The Culture of Peru

The culture of Peru was influenced by the relationship between Amerindian and Hispanic cultures. The cultural variety of Peru permitted various traditions and customs to exist. After independence Peru has moved through several intellectual levels of culture from colonial Hispanic to European Romanticism.

Generally, Peru is formed into three social classes. The minority is the upper class and commonly found in Lima. They dwells around 3% of the entire population. Professionals and workers belong to the middle class. They are about 60% of the population. The lower class is organized by the farmers/ rural people (campesinos) of the country.

The architecture of the Peruvian is connective to European styles discovered with influences from indigenous imagery. Two familiar examples are the church of Santa Clara of Cuzco and the Cathedral during the early Colonial period. The succeeding period after Colonial is Baroque. The example of Baroque period are the frontage of the University of Cuzco, the convent of San Francisco de Lima, and the churches of Santa Rosa of Arequipa, Compañía, and San Agustín.

Peruvian music is totally about folk music. There are dances that has association with hunting (llipi-puli, choq'elas and gudi-dada), agricultural work and war (like chiriguano, chatripuli and kenakenas). The most interpreted dance in Peru is Marinera Norteña. There are also choreographies that express Christian influence. Two popular examples of Andean dances in Peru are the wayno or huayno and kashua. The huayno is performed by couples in closed spaces. The kashua is normally danced in groups in open spaces.