Original: Created in 1542 , the Viceroyalty of Peru ( in Spanish , Virreinato del Perú ) was a Spanish colonial administrative district that originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America , governed from the capital of Lima .
Simplified: The Viceroyalty of Peru ( in Spanish , Virreinato del Perú ) was a Spanish colonial administrative district that was created in 1542 and originally contained most of Spanish-ruled South America .