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1250 BCE
Chimú People Settle in Peru
The Chimú people build a capital at Chan Chan. They establish the largest adobe city in the world. This was just fifty years before the arrival of the Spanish in the region. Consequently, Spanish chroniclers were able to record accounts of Chimú culture from individuals who had lived before the Inca conquest. -
Jan 1, 1438
Inca Empire Rises to Power
The Inca Empire begins their rise to power. Over the next one hundred years, the small tribe builds the largest empire in the Americas. The Incas were expert masons crafting locally mined rock into precisely cut and shaped stones, which could fit together without the use of mortar. Although nowadays there are many Inca ruins throughout South America, the very best examples are situated in the region of Cusco, in the South of Peru. -
Jan 1, 1533
Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Incas
Spanish soldiers, led by Francisco Pizarro, defeat the Incas. Pizarro then declares Lima the new capital of Peru in 1535. During the civil war within the Inca Empire, Atahualpa defeated his half-brother Huascar and executed him, becoming the new leader. Atahualpa had been celebrating when Pizarro arrived, which may have been a factor in their defeat. -
Peru Wins Independence from Spain
The Peruvian War of Independence was composed of a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military reconquest in 1811 in the battle of Guaqui, going with the definitive defeat of the Spanish Army in 1824 in the battle of Ayacucho, and culminated in 1826, with the Siege of Callao. They are the last Latin American country to break off from Spain. -
Machu Picchu is Found
American archeologist Hiram Bingham finds Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. It is believed that the city was built around 1430 A.D. Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca leaders. Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain, where it was found. -
El Niño Causes Major Disaster
Weather phenomenon El Niño caused major flooding in some areas and severe droughts in others. This caused many problems for the Peruvian economy. They were hit with the heaviest rainfall in their recorded history--11 feet in areas where 6 inches was the norm. Some rivers carried 1,000 times their normal flow. The event was blamed for between 1,300 and 2,000 deaths and more than $13 billion in damage to property and livelihoods. -
Peru Signs Treaty with Ecuador
Peru signs a treaty with neighbor Ecuador to peacefully settle their 57-year border dispute. During the 20th Century, Peru and Ecuador had fought several armed conflicts as part of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian territorial dispute. The last of these conflicts was the Cenepa War in 1995. This treaty is known as the Brasilia Presidential Act. -
Alejandro Toledo is Elected President
Alejandro Toledo is elected president. He is Peru's first Native Indian president. Toledo came to international prominence after leading the opposition against President Alberto Fujimori, who held the presidency from 1990 to 2000. As of February 2017, Toledo is being sought by Interpol, accused of having received $20 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht during his presidency. -
Construction Begins on a New Highway, Linking Peru to Brazil
Construction begins in Peru on a new highway. When finished, the 1,600-mile-long road will stretch from Peru through the Amazon rain forest to Brazil's Atlantic coast. The total project has an estimated cost of US$1.3 billion, but some analysts predict a higher cost. Of this, about US $810 million is for stretches 2 - 4, $199 million is for stretches 1 and 5, and the remainder for bridges, urban connections, and overhead. -
Former President Alberto Fujimori Sentenced to 25 Years
Former President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to prison for ordering abuses by the country’s security forces. Fujimori had fled to Japan, then Chile. The government of Peru sent a number of extradition requests to Chile concerning Fujimori. For his part, Fujimori denied the human rights and embezzlement charges. Later on April 7, the court sentenced Fujimori to 25 years in prison.
