Looking for info about Peru?

Question

I'm looking to learn more about the culture of Peru as I'm thinking about dating someone from there.

Answer 1

I am currently dating a peruvian and learned quite a few things about the peruvian culture such as,

Art-Peru was one of the major centers of artistic expression in The Americas, where Pre-Inca cultures, such as Chavín, Moche, Paracas, Huari (Wari), Nazca, Chimu, and Tiahuanaco developed high-quality pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture

Music-Peruvian music is an amalgamation of sounds and styles drawing on the Peru's Andean musical roots and Spanish musical influences

Literature-Peruvian literature has its roots in the oral traditions of pre-Columbian civilizations. Spaniards introduced writing in the 16th century, shiand colonial literary expression included chronicles and religious literature, Peruvian literature became more widely known because of authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, a leading member of the Latin American Boom.

Architecture-Peruvian architecture is a conjunction of European styles exposed to the influence of indigenous imagery. Two of the most well-known examples of the Early Colonial period are the Cathedral and the church of Santa Clara of Cuzco. After this period, the mestization reached its richer expression in the Baroque. Some examples of this Baroque period are the convent of San Francisco de Lima, the church of the Compañía and the facade of the University of Cuzco and, overall, the churches of San Agustín and Santa Rosa of Arequipa. The independence war left a creative emptiness that was filled by the Neoclassicism of the French. The 20th century was characterized by the eclectic architecture, which has been in stark opposition to constructive functionalism. Its most considerable example is San Martin Plaza in Lima.

Dance-Apart from dances of native origin, there are also dances that are related to the agricultural work, hunting and war. Some choreographies show certain Christian influence. Two of the most representative Andean dances are the kashua and the wayno or huayno. The kashua has a communal character and it is usually danced in groups in the country or open spaces. The huayno is a “salon ball”. It is danced in couples and in closed spaces. The yaravi and the triste have also an Andean origin. They are usually songs with very emotional lyrics.

Dances of ritual character are the achocallo, the pinkillada, the llamerada (dance that imitates the llama’s walk), the kullawada (the spinners' dance), etc. Between the Hunting dances, it can be mentioned: the llipi-puli, gudi-dada and choq'elas. They are dances from the altiplano related to the vicuña’s hunting.

There are some dances of war like the chiriguano which has an Aymara origin, the chatripuli that satirizes the Spanish Realist soldiers, and the kenakenas a dance about the Chilean soldiers who occupied Peru during the War of the Pacific in 1879. There are also Carnival Dances. A Carnival is a western holiday that, in the Peruvian Andes, is celebrated simultaneously with the crops time. Many rural communities celebrate the youths’ initiation during these holidays with ancestral rites and dances.

Cuisine-Peru has a varied cuisine with ingredients like maize, tomato, potatoes, uchu or Ají (Capsicum pubescens), oca, ulluco, avocado, fruits like chirimoya, lúcuma and pineapple, and animals like taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis), llama and guinea pig (called cuy). The combination of American, European and Moorish culinary traditions, resulted in new meals and ways of preparing them. The successive arrivals of Africans and Chinese also influenced in the development of the Creole cuisine.

Some typical Peruvian dishes are ceviche (fish and shellfish marinated in citrus juice), the chupe de camarones (a soup made of shrimp (Cryphiops caementarius)), anticuchos (cow's heart roasted en brochette), the olluco con charqui (a casserole dish made of ulluco and charqui), the Andean pachamanca (meats, tubers and broad beans cooked in a stone oven), the lomo saltado (meat fried lightly with tomato and onion, served with french fries and rice) that has a Chinese influence, and the picante de cuy (a casserole dish made of fried guinea pig with some spices). Peruvian food can be accompanied by typical drinks like the chicha de jora (a chicha made of tender corn dried by the sun). There are also chichas made of purple corn or peanut. They are very refreshing and do not have any alcoholic content.

Celebrations-Popular celebrations are the product of every town’s traditions and legends. These celebrations gather music, dances, meals and typical drinks. In addition to the religious celebrations like Christmas, Corpus Christi or \ there are others that express the syncretism of the indigenous beliefs with the Christians’. An example of this kind of celebration is the Alasitas (an Aymara word that, according to some, means “buy me”) which combines a crafts and miniatures fair with dances, meals and a mass.

If you do end up dating a Peruvian i hope you have as much fun as I am despite the fact im Ecuadorian and we have a whole bunch of history with Peru