History of Peru Timeline

After landing his liberating army on the Peruvian coast, José de San Martín proclaimed Peru's independence from Spain in Lima's main square. However, fighting continued for several more years as royalist forces retained control of much of the country's interior.

Image source: Peruvian War of Independence

Simón Bolívar's forces, led in the field by Antonio José de Sucre, defeated the last major Spanish army in South America at the Battle of Ayacucho. The decisive victory ended Spanish rule on the continent and confirmed Peru's independence.

Peru exploited massive deposits of seabird guano on its coastal islands, which became a prized fertilizer in Europe and North America. The resulting revenues financed state projects and made Peru briefly one of Latin America's wealthiest nations, though dependence on this single resource proved risky.

Image source: Guano Era

Peru allied with Bolivia against Chile in a conflict sparked by disputes over nitrate-rich territories. Chilean forces occupied Lima in 1881 after hard-fought battles, and Peru lost the province of Tarapacá under the Treaty of Ancón, a national trauma remembered as the War with Chile.

Image source: War of the Pacific

Leguía ruled Peru for eleven years in a period known as the Oncenio, modernizing infrastructure with foreign loans while centralizing power. His fall amid the Great Depression opened the door to new political movements, including the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) founded by Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre in 1924.

Image source: Augusto B. Leguía

Following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Peru became one of the first Latin American nations to align with the Allies, declaring war on Germany, Italy, and Japan. Peru supplied raw materials and hosted Allied air facilities along its coast during World War II.

Image source: History of Peru

General Velasco seized power in a coup and launched sweeping reforms, including extensive land redistribution, nationalization of key industries, and promotion of indigenous rights. His leftist military government transformed rural Peru before being ousted in a bloodless coup by General Francisco Morales Bermúdez.

Image source: Juan Velasco Alvarado

The Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path launched an armed insurrection on the eve of Peru's return to democracy, burning ballot boxes in Chuschi. The ensuing internal armed conflict lasted nearly two decades and claimed roughly 70,000 lives, becoming one of Latin America's deadliest insurgencies.

Image source: Shining Path

The son of Japanese immigrants and a political outsider, Fujimori won a surprise election victory over novelist Mario Vargas Llosa amid hyperinflation and guerrilla violence. He would go on to implement drastic economic reforms and take an increasingly authoritarian path.

Image source: Alberto Fujimori

Fujimori suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress, and purged the judiciary in an autogolpe (self-coup), ruling by decree with military backing. New elections were held later that year, and a new constitution was promulgated in 1993, allowing presidential reelection.

Peruvian commandos stormed the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, ending a 126-day hostage standoff by Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement guerrillas. All but one of the 72 remaining hostages were rescued alive in the dramatic Operation Chavín de Huántar.

Image source: Japanese embassy hostage crisis

After fleeing to Japan following revelations of massive corruption orchestrated by his intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos, Fujimori resigned via fax from abroad. Congress declared the presidency vacant, ending a decade of controversial rule and beginning transitional democratic reforms.

The commission delivered its landmark report documenting approximately 69,000 deaths during Peru's internal armed conflict, attributing most to Shining Path but also significant numbers to state forces. It marked a crucial step toward confronting the nation's violent past.

Image source: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Peru)

The fifteenth-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu was announced as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a global poll, boosting international tourism and reinforcing national pride in Peru's extraordinary pre-Columbian heritage.

Image source: Machu Picchu

The trade agreement between Peru and the United States entered into force, opening markets and cementing Peru's integration into the global economy during a period of sustained growth driven by mining exports and macroeconomic stability.

Image source: Peru–United States Trade Promotion Agreement

Rural teacher Pedro Castillo won a narrow and contested election, becoming Peru's first president from a peasant background. His brief presidency was marked by instability and multiple cabinet changes before his removal by Congress, reflecting Peru's ongoing political volatility.

Image source: Pedro Castillo