The History and Geography of Peru Peru was home to the Norte Chico civilization which was believed to have crossed the Bering Strait from Asia to North and South America more than fifteen thousand years ago. These people made up many tribes that thrived throughout Peru. They are one of the six oldest civilizations in the world and were known to be nomadic, fishing, hunting, and gathering fruits and vegetables throughout Peru. Eventually, these tribes united to form the Inca Empire, the largest state in pre-Columbian America. This empire was centered in Cuzco and extended over a vast region from Chile to Ecuador. The Incas fought many civil wars that weakened their own empire. In 1531, Francisco Pizarro and the Spanish landed in South America, and in 1533 the Spanish captured the Inca capital Cuzco in Peru, and went on to capture most other South American civilizations. . In 1535, Lima in Peru was founded and was one of the most important cities in South America. In 1542, Pizarro established the viceroyalty which gave Spain jurisdiction over most of the South American dominions. On July 28, 1821, Peru declared independence from Spain, led by Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar. Peruvians fought for their independence against Spain in 1824 at the Battle of Ayacucho, led by Jose de Sucre, which ended Spanish rule in South America. Finally, in 1879, Spain recognized Peru's independence. Being a new country, Peru had many territorial disputes with neighboring countries. In the War of the Pacific, Chile defeated Peru and took control of Tarapaca along with the provinces of Tacna and Arica. However, in 1929, Chile returned Tacna to Peru. Peru and Ecuador had a border clash on which the Rio Protocol had to intervene. They continued to cut... the center of the paper... to reshape the ice wall that looks like an inverted shield. Its first known ascent was by H. Bernard and his German team in 1932. The main objective of the climb was to observe the Cordillera Blanca. The map they made is still the best map in the area. All these characteristics make it very diverse and mean that the climate varies depending on which part of the country you are in. It has tropical forests in the east, vast deserts in the west and beautiful mountains in the north. This makes the average temperature around 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Precipitation also varies greatly depending on where you are, but ranges from less than two inches per year on the coast, to over 150 inches per year in tropical rainforests. All of these factors play a role in Peru's culture. It affects what people wear, what they eat, what they do, and how they interact with each other.