 30.95 million as of 2013 (Gottlieb 1). The culture of course, like any other country, has little differences in traditions and the ways of life depending on the part of the country. The differences vary anywhere from festivals to food throughout the country.

In 2013, Peru was the biggest producer of cocaine, the cocaine industry in Peru employs about 200,000 Peruvians. In addition to cocaine, Peru is the sixth-largest producer of gold. Peru has over 55 different varieties of corn and the potato was originally from Peru with over 3,000 different varieties. A traditional Peruvians dish Cuy with about 65 million consumed annually. There are 3,500 types of orchids with only about 50% having been identified.

Peruvians enjoy a free government and one of the richest histories in the world. Peru’s history has legendary beginnings and leads to a revolution. Furthermore, the Peruvian government allows civil liberties and freedoms. Come and go back in time to the Incas and lead through until Peru’s founding government.

Peru is in Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador. The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west to the frigid temperature in the Andes western coastal plain. Lago Titicaca, which is the world’s highest navigable lake, is shared with Bolivia and is the critical source of the Amazon River. Peru’s highest point is the Nevado Huascaran and the lowest point is the Pacific Ocean. 18% of the land is used for agriculture. It has forest covering approximately 53% of the area. The natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, and mild volcanic activity.

Peruvians love guinea pigs. Every year, they eat millions of them. Isn’t it weird, how can people eat the pet? Wait, that isn’t the worst. On the festival called La Festival Gastronómico del Gato, they barbecue and consume at least one hundred cats every year. They are doing it to commemorate the Spanish settlers, because they ate cats when they came. Freeze drying method was invented in the Peru, it is called chuño and they are still drying potatoes like this. And what Peruvians drink after these delicate foods? Yes, The Pisco sour, what is an alcoholic beverage, made from grape brandy, lemons, sugar, egg whites and ice.

Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. It includes ideas, values, and artifacts of groups of people (Schaefer, 2006). Understanding culture can be tricky, ever ask “why do people act the way they do?”, “what made me do that”, “what was I thinking?” Physical abilities, educational background, and social background of how I was raised are important aspects of my life. The environment in which I was raised is very important aspect of my life.

During Semana Santa, there are many celebrations that go on. People honor their local saints, wear unusual costumes, and throw parades. A local Spanish saint was St. Teresa of