The Peruvian Divide: Race, Ethnicity, Class & Status

The mission and responsibility of EdOdyssey starts with serving our students and the world through experiential learning. As leaders in international education, our organization feels compelled to raise our voice against racial discrimination and violence and to educate on the differences that exist within societies abroad.

As a Peruvian citizen, and a member of the EdOdyssey team, I’m sharing perspective on the Peruvian experience with racial divide that exists so any student that comes for an immersion program or semester has more context and a wider perspective when visiting Peru.

Peru’s History: Roots of Racism & Imperialism

Racism in Peru has its origins as old as the history that led to the formation of its territory. The first meeting of the Spaniards with the last Peruvian Inca, known as Atahualpa,  in 1532 was one based on domination and violence. Narrations of historians at the time tell how the group led by Pizarro presented a Bible to Atahualpa and demanded him to renounce his pagan beliefs. 

Depiction of the encounter between Francisco Pizarro and the Inca Atahualpa by chronicler Guaman Poma de Ayala, circa 1615 Photo Credit: Amautu Diaries

Atahualpa, not knowing what a Bible nor Christianity was, discarded the object, triggering anger in the Spaniards at the sight of such profanity. They then used this as justification to submit the native Peruvians and begin what was known as the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The process was not peaceful. Wars were fought, blood was shed and the indigenous population was reduced to numbers dangerously close to extinction. The start of the Viceroyalty of Peru was one based on the notion that the native Peruvians were a people that lived in ignorance. 

Wars stripped them from their possessions, and they were cast out to the outskirts of the city of Lima to areas that were called The Inca Reductions. Walls were erected to prevent the Inca descendants from mixing with the Spaniards. Some portions of that wall can still be seen in Lima today.

A New Form of Division: Classism

From that point on, there would be a disparity between Spaniards and native Peruvians, both in economy and education. This inequity would continue even throughout the history of Peru as a Republic, as being from an ethnic background different from the European meant you would have fewer opportunities in life, making racism merge with a new form of division: classism.

Links Between Ethnicity & Social Status

And the same way Incan buildings remain in modern-day Peru for everyone to see them, classism and racism are still very present. You will notice, for example, that the city of Lima has some variability of the ethnicity of their population according to where in Lima they reside. The majority of people living in the outskirts of the city are descendants of Native Peruvians, and the people living in the richest, most central parts of the city are of European descent.

We can go as far as to describe that oftentimes houses in the richest parts of the city of Lima have a housekeeper of sorts called “la empleada”. This at-home worker will mainly come from one of the outskirts of the city and their ethnicity will almost always be Native Peruvian. The name of empleada has been recently changed to trabajadora del hogar. 

The reason for this change is very revealing: to say empleada implies meaning of someone being used, employed for something, in an example that critics have called modern-day slavery. To say trabajadora del hogar roughly translates to house worker, and it is a clear effort to move away from the utilitarian view of the less fortunate citizens.

Indeed, language is power.

Hand-In-Hand Connection: Race & Social Status in Peru

We can also see this in modern-day Peru. Part of our Study Abroad Program involves experiences that show the enormous economic and racial divide especially in the Lima area. With service day-trips to the less fortunate areas in the capital, like the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus School or the District of Ventanilla, students can experience firsthand the difficulties and challenges that people in these areas face day to day, and how this is highly tied to racial divide.

Ramon Castilla, three-term president of Peru. He abolished slavery in the year 1854. Photo Credit: La Biografía de Ramón Castilla.

One of the biggest challenges is the lack of presence of the government in these areas, which results in lack of public investment. This means no running water, no public schools, and poor security as opposed to the richer areas of the city. In these areas people make the most out of what they have, and schools like Sagrado Corazon de Jesus survive from donations and the goodwill of citizens and volunteers like you and me.

Indeed, one of the first things you notice once you get acquainted with the city of Lima is how quickly its appearance changes depending on where in the city you are. Just a thirty-minute drive can mean moving from the richest, most luxurious parts of Lima, to the poorest developing areas where people earn a day’s pay in order to survive.

Lima, The City of Kings, is not immune to great social distancing in the shape of expressions that cause division. With all its history and cultural legacy, there’s still much to be worked out. We are not immune to racism.

How Can We Help?

We can start by having experiences and conversations that help us to fully understand the challenges that our people have in our communities, to know that we are no different to one another, and that equal opportunity is essential for a society to grow in harmony. 

As human beings, we feel drawn to those things we know and things to which we can relate. We build bridges and relationships when we take the first step, we board that plane to a country we’ve never been to before. We live their reality, we suffer the pains of daily life, we go through thick and thin.

And that’s what we aim for when we build, offer and host a Study Abroad program. It is not just a social visit. It is a soul-building, mind-changing experience. To spend a semester in Peru means we have opportunities to guide our students, be with them, to show them the beauty of the country, but also to explain the things we need to work on as a people and why that is important.

“Many people can hear about places where poverty impacts the communities everyday, but actually being there in person demonstrates a much larger picture of how each community overcomes the obstacles thrown in their way.” Grace, 2019 Study Abroad Alum

For those who visit us short term there is still an opportunity to learn, as we remain with our groups for the entirety of their visit, monitoring and guiding our experiences to make their short stay as thorough as possible in terms of culture and social issues. At the end of each day we conduct a group reflection, to exchange ideas and build on our experiences.

And in that journey, we grow.

Peru is a wonderfully diverse country, in every dimension we can think of. My fellow Peruvians and I have been blessed to have such a rich and deep history, and as we have much room for social improvement, we dedicate our lives to building cultural and digital bridges to take that first step and reach out, clear the mist of difference, and heal.

Want to learn more about more of Peru’s more recent history? Check out Peru's Recent History: A Story of Struggles and Growth!

Five Facts About Peru That You Might Not Know

How much do you know about Peru?

You may have heard about Machu Picchu and the Incas, or important Peruvian dishes, such as Cebiche (seafood dish) and Lomo Saltado (traditional Peruvian stir-fry), but what other elements make this fascinating country in South America so unique? In today’s blog, we will be sharing a few fun facts with you about Peru! 

There are 90 different micro-climates in Peru

Because of our varied geography, Peru features the coast, highlands, jungle and rainforest all inside its territory. This means Peru has all kinds of elevation in its terrain, from sea level to 6757 meters above sea level in Huaraz. Different altitudes means a wide variety of microclimates, which provides an abundance in both flora and fauna, referring to plant and animal life.

The Incas knew this, and experimented with micro-climatization in the archaeological site of Moray, a multi-level agricultural site in Peru. The Incas would plant the same type of seeds at different altitudes of the circular depressions, which would yield different results!

The Amazon rainforest covers about 60% of Peru

We don’t yet know all of the species that live there! The vast density of the rainforest makes it so difficult to traverse that few expeditions venture into it. That is why every year new species are discovered, from small to large. One of its territories called Madre de Dios (mother of god) is believed to have received this name because of the diversity of species that had its origin there.

Peru has three official languages: Spanish, Quechua & Aymara

Yes! Quechua is also known as the language that unified the Inca empire. Originally called Runasimi, “the language of the people”, Quechua has many dialects on its own and so different among each other that someone from Cusco will have a difficult time chatting with their neighbors in Ayacucho, and they both speak Quechua!

Aymara is the language that is mostly spoken in the highlands of Puno and south-eastern Peru. Being an official language means the government has made efforts to provide information in all three languages to the Peruvian population. So next time you are in Lima, tune in to Channel 7’s TV Peru, and you’ll be able to hear the news in Spanish, Quechua and Aymara!

Lima is home to Peruvian gastronomy

If you ever plan on taking a cross-country trip through Peru, you will quickly learn that you could have a completely different meal each day and not necessarily find the same options in other locations! Diversity is shown through gastronomy, and Peruvians are quite passionate about their love for cuisine.

In Peru, food is closely related to identity, and depending on where within the Peruvian territory you are, you will find they have a signature meal. From Comida Criolla in Lima, to Cuy Chaqtado in Cusco, to Rocoto Relleno in Arequipa, you will find Peruvian food in a restaurant near you!

Three-quarters of the 10 million alpacas around the world live in Peru

Needless to say, we know each and every one of them… by name. Just kidding! However, we do keep track of them because they have been declared an endangered species.

Alpaca wool is so fine and high-quality that it’s sought by luxury brands to make all sorts of garments for winter. The alpaca’s cousin, Vicuña, is also an endangered species because their wool is the highest quality fiber within the animal world. Garments made with Vicuña can be sold for as high as ten thousand U.S. Dollars!

Did you know any of these facts about Peru? Are there any others you have heard of or know from your trips to this wonderful country? Tell us about it! To get to know Peru in more detail, read our past blog, “Understanding The Keys of Peruvian Culture: Landscape and Diversity”!

Learn more about studying abroad in Peru with EdOdyssey!