Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [26]
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Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa is a fictional examination of the violence that gripped the country in the 1980s. Its characterization of Peruvian society is, as always, revealing.
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Family remains the nucleus of social and cultural life, and groups of the same clan will often live near each other. Couples have an average of 2.4 children, though rural families tend to be bigger and poor extended families are more likely to live together. However, like everywhere else in the world, Peru has a high degree of internal migration: according to the Peruvian census bureau, almost 76% of the country’s total population is now urban. This means that the villager born in Alca might one day find himself working in Arequipa. But most likely, he will go to Lima, which continues to serve as the center of industry, business and government life in Peru.
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SOCIAL GRACES
Peruvians are polite, indeed formal, in their interactions. Even a brief interchange, such as giving a taxi driver your destination, is preceded by ‘buenos días’ (good morning). A hearty handshake is normally given at the beginning and end of even the briefest meeting. Among friends, an abrazo (back-slapping hug) is in order. Women will often greet each other with a kiss, as will men and women – except in business settings, where a handshake is appropriate. Indigenous people don’t kiss and their handshakes, when offered, tend to have a light touch. If invited to visit a Peruvian home, it is considered good manners to take a gift such as flowers or candy.
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Daniel Alarcón’s often heart-breaking short stories cover the gamut of contemporary Peruvian culture. The best of these can be found in the 2007 collection War by Candlelight.
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As in the rest of Latin America, the concept of time is elastic; the concept of ‘on time’ (especially outside big cities) is purely relative. Moreover, locals are used to less personal space than some Western travelers may be accustomed to: expect seating in public areas, such as buses and trains, to be thisclose.
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POPULATION
Peru is essentially a bicultural society, comprised of two roughly same-sized parts: indigenous people and criollos. It’s a division that breaks out roughly along class lines. The more affluent urban class is made up of whites and fair-skinned mestizos (people of mixed indigenous and Spanish descent) – all of whom generally refer to themselves as criollos (natives of Peru). Within this segment, a wealthy upper class has historically taken the top roles in politics and business, while the middle class has filled midlevel white-collar positions, such as clerks, teachers and entrepreneurs.
The other half of the population is made up primarily of indigenous campesinos (peasants). About 45% of Peru’s population is pure indígena (people of indigenous descent), making it one of three countries in Latin America to have such high indigenous representation. (Note: in Spanish, indígena is the appropriate term; indios can be considered insulting, depending on how it is used.) Most indígenas are Quechua-speaking and live in the highlands, while a smaller percentage around the Lake Titicaca region speak Aymara. In the Amazon, which contains about 6% of the country’s total population, various indigenous ethnic groups speak a plethora of other languages.
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Puno-born Martín Chambi (1891–1973) was a celebrated photographer who spent the early 20th century assiduously documenting life in the