Peru

Abstract

Peru is a country of diverse geographical regions, languages, races, and cultural traditions. It borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The pre-Hispanic cultural heritage of Peru can be traced back to about 1400 b.c., when the Chavin culture surged in the central Andes of Peru. Distinctive social and ethnic groups began to emerge soon after the arrival of Europeans. A solid difference was made between the Spanish born on the Iberian Peninsula and those born in the colonies; the latter, labeled creole, were considered socially inferior to the former. Clay panpipes from Nasca culture have been the most studied and debated pre-Hispanic musical instruments. Spanish chroniclers of the 1500s and 1600s first documented the musical practices of the Inca period. Regional and ethnic diversity in pre-Hispanic times was paralleled by a process of musical differentiation whose corollary was various songs and dances.