PERUAn exquisite country full of contrasts, with millenary cultures, cosmopolite cities and a desbordante nature. Here, you will be able to find maravellous beaches as well as tropical jungle, with its rich flora and fauna, and even impressive mountain areas in the Andes and vast deserts, without leaving unnoticed archaeological and historical remains that remind us that this has been the center of one of the most important civilizations: the Inca.

HISTORY:

In Peru, remains of more than 15,000 year old civilizations have een found. The Chavín civilization, which peaked between 1,400 and 200 BC, and developped a very sophisticated urban planning. The Paracas (700-100 BC) were the first to carry out brain surgery. The Mochica built big temples made of sun-dried bricks in the Moche valley and their direct heirs are believed to be the Chimú (1,000-1,400 AD), who stood out in the silversmith's trade field. The Nazca civilization (200 BC.- 800 AD) developped agriculture with large-scale irrigation systems and established calendars. The Tiahuanaco-Huari civilization (600 BC-1000 AD), that was based on was is now the territory of Bolivia, expanded as far as the Peruvian high plateau. In the 12nd century, started the peak period of the INCAS, que abarco un vasto territorio en Sud América que se denominó “Tawantinsuyu” el centro o axis of the Andean universe being the city of Cusco.

GEOGRAPHY

Peru is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean of South America. It has borders with Ecuador and Colombia in the North, with Brazil and Bolivia in the East, and with Chile in the South. The borderline in the West is the Pacific Ocean.

It has three natural zones: the coast, the mountain range and the Amazonian jungle. The region of the coast, which is where Lima, the capital, is located, is a narrow coastal plain, essentially desert and crossing through fertile valleys. There, cotton, sugar and rice far lands can be found, as well as the major part of oil exploration of the country. The Sierra, part of the Andes mountain range, has a few peaks above 6,000 meters of altitude. In this area, we can find the mining resources of the country: silver, zinc, lead, copper and gold, as well as the major part of its livestock. The Amazonian jungle, situated in the Eastern part of Peru, has a lot of natural resources.

The population of Peru is a mezcla of Indians, mestizos and descendants of the Spanish colonizadores. There are also chinese communities and people of African descent.

ARRIVING IN PERU:

From Madrid, 12 hours; Mexico DF, 5 hours and 20 min; from Buenos Aires, 4 hours; from New York, 9 hours, from Miami 6 hours.