Do you need to communicate with a Latin American audience? Are you exporting or selling your products and services to Spanish-speaking countries?  Rosario Traducciones y Servicios SA invites you to join us on a virtual linguistic tour through the different countries of Latin America, as we explore their diversity and cultural riches.  This month's destination is Peru, one of the largest countries in South America, known for its exquisite gastronomy and many archaeological sites.

 

 

Although there are more than 100,000 archaeological sites in Peru, only 12 of them are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city of Cusco, Chan Chan Archaeological Zone, the Sacsayhuamán Ruins, Manu National Park, and the Nazca Lines are five of the most famous sites.

 

Peruvian gastronomy is one of the most diverse and tastiest in the world. It combines Spanish, African, Chinese, Japanese, French, and Italian cuisines, among others, with the country's natural resources. Peru has almost 500 national dishes, a fact that placed the country in the Guinness records. One of the typical and best-known dishes is ceviche, a national staple, consisting mainly of fish, onion and lemon juice.

 

Peru is one of the countries with the greatest linguistic diversity in South America. Spanish (spoken by 85.92% of the population), Quechua (13.21%) and Aymara (1.76%) are recognized as official languages. All indigenous or native languages that were spoken prior to the advent of Spanish, and that are preserved and used in the national territory, are also recognized as official languages. In total, there are 47 native languages spoken by more than 4 million people, 43 of which are Amazonian while the remaining four are Andean.


 

 

Considered one of the biggest tourist attractions in Peru, the Nazca Lines are ancient geoglyphs found in the pampas of Jumana in the Nazca desert, between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. Created by Nazcan culture, they comprise several hundred plant, animal, and human-like figures ranging from simple line drawings to more complex geometric patterns.

They are about 1,640-yards long (1,500 meters), and the best way to see them clearly is by flying over them. They were declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO Committee in 1994.

 

In the Andean town of San Pablo, the Three Kings Day is celebrated in a unique way. Every January 6 (Epiphany) a symbolic race takes place, led by three riders dressed as the three wise men—the legendary kings who journeyed to offer gifts to the infant baby Jesus. The race outcome is said to predict how prosperous the next year will be. In this competition, the three wise men are called Inkarri, Mistirri, and Negrorri (Inca King, Mixed King, and Black King).

Depending on which of the three kings wins, the fate of the region is decided for the following year: if Inkarri (who represents the valleys of Cusco) wins, it is said that it will be a good year for the agricultural crops. If the victory belongs to Mistirri (who represents the altiplano region), it will be a good year for livestock like llamas and alpacas. On the other hand, if Negrorri wins, it will not be a good year for either region.

 

 

The Caral ruins were discovered 25 years ago and although they have been open to the public for more than a decade, they are still one of Peru's best-kept secrets. Excavations have proven that Caral is the oldest civilization in America discovered to date: its inhabitants lived in the area between 3,000 B.C. and 1,800 B.C., meaning it was a thriving metropolis at roughly the same time that Egypt's great pyramids were being built and long before the Sumerians in ancient Babylonia in southern Mesopotamia.

 

 

Peru has the largest variety of butterflies in the Americas. It is home to 4,000 of the 17,000 species that exist worldwide. The majority live in the Amazon. The area with the largest number of butterflies in Peru is the Manu National Park in Cusco. In Machu Picchu alone, 400 of these species inhabit the surrounding protected areas and natural reserves.

 

According to data provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS), Peru has been the world's second-largest producer of copper, silver, and zinc for several years. It ranks third in lead production, fourth in tin and molybdenum production, and sixth in gold production.

It should be noted that it also has the largest silver reserves in the world. Peru is also known as the country with the third-largest reserves of copper, zinc, and molybdenum in the world. In regards to gold, Peru takes fifth place in the world for metal reserves.
 

 

 

Pisco is a drink with a long history, which includes a dispute with Chile regarding its origin and creation. Peruvians claim they created this spirit named after the port and valley of Pisco in southern Peru, from where it was first shipped to Spain in the 16th century. Its name also refers to the Quechua word Pisccu for "bird."

Although this spirit is best enjoyed neat, it has inspired several cocktails among which the pisco sour stands out: three shots of pisco, lemon juice, egg white, and simple syrup.

 

In July 2007, Machu Picchu was chosen as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, through an open Internet vote in which more than 100 million people participated.

The name of this stone city built by the Incas around the 15th century comes from Quechua and means "old mountain." Located between the mountains of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu is surrounded by the valley of the Urubamba River and other mountains of the Vilcanota mountain range. This hidden city is located 130 km from the city of Cusco. Since explorer Hiram Bingham made it known to the world in 1911, the archeological site has received many titles and recognitions, gaining popularity and receiving visitors from all over the planet.

The furthest section to access Machu Picchu, located at almost 8,000 feet (2430 meters), can only be reached by foot. An impressive feat of civil engineering, the scope, and scale of the ruin's stonework continues to baffle modern engineers.  Inca masonry work is completely stable without using any mortar.