In Depth

When Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador, and his fortune-hunting cronies descended on Peru in 1528, they discovered not only vast riches, but also a highly sophisticated culture. The Spaniards soon overpowered the awed and politically weakened Inca Empire, but they didn't find the Incas' greatest secret: the imperial city of Machu Picchu, hidden high in the Andes. Machu Picchu, finally revealed to the world in 1911 by a Yale historian, is acclaimed as the pinnacle achievement of the continent's pre-Columbian societies, yet it is only one of the exhilarating discoveries that await you in Peru.

The Incas left behind numerous examples of their exquisite stone architecture and eye for unparalleled natural settings, but a long line of equally advanced cultures preceded the relatively short-lived Inca Empire. Over several thousand years, civilizations up and down the south Pacific coast and deep in the highlands developed ingenious irrigation systems, created sophisticated pottery and weaving techniques, and built great pyramids, temples, fortresses, and cities of adobe. Early peoples constructed mysterious cylindrical towers and the even more enigmatic Nasca Lines, giant drawings of animals and symbols somehow etched into the desert plains for eternity. Peru's fascinating history is in evidence everywhere: in open graves with bits and pieces of ancient textiles; in mortarless Inca stones that serve as foundations for colonial churches; and in traditional dress, foods, and festivals, as well as Andean customs and beliefs that reveal a country and a people very much rooted in its past.

Peru has a habit of turning virtually every visitor into an amateur archaeologist. Ruins fire the imagination, and outstanding museum collections tell an intricate tale of complex cultures through ceramics, spectacular textiles, and remarkably preserved mummies. You can see the Lord of Sipán in all the glory of the jewels and rituals that accompanied his burial, and the frozen corpse of Juanita the Ice Maiden, an Inca princess sacrificed on a mountain ridge more than 500 years ago. And yet -- Cusco and Machu Picchu's immense popularity notwithstanding -- with so many temples and burial sites still being unearthed, and ruins almost continually discovered in remote jungle regions, Peru has the rare feeling of a country in the 21st century that hasn't been exhaustively explored or overrun with tourists.

Peru's recent history of suffering -- 2 decades of political mayhem and corruption, surprise attacks from homegrown Maoist "Shining Path" terrorists, cocaine trafficking, and violent street crime -- is well documented. Throughout the 1980s and early '90s, Peruvians fled the capital and the countryside, fearful of attack; understandably, few travelers were brave enough to plan vacations in Peru. With the 2001 election of Alejandro Toledo, the nation's first president of native Indian origin, many Peruvians became hopeful that the country had finally turned a corner and that the 21st century would bring stability, progress, and prosperity. However, Toledo's presidency has been beset by economic strife and widening income disparity (despite encouraging overall growth), widespread strikes, and -- perhaps most troubling -- continued corruption and unease. Rumors of a Shining Path reprise have not been totally borne out, though at least two major attacks, including a bombing near the U.S. embassy in Lima, have been attributed to the group.

Though Toledo's administration registered significant economic growth for Peru, disgust with continued government corruption and a perception that economic prosperity remained concentrated in the hands of a few elites left many Peruvians disillusioned. The June 2006 election of former President Alan García, who in 1985 became Peru's youngest president at age 35, was a remarkable political comeback, but one that perplexed both Peruvians and international observers. García presided over a disastrous first term and left office in disgrace and Peru struggling with hyperinflation, economic mismanagement, and uncontrolled political violence. García will certainly be challenged to end the cycle of disappointment. For visitors, though Peru remains desperately poor, on the whole the country is vastly safer and more welcoming than it was for most of the 1980s and '90s. Too many unfortunate years of corrupt politicians, lawlessness, and economic disarray succeeded in clouding but never eclipsing the beauty and complexity of this fascinating Andean nation.