Peru

Peru is a presidential republic with three branches of government. It follows the principle of separation of powers and independence of its three branches: the executive, legislature, and the judiciary. The president is the highest representative of the executive while the National Congress is Unicameral. The members are elected every five years through a universal, secret and direct vote. The current government system was created by the Constitution of Peru in 1993.

Peru’s complex social system and its hierarchical values were inherited from colonial times and continue as guidelines and principles that regulate social and interpersonal behavior that have become part of the culture of Peru.

Peruvian society is divided into three social classes. The upper class consists of approximately 3% of the population and is mostly found in urban centers. The middle class is formed by 60% of the population and includes salaried working class families, small business owners and commercial occupations, bureaucrats, teachers and professionals on a salary job. The lower class are those with low incomes usually farmers and immigrant workers who live in shanty towns around Lima and other urban areas.

There are distinct differences in the pattern of daily life for Peruvians, depending on their social class and whether they live in rural or urban settings. Most people who live in rural areas are very dependent on the agricultural cycle. The life of the upper middle class and more affluent residents of Peru’s cities is much different from that of the urban poor.

The most important meal is usually taken shortly after noon; most families assemble for this dinner. The early afternoon is reserved for the siesta (nap) hour, followed by a return to work for those who are employed; for those who are not, it is a time for relaxing, paying social visits, participating in sporting activities, or watching a favourite telenovela (soap opera). For people of higher economic and social status, most daily tasks, such as cooking, house cleaning, and gardening, are performed by servants. Many wealthy families in Lima have more than one home: the main house may be in one of the city’s elite neighbourhoods; a second may be at the beach; and a third may be in the Andean foothills or overseas.

Machu Picchu

Perched high upon a ridge, 300 meters above the Urubamba River, the majestic Inca City of Machu Picchu is one of the most dramatic settings of a ruined city anywhere in the world. Almost as impressive as the ruins themselves is the spectacular backdrop of steep, lush, and often cloud-shrouded mountains.

Standing near the caretaker's hut, looking out over Machu Picchu, the jungle-covered mountains, and the river far below, you can imagine why the Incas chose this place to build their city.

Hiram Bingham came across Machu Picchu in 1911 and believed until his death that it was the "Lost City of the Incas," first documented by Spanish soldiers in the 1500s. However, historians believe the real lost city of the Incas was at Espíritu Pampa, a ruin Bingham knew of but discounted as being insignificant.