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Chapter Reference: Colonial Crucible; Independence
Lima and the Pacific coast constitute a historically important side of Peru, much less known than the country's spectacular Andean highlands. Only in recent years have migrants from the highlands begun to give their own flavor to parts of coastal Peru. Historically, Lima and the coast were a land apart from highland culture with its predominantly indigenous tone. Coastal Peru, in contrast, was the location of colonial sugar plantations, worked by African slaves and owned by wealthy white Creoles. Together with the city of Lima, coastal Peru has traditionally been criollo Peru, more black-and-white than indigenous. The folk music and accents of coastal Peru sound different from their highland counterparts. Lima, dubbed the City of Kings, was the second most important Spanish city in America, or even, during the 1600s, the most important—a densely constructed, walled complex of buildings that in 1823 was the last viceregal capital to lower the Spanish flag in America. There are many aspects a paper on criollo Peru could explore, ranging from Lima's role as colonial capital, to the recent migration of highland inhabitants toward the coast, or expressions of cultural differences between coastal residents and highlanders present in Peruvian history from the Encounter up through the nineteenth century.
Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:
- What led Spaniards to choose Lima as a seat of the Spanish empire in America, and what allowed them to maintain it as one of the two most important cities during the colonial period? What colonial administrative institutions were established in Lima, and what were the broad boundaries of their jurisdiction on the continent?
- The rebellion of Tupac Amaru II was extremely frightening to colonial bureaucrats in Lima. How did the rebellion affect the movement for independence in Peru, especially compared to areas in the neighboring viceroyalties of New Granada and the Río de la Plata?
- In general terms, how has the economy of coastal Peru changed since independence, and what is motivating the recent migration of highlanders toward the Pacific?
Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)
Blanchard, Peter. Slavery and Abolition in Early Republican Peru. Wilmington, DE:
Scholarly Resources, 1992.
Cushner, Nicholas P. Lords of the Land: Sugar, Wine, and Jesuit Estates of Coastal Peru,
1600—1767. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1980.
Cushner provides a clearly written scholarly overview of labor and land holdings in colonial coastal Peru.
Higgins, James. Lima: A Cultural and Literary History. Oxford: Signal Books, 2005.
This short book is meant to introduce the nonspecialist to Lima's history, architecture, monuments, and neighborhoods. It is not a history, but may serve well as a first stop for students interested specifically in the city of Lima.
Keith, Robert G. Conquest and Agrarian Change: The Emergence of the Hacienda System on
the Peruvian Coast. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1976.
Though dated, this book offers a concise look at the history of landed estates in Peru.
Mugaburu, Josephe and Francisco. Chronicle of Colonial Lima: The Diary of Josephe and
Francisco Mugaburu, 1640—1694. Translated and edited by Robert Ryal Miller.
Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. 1975.
Palma, Ricardo. Peruvian Traditions. Translated by Helen Lane. Edited and with an
introduction by Christopher Conway. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Students will find interesting portraits of Lima and life in the City of Kings in this selection of stories by one of Latin America's great writers.
Parker, D. S. The Idea of the Middle Class: White-Collar Workers and Peruvian Society,
1900—1950. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998.
Parker presents a scholarly treatment of the formation of a distinct middle class in Peru during the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on both the material and symbolic meanings that defined this class. Students interested in the development of class structure in urban, coastal Peru—the dominant geographical focus of the study—and the politics of class will find this book quite useful.
** Ramírez, Susan E. Provincial Patriarchs: Land Tenure and the Economics of Power in
Colonial Peru. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1986.
Ramírez's history of the development of Peruvian land ownership and its social and economic consequences is one of the most complete in English. Though lengthy, it is a good starting point for students interested in Lima and coastal Peru during the colonial period.
Other Resources:
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