Peruvian Modern Day Pre-Columbian Culture
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One of the aspects that makes Peru unique is that, its native culture is very much still intertwined in its modern day culture. With a population over 25 million people, weighing in at 45% of the total population, Native American Indians are actually the largest ethnic group in the country. Along with another 40% of the population considering themselves mestizos, those of mixed European and native ancestry, this is a huge population with roots from a Pre-Columbian culture.
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[edit] A Brief Look at the Past
Anthropologically, Peru is divided into two different fields of study, the highland Andes and the lowland Amazon. Much is known about the highlands because that is where the Inca Empire was centered. The Inca Empire was one of the largest Empires in Native America in terms of both size and population. While the empire stretched over many countries including Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile, the majority of empire was based in Peru. At the height of the Incas, before Spanish conquest lead by Francisco Pizarro, the population was estimated at around 20 million. Between the Inca and the lowland Amazonian tribes the population of Peru was estimated to be about 12 million people.
[edit] Native Language
Peru actually has two official languages: Spanish and Quechua, the actual language spoken by the Inca. While Spanish is used by most government agencies and taught in school, Quechua is spoken by roughly 28% of the population, not to mention another 11% who speak other native languages. A unique aspect of Quechua stems from the fact that the Inca had no form of writing. This means that Quechua is primarily an oral language, which means that about a third of the people who live in rural areas don’t know how to read or write.
[edit] Native Religion
Even though Peru is over 80% Catholic, pre-Columbian traditions often pervade the Catholic churches. This combining of beliefs is called syncretism. This can be seen in the religious artwork of the past in which paintings of saints would be drawn in a way that they would resemble a local deity. Many Catholic churches are built on Inca holy sites. Also, many religious festivals, such as Alasitas, combine traditional religious festivals with modern day Mass.
[edit] Farming and Textile Industry
Most of those who live in rural areas still grow the same crops that their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. However farming in the Andes is difficult because of the mountainous terrain. Recently, however there has been a return to using the techniques employed by the Inca to help increase crop yield. There has been a concerted effort by the government of Peru and the local rural people to restore the farming terraces that helped support millions of Incas. Since so many people rely on selling textiles and crops there is heavy contention between political parties in Peru over free trade agreements with outside countries, including the US. Many feel that since other countries are heavily subsidized in areas involving farming that Peru’s rural natives couldn’t compete anymore and would slip further into poverty.
[edit] References
- ↑ Culture of Peru. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from Culture of Peru Web site: [1]
- ↑ Demographics of Peru. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from Wikipedia Web site: [2]
- ↑ Meyer, Enrique (2001). The Articulated Peasant. Westview Press.
- ↑ What is Religious Syncretism?. Retrieved March 26, 2008, from Gotquestions.org Web site: [3]
- ↑ Collyns, Dan (November 13, 2007). Who will gain from the Peru-US trade deal?. BBC News, from [4]
- ↑ D'Altroy, Teremce N. (2002). The Incas. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
