Indeed, it is difficult to go anywhere in Peru without stumbling upon some ancient reminder of Peru's past. By 2000 B.C. ancient Peruvians were building monumental temples and irrigation systems and had domesticated the llama and a variety of food crops, many of which like the potato are very important in today's world. 

Although the Incas are by far Peru's best known culture, it is civilizations preceding them which set the foundations for the rising of the Inca Empire. Peru's museums are filled with amazing ceramics and textiles designed and created by the pre-Inca civilizations, such as Chavin, Paracas, Nazca, Moche and Wari. Ceramics are perhaps Peru's best known artistic legacy, found in museums throughout the world, and especially in Lima's archaeological museums and collections.

By AD 300, Nazca and Moche potters were producing an array of stunning works in clay, embellished with intricate designs and a wealth of colours, some portraying mythical beings, other realistic designs. The earliest textiles date back to 2500 B.C. By AD 700, Peru's weavers had developed a vast array of techniques, ranging from fine cotton gauze to intricately-woven tapestries of alpaca. In metallurgy, ancient smiths mastered technologies that culminated in the extraordinary funerary offerings at the Moche burial site of Sipan in Lambayaque, northern Peru. 

The wealth of gold, silver and copper objects bear witness to the sophistication and technological mastery of Moche metal smiths.

By the fifteenth century after Christ, the Incas began to expand from the Cusco valley to build their empire. At the point of maximum expansion around 1500, the empire reached six of today's countries, connected by a 23,000 kilometer long road network. 

The short lived Inca Empire came to an end with the arrival of the conquering Spaniards in 1532. Much of the ancient technology and social structures that made this great empire possible, have disappeared over the centuries, but others like rich weaving tradition, have endured. 

The legacy of colonial Peru is found in the churches, and viceregal mansions built by the Spaniards, who made Lima the seat of the Spanish viceroyalty until the country obtained independence from Spain in 1821.

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Summary|General information|Lima
Paracas|Trujillo