Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
POPULATION
Peru is essentially a bicultural society: the part that is indigenous, and the part that is
European-influenced. The largest cohort consists of Peruvians who speak Spanish and ad-
here to
criollo
tradition, the cultural legacy of the Peru-born Spaniards who administered
the colony. This group is a racial mix of those who are white (15% of the population) and
those who are
mestizo,
people of mixed indigenous and European heritage (another 37%).
The country's positions of leadership and affluence are generally occupied by individuals
from this group, especially those who are white and fair-skinned.
About 45% of Peru's population is pure
indígena
(people of indigenous descent), making
it one of three countries in Latin America to have such high indigenous representation. A
disproportionate share of
indígenas
inhabit rural areas in the Andes and work in agricul-
ture. (For a more in-depth look at this population, turn to
Click here
.)
Afro-Peruvians, Asians and other immigrant groups are also represented, but cumulat-
ively make up only 3% of the population.
More than 75% of Peruvians live in cities. This represents a significant shift from the
1960s, when more than half of the population inhabited the countryside. This has put a
strain on municipal infrastructure, particularly in the capital, and issues of effective sanita-
tion and electrification remain challenges - especially for the informal squatter settlements
known as
pueblos jovenes
(young towns).
VIVA EL PERÚ…!/¡CARAJO!
With vastly different peoples inhabiting such an extreme landscape, national identity has always been a slippery
concept in Peru. Yet if there's something that binds its people together, it's a sturdy sense of defiance. In the 1950s,
Peruvian journalist Jorge Donayre Belaúnde penned a poem to his homeland called
'Viva el Perú…¡Carajo!'
(Long
Live Peru…Damn It!). The verse is an epic, warts-and-all tribute to Peru, depicting life in Andean villages as well
as sprawling urban shantytowns. Peruvians, wrote Donayre, aren't scared off by difficult circumstances - not by
cataclysmic earthquakes, difficult geography or the corrupt habits of their politicians. In the face of adversity, there
is an intractable sense of assurance. In the half century since Donayre first wrote those words, that hasn't changed
one bit.
Viva el Perú…!/¡Carajo!
