Peruvians

Peruvians(Spanish:peruanos/peruanas) are the citizens ofPeru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as theCaralbefore theSpanish conquestin the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 million in the 1520s to around 600,000 in 1620 mainly because ofinfectious diseasescarried by theSpanish.SpaniardsandAfricansarrived in large numbers in 1532 undercolonial rule, mixing widely with each other and withNative Peruvians. During the Republic, there has been a gradual immigration of European people (especially fromSpainandItaly, and to a lesser extent fromGermany,France,Croatia, and theBritish Isles).ChineseandJapanesearrived in large numbers at the end of the 19th century.
With 31.2 million inhabitants according to the2017 Census. Peru is thefourth most populous country in South America.Its demographic growth rate declined from 2.6% to 1.6% between 1950 and 2000, and its population is expected to reach approximately 46 - 51 million in 2050.As of 2017, 79.3% lived in urban areas and 20.7% in rural areas.Major cities includeLima, home to over 9.5 million people,Arequipa,Trujillo,Chiclayo,Piura,Iquitos,Huancayo,CuscoandPucallpa, all of which reported more than 250,000 inhabitants.The largest expatriate Peruvian communities are inthe United States,South America(Argentina,Chile,VenezuelaandBrazil),Europe(Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom),Japan,Australia, andCanada.
In the 2017 Census, those of age 12 and above were asked what ancestral origin they belong to, with 60% of Peruvians self-identifying asmestizos, 20% asQuechuas, 5% asEuropean, 3% asAfro-Peruvian, 2% asAymaras, 0.6% asAmazonians, and 0.1% asAsian.Large indigenous populations live in the southernAndes, with other large populations found on the southern and central coast due to massive internal labor migration from the Andes to coastal cities over the past four decades.
Mestizoscompose 40to 60.2%of the total population. The term traditionally denotes Peruvians of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry (mostlySpanishancestry). This term was part of the caste classification used during colonial times, whereby people of exclusive Spanish descent who were born in the colonies were calledcriollos, people of mixed Indigenous and Spanish descent were called mestizos, those of African and Spanish descent were calledmulatos, and those of Indigenous and African descent were calledzambos. Genetic analysis conducted among Peruvians from Lima found that they are of predominantly Indigenous ancestry.Most mestizos are urban dwellers and show stronger European inheritance in regions likeLima Region,La Libertad Region,Callao Region,Cajamarca Region,San Martin Region,Piura Region,Lambayeque Region, andArequipa Region.
Ethnic groupsof Indigenous origin constitute 13% of the total population.The two major ethnic groups are theQuechuas(belonging to various cultural subgroups), followed by theAymara, mostly found in the extreme southern Andes. A large proportion of the ethnic groups who live in the Andean highlands still speakQuechuaand have vibrant cultural traditions, some of which were part of theInca Empire.
Dozens of Peruvian cultures are also dispersed throughout the country beyond theAndes Mountainsin theAmazon basin. This region is rapidly becoming urbanized. Important urban centers includeIquitos,Nauta,Puerto Maldonado,PucallpaandYurimaguas. This region is home to numerous ethnic groups, though they do not constitute a large proportion of the total population. Examples of ethnic groups residing in eastern Peru include theShipibo,Urarina,Cocama, andAguaruna.
There is no special law for ethnic groups or reserves; they are Peruvians and are legally treated as such. In the present day, some isolated indigenous communities still live in the Peruvian Amazon. Though living far from other settlements, these communities enjoy the same rights and constitutional protections as Peruvians of other backgrounds.
Europeandescendants total 5.9to 20%of the total population. Most of them are descendants ofSpanishsettlers that came to the country during the colonial era, while others are descendants of other European ethnic groups that arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries likeItalians,Germans,British,French,Irish,Dutch,Portuguese,Polish, andCroats. Most of them also live in the largest cities, generally in the northern cities of Peru:Trujillo,ChiclayoandPiura, and also in the capitalLima.
The city ofArequipain the south of Peru displays the majority of Spanish descendants in the south.Cajamarcain the highlands, parts ofSan Martinin theRupa-Rupaor Amazonian Andes Area;OxapampaandPozuzowere populated by German and Austrian settlers also in theRupa-Rupaor Amazonian Andes area. 
A considerable European population migrated to Peru seeking economic opportunity in the booming oil, mining, fishing, sugar, cotton, guano, and rubber industries in the 19th century.
Recently,Peru has seen an influx of American senior citizens and businessmen looking for permanent residency to settle in the country, due to the lower cost of living, gastronomy, Amazon forest environment, and the ease of doing business in Peru due to liberalized economic policy in the 21st century.
Afro-Peruviansconstitute 3 to 10%of the population. Peru, as a Spanish colony, has a history of involvement in the slave trade, with slave imports originating fromGhana,Angola,Nigeria, theRepublic of Congo, theDemocratic Republic of Congo,Mozambique, andMadagascar. As in other Spanish colonies, slaves were typically imported to perform labor work in sugar cane, cotton fields and vineyards, very few of them in gold mines in Cuzco. The Spaniards brought 500 Africans from Guinea as part of the troops for the Conquista by 1531. Slavery in Peru was abolished in 1854 by PresidentRamón Castilla. Today alsomulatos(mixed African and European) andzambos(mixed African and Indigenous) constitute an important part of the population as well, especially inPiura,Tumbes,Lambayeque,LimaandIcaregions. The Afro-Peruvian population is concentrated mostly in coastal cities south of Lima, such as those found in the Ica Region, in cities likeCañete,Chincha,Ica,NazcaandAcaríin the border with theArequipa Region. The African descendants brought their own dances and drumming music style, creating some instruments like the "Cajon" and some culinary art characterized by their delicious taste. Some of the best soccer players in Peru are Afro-descendants.
Relatively unmixed African populations exist in El Carmen en Chincha Alta Ica, Peru.
Another large Afro-Peruvian presence is in theYungaregions (west and just below the Andean chain of northern Peru), (i.e.,PiuraandLambayeque), where sugarcane, lemon, and mango production are still of importance. Important communities are found in theMorropón Province, such as in the city ofChulucanas. One of them isYapatera, a community in the same city, as well as smaller farming communities likePaburorLa Matanzaand even in the mountainous region nearCanchaque. Further south, the colonial city ofZañaor farming towns likeCapoteandTumaninLambayequeare also important regions with Afro-Peruvian presence.
According to the 2017 census, 3-10% of the population identifies as having either Chinese or Japanese heritage. Peru has the largest population of Chinese descendants inLatin Americasince Peru became independent from Spain in 1821 and banned the import of slaves. The first group of Asians came in 1849 on the Danish ship named Federico Guillermo to replace slavery as part of the plan to abolish slavery in 1854 by replacing it with the Asian labor force. During the next 25 years, 100,000 Chinese arrived in Peru, hired in eight-year contracts fromMacao,Hong Kong,Canton, andFujian, including someSangleypeople. They were hired for sugar cane fields, rice fields, extracting guano and constructing the railroads in the Andes in semi-slavery working conditions.
Geographically Chinese descendant communities are found throughout the Peruvianupper Amazon, including cities such asYurimaguas,Nauta,Iquitosand the north-central coast (LambayequeandTrujillo) and the capital Lima.
In contrast to the Japanese community in Peru, theChineseappear to have intermarried much more since they came to work in therice fieldsduring the Viceroyalty and to replace theAfricanslaves, as laborers during the abolition of slavery itself. Despite the presence of Peruvians of Asian heritage being quite recent, in the past decade, they have made significant advancements in business and political fields; a past president (Alberto Fujimori), several past cabinet members, and one member of the Peruvian Congress are of Chinese or Japanese origin. There are also large numbers ofArabPeruvians, mostlyPalestinians,Lebanese,Syrians, andIraqis.
After independence, there has been a gradualEuropeanimmigration fromSpain,Italy,Croatia,France,Germany, andAustria.Chinesearrived in the 1850s as a replacement for slave workers in the sugar plantations of the north coast and have since become a major influence in Peruvian society.
Peruvian Spanish is the main language of 82.6%  majorly spoken in the Coastal cities, It is the primary language of the country used for the public media, television, radio, newspapers, and  the internet in general with very minimal exceptions. It coexists with several Indigenous languages, the most commonQuechua,13.9%  and Aymara 1.6%, both spoken mostly in the Andes, Ashaninka 0.3% in the Rainforest. Other Native and foreign languages were spoken at that time by 0.8% and 0.2% of Peruvians, respectively.Literacy was estimated at 94.2% in 2017; this rate is lower in rural areas (83%) than in urban areas (96.8%).
According to the 2017 Census,Christianityis the largest religion inPeru, withRoman Catholicshaving the most adherents (76%), otherChristians18.6%, Other 0.5%, and non-religious 5%.Lord of Miraclesis a mural painted by an Angolan slave in the 17th century of Jesus Christ that is venerated inLimaand the main Catholic festivity in Peru and one of the biggest processions around the world.
Every year, in October, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life, dress in purple to celebrate the also known "Black Christ" in a religious procession through the streets of Lima. The story tells that some earthquakes in Lima during the 17th and 18th Centuries destroyed most of the city leaving only that mural that was painted by the Angolan slave in 1651 as the only standing wall after the quakes in 1655,1687 and 1746 8.6 magnitude earthquake. 
These facts contributed to the growth and the solidification of devoted veneration to the mural known as "Christ of Pachacamilla"
Peruvian culture is primarily rooted in Amerindian traditions, mainly Inca, and Hispanic heritage.It has also been influenced by various European, African, and Asian ethnic groups.Peruvian artistic traditionsdate back to the elaborate pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture ofPre-Inca cultures. The Incas maintained these crafts and madearchitecturalachievements including the construction ofMachu Picchu.Baroquedominated colonial art, though modified by Native traditions.During this period, most arts focused on religious subjects; the numerous churches of the era and the paintings of theCuzco Schoolare representative.Arts stagnated after independence until the emergence ofIndigenismoin the early 20th century.Since the 1950s, Peruvian art has beeneclecticand shaped by both foreign and local art currents.The Peruvian culture today is modern with global influences, always open to new trends and is constantly moving and changing in Music, Art, Literature. Peruvians are expressive, using hand gestures when talking and are tactile, expecting a kiss on the cheek for hi and bye. It is not uncommon to see couples showing affection in public places. Peruvians also have respect for elders, people of higher positions at work, skilled professionals and educated people.
Peruvian literaturehas its roots in the oral traditions ofpre-Columbiancivilizations. Spaniards introduced writing in the 16th century; colonial literary expression includedchroniclesandreligious literature. After independence,CostumbrismandRomanticismbecame the most common literary genres, as exemplified in the works ofRicardo Palma.In the early 20th century, theIndigenismomovement produced such writers asCiro Alegría,José María Arguedas,andCésar Vallejo.During the second half of the century, Peruvian literature became more widely known because of authors such asNobel laureateMario Vargas Llosa, a leading member of theLatin American Boom.María Jesús Alvarado Riverawas a Peruvian rebel feminist, educator, journalist, writer and social activist who was noted by the National Council of Women of Peru in 1969 as the "first modern champion of women's rights in Peru".
Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world,Sacsayhuaman, Chan chan, the architecture was constructed to congregate hundreds if not thousands of people for ceremonies and to cohabit in harmony with others and with nature. Some of the highlights were the development in acoustics, aqueducts, silos to preserve grains, the terraces, the perfection of fitting the giant's boulders of 20 tons, astronomical observatories, the perfection with the solstice, the construction of entrances for the sunlight denoting meaning for every season, some of these constructions until today do not have a logical human explanation, on how they were constructed.
Peruvian cuisineshows influences from Andean, Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Arab, African, and Japanese cooking.Common dishes includeanticuchos,cevicheandpachamanca. Because of the variety of climates within Peru, a wide range of plants and animals are available for cooking.Peruvian cuisine has a special ingredient that gives the flavor to the majority of dishes "aji seco". If the same dish is prepared in another part of the world it might look the same, but the raw vegetables, potatoes, ingredients have a different taste in other parts of the world. Examples of these are eggs, quinoa, Lima beans, fish, lime which is more acidic, they taste totally different in other countries. 
Peru gave to the world potatoes with more than 3000 species, introduced to Europe by the Spaniards in 1532 after the Conquista the Quinoa, both from the highlands.
Ancient Peruvians were harvesting potatoes between 8000 and 5000 years according to scientific research.
Peruvian musichas Andean, Spanish, and African roots.In pre-Hispanic times, musical expressions varied widely from region to region; thequenaand thetinyawere two common instruments.Spanish conquest brought the introduction of new instruments such as the guitar and the harp, as well as the development of crossbred instruments like thecharango.African contributions to Peruvian music include its rhythms and thecajón, a percussion instrument.Peruvian folk dancesincludemarinera,tonderoandhuayno.