PERU+-+Culture

= = = = = = =**Peru's Culture**=

Peruvian culture is mixed with American, African, Spanish, Native American, Japanese, Chinese, Aymaran, and Andean cultures. This culture is shared in and around Lake Titcaca, in the Andean mountains, Cajón, almost everywhere in the country.

In pre-Columbian times, pre-Inca cultures evolved, or developed, quality in rich pottery, cloth, jewelry, and sculptures. Peru is home to these artistic formulations in the North, Central, and South Americas. Native American handicrafts are highly sought by tourists and collectors in Peru's exotic places such as the forbidden city of Machu Pichu in the Andes. Although the Native Americans were people who made sculptures long ago, today, the National Institute of Culture encourages current Peruvian artists to make their work available to the public. During the Spanish baroque period, Peruvian culture blended with the rich Inca traditions, thus producing mestizos and creole art, bringing more tourists to the country.

Peruvian music is different because of the Andean, Spanish, and African cultures that incorporated, or mixed with Peru's musical assortments. Pre-Hispanic Peruvian Andean musical expressions represent its culture through music and is popular worldwide and important to the Aymara people. But urbanization, or the development of cities, is shrinking the lifestyle of the traditional Andean music. This further added to Peru's musical varieties. After the Spanish conquest, new instruments including the guitar, harp, flute, and french horn, were introduced because of cultural //crossbreeding// (or blending) that combined the musical style of both the Indigenous and European cultures. Among these arrivals, were new Andean/European instruments including the Charango, a guitar with 5 strings. Percussion instruments began to play a role as well. The Africans also contributed their culture to Peru with their percussion instruments, which enhanced musical rhythms in Cajón, the capital city, and throughout the country. The Festejo and the Zamacueca, African musical performances, both reflect this influence in visual forms.

Since the arrival of European settlements in Peru, folk dances became an important branch of Peruvian music. The most renowned examples are the Marinera Norteña, the most international known dance, the Tondero, and the Huayno. Musica Folklorica, another folk dance, consists of wind instruments: the Quena, a flute made of bamboo, the Siqu, pan pipes set with two rows of bamboo canes, Ocarinas, small ovals of clays with holes, the Charango, the Bombo, a drum, and Shajshas, maracas made of tied, polished goat hooves.

With Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Venazuela immigrating to Peru, different cultures bring all kinds of dances to the country, including the folk dances. Theater dancing has long been popular in Peru with its plays, ballets, and folk-dance performances. Are there other dances? Of course! There are dances of ritual character (the Achocallo, Pinkillada, Llamerada, and Kuillawada), dances of war (Chiriguano with Aymara origin, and the Chatripuli), and Andean dances, two that are most representative: Kashua and Wayno/Huayno. Another dance of war, called the Kenakas, reflects the time when the Chilean soldiers occupied Peru in the War of the Pacific in 1879. Carnival dances are held in rural communities while they celebrate their youth's initiation, or graduation, with ancestral rites and dances. Other anonymous dances are sometimes associated to agricultural work, hunting, and war. Choreography in those dances show Christian authorities.

With immigrants from all over the globe, the 28,674,757 people in Peru in July, 2007 are in these ethnic groups; 45% Amerindian, 37% Mestizo (mixed White and Amerindian), 15% White, and 3% Black, Japanese, and Chinese.

The Andes is home to two separate ethnic groups. In the Andes, the larger of the two groups speaks Quechua, and the smaller group, the Aymara, speaks, well, Aymaran. The Aymara is settled around Lake Titicaca, and neighbors Bolivia. Since pre-Columbian times, the Andean Sierra has divided the people who live on each side of it due to its elevation of 19,700 feet. Because of the mountain, the people who live there experience problems with transportation and communication.

The main language throughout Peru is Spanish, because of the Spaniards who settled Peru during the 16th century. Most of Highland Indians who settled in the Andes are bilingual, with Quechua being their preferred language. However, Spanish is their second tongue. Despite the difference in languages throughout the land, the people of the Andean Mountain Community depend on the strength of their ancient society. English is understood in Peru in airline offices, travel agencies, and Peru's best hotels because of the visitors, tourists, and ecotourists visiting the country.

As an inheritance of the Spanish conquest, Catholic is the major religion of Peru, with 24,985,538 Catholics (88.28% of the population), 1,443 Diocesan priests, 0.0016114 per 1,000 Dioceses apiece, and 51 permanent Deacons. Other religions include Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Judaism, Mormons, Adventists, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Hare Krishna. The Protestant religion is what Peruvian natives call, "the fruit of the work of North American and European missionaries." The most unrecognized religions in Peru are the Atheists and declared Agnostics, with a very low percentage. The Highland Indians and other tribes' native religion have remained in Peru since the 16th century because of their reliance on the strength of their ancient culture. The Quechua and other Andean people, however, practice a traditionally spiritual religion. They worship Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the Apukama, the mountain and nature spirits. But the people incorporate Christian beliefs into their traditions, making them identifying themselves as Catholics. Another tribe called the Shamans, or priests and healers, freely mix biblical figures such as king Solomon with the nature spirits of the religion the Quechua and other Andean people practice.

Peruvian Food
Peru is famous throughout South America for its food. Fish is abundant not only because Peru is on the Pacific Ocean coastline, but because it is a major fishing station. Potatoes are grown in and around the Lake Titicaca area. With over 200 varieties of potatoes, a potato can be small as a nut or big as an orange and can vary in a range of colors from purple to blue, yellow to brown, and white to pink.

Peruvian dishes consist of rice, chicken, pork, lamb, and, of course, fish, and potatoes. Every dish includes an "aji," or Peruvian hot pepper. But, sometimes, there are different varieties of aji. The choices are either red or yellow aji, or a red rocoto pepper.

There are even Chinese restaurants in Peru called chifas. These serve excellent food in and around Lima. Peruvians love to celebrate events and specific occasions here.

Western Peru's culture made its mark on Peru with pizza. Pizza is one food that indicates changes in popularity of traditional foods in the country. Western Peru old-style pizza is made in wood-burning ovens.

The combination of American, European, and Moorish culinary traditions has resulted in new menus (hamburger, for instance) and new ways of preparing meals. The same example for the African and Chinese foods; the provision has also found its way into the cuisine of Peru. With the successful arrival of these foods, they are now sold in food markets, and this has helped develop Creole cuisine throughout the country.

With abundant crops, immigrants from all over the world, and a colossal population, Peru seems to grow stronger throughout the years; and because of these phenomenons occurring everywhere in this homeland, Peruvians are looking forward to a bright future in their lives.