The character of the architecture of the Peruvians has already been alluded to. The edifices of inearial times are oblong in shape and cyclopean in construction. The mate rials used were granite. porphyry, and other varieties of stone; but in the more rainless regions, sun-dried bricks were also much used. The walls were most frequently built of stones of irregular size, but cut with such accuracy, and fitting into each other so closely at the sides, that neither knife nor needle can be inserted in the seams. Though the buildings were not, as a rule, more than from 12 to 14 ft. high, they were chanteteriz d by simplicity, symmetry, and solidity. The Peruvian architects did not indulge much in external but the interior of all the great edifices was extremely rich in ornament. Iu the royal palaces and temples, the most ordinary utensils were of silver and gold; the walls were thickly studded witli plates and bosses of the same metals; and exquisite imitations of human and other figures, and also of plants, fashioned with per fect accuracy in gold and silver, were always seen in the houses of the great: Hidden among the metallic foliage, or among the roots, were brilliantly colored birds, serpents, lizards, etc., made chiefly of precious stones; while in the gardens, inter spersed among the natural plants and flowers. were imitations of them in gold and silver, of such truth and beauty as to rival nature. The temple of the sun at Cuzco, called Car. icancha, or " Place of Gold," was the most magnificent edifice in the empire. On the western wall, and opposite the eastern portal, was a splendid representation of the sun, the god of the nation. In consisted of a human face in gold, with innumerable golden rays from it in every direct-ion; and when the early beams of the morning sun fell upon this brilliant ,golden disk, they were reflected from it as from a Mirror. and again reflected throughout the whole temple• by the numberless plates, bands, and images of gold, until the temple seemed to glow with a sunshine more intense than that of nature.
The religion of the Peruvians, in the later ages of the empire, was far in advance of that of most barbarous nations. They believed in a Great Spirit., the Creator of the uni verse, who, being a spirit, could not be represented by any image or symbol, nor he made to dwell in a temple made with hands. They also believed in the existence of the soul hereafter, and in the resurrection of the body. The after-life they considered to be a condition of ease and tranquillity for the good, and of continual wearisome labor, extending over ages, for the wicked. But while they believed in the Creator of the world, they also believed in other deities, who were of some subordinate rank to the Great Spirit. Of these secondary gods, die sun was the chief. , They reverenced the sun as the source of their royal dynasty: and everywhere throughout the laud, altars smoked with offerings burned in his worship.
About the year 1516, and 10 years before the death of Huayna Capac, the first white man had lauded on the western shores of South America; but it was not till the year 1532 that Pizarro (q.v.), at the head of a small band of Spanish adventurers, actually invaded Peru. On his death-bed the great Inca expressed a wish that the kingdom of Quito should pass to Atahualpa, one of his sons by a princess of Quito whom he had received among his concubines, and that all his other territories should fall to his son Huascar, the heir to the crown, and who, according to the custom of the limas, should have inherited all its dependencies. Between these two princes, quarrels, resulting in war, arose; and when Pizarro entered Peru he found the country occupied by two rival factions, a circumstance of which he took full advantage. Atahualpa had completely defeated the forces of his brother, had taken Iluascar prisoner, and was now stationed at Caxamalca, on the eastern side of the Andes, whither, with a force of 177 men, of whom 27 were cavalry, the dauntless Spanish leader, in Sept., 1532, set out to meet him. For the capture of Atahualpa by the Spaniards, his subsequent life and violent death, see article ATAIIIIALPA. Shortly after the execution of the inea at Caxamalca, the adven turers set out for Cuzco. Their strength had been recently increased by re-euforcements, and they now numbered nearly 500 men, of whom about a third were cavalry. They entered the Peruvian capital Nov. 15, 1533,•having in the course of their progress toward the city of the incas, bad many sharp, and sometimes serious encounters with the Indians, in all of which, however, their armor, artillery, and cavalry gave them the advantage. At Cuzco they obtained a vast amount of gold, the one object for which the conquest of Peru was undertaken. As at Caxamalca, the articles of gold were for the most part melted down into ingots, and divided among the band. Their sudden wealth, however, did many of them little good, as it afforded them the means of gambling, and many of them, rich at night, found themselves again penniless adventurers in the morn ing. One cavalier having obtained the splendid golden image of the sun as his share of the booty, lost it in play in a single night. After stripping the palaces and temples of their treasures, Pizarro placed Mimeo, a son of the great Huayana Capac, on the throne of the incas. Leaving a garrison in the capital, he then marched w. to the sea-coast, with the intention of huilding a town, from which lie could the more easily repel inva, shun from without, and which should be the future capital of the kingdom. Choosing the banks of the river Rimdc, lie founded, about 6 m. from its month, the Ciudad de los He of the Kings." Subsequently its name was changed to Lima, the modified form of the name of the river on which it was placed. But the progress of a higher civ ilization thus begun, was interrupted by an event which overturned the plans of the general, and entailed the severest sufferings on many of his followers. The Inca Mimeo, insulted on every hand, and in the most contemptuous manner, by the proud Castilian soldiers, effected his escape, and headed a formidable rising of the natives. Gathering round Cuzco in immense numbers, the natives laid siege to the city, and set it on fire. An Indian force also invested Xauxa, and another detachment threatened Lima. The siege of Cuzco was maintained for 5 months, after woich time the Peruvians were com manded by their Inca to retire to their farms, and cultivate the soil, that the country might be saved from famine. The advantages, many, though unimportant, which the Inca gained in the course of this siege, were his last triumphs. He afterwards retired to the mountains, where lie was massacred by a party of Spaniards. More formidable. however, to Pizarro than any rising of the natives, was the quarrel between himself and Almagro, a soldier of generous disposition, but of fiery temper, who, after Pizarro, held the highest rank among the conquerors. For the insurrection, trial, and execution of
this chief, see article AIMAGRO. The condition of the country was now in every sense deplorable. The natives, astonished not more by the appearance of cavalry than by the flash, the sound, and the deadly execution of artillery, had succumbed to 'forces which they bad no means of successfully encountering. Meantime the Almagro faction had not died cad with the death of its leader, and they still cherished schemes of vengeance against the Pizarros It was resolved to assassinate the general as he returned from mass on Sunday, June 26, 1541. Hearing of the conspiracy, but attaching little importance to the information, Pizarro nevertheless deemed it prudent-not to go to mass that day. His house was assaulted by the conspiritors, who, murdering his servants, broke in upoa the great leader, overwhelmed him by numbers, and killed him (see Pirznuno). The son of Amalgro then proclaimed himself governor, but was soon defeated in battle, and put to death. In 1542 a council was called at Valladolid, at the instigation of the ecclesi tale Las Cases, who felt shocked and lainiliated at the excesses committed on the ,tatives. The result of this council was that a code of laws was framed for Peru, ing to one clause of which, the Indians who had been enslaved by the Spaniards were virtually declared free men. It was also enacted that the Indians were not to be forced to labor in unhealthy localities, and that in whatever cases they were desired to work in any particular locality, they were to be fairly paid. These and similar clauses enraged the adventurers. Blasco Nufiez Vela, sent from Spain to enforce the new laws, rendered himself unpopular, and was seized, and thrown into prison. De had conic from Spain accompanied by an "audience" of four, who now undertook the government. Gonzalo Pizarro (the last in this country of the family of that name), who had been etected cap tain-gen. of Peru, now marched threateningly upon Lima. He was too powerful to withstand, and the audience received him in a friendly manner, and after the adminis tration of oaths, elected him governor as well as captain-gen. of the country. The career of this adventurer was cut short by Pedro de In Gasca, who, invested with the powers of the sovereign, arrived from Spain, collected a large army, and pursued Pizarro, who was eventually taken and executed. ' A series of petty quarrels, and the tiresome story of the substitution of one ruling functionary for another, make up a great part of the subsequent history. The country oecame one of the four viceroyalties of Spanish America, and the Spanish authority was fully established and administered by successive viceroys. The province of Quito was separated from Peru in 1718; and in 1788, considerable territories in the s. were detached, and formed into the government of Buenos Ayres. At the outbreak of the war of inde pendence in South America, the Spanish government, besides having much declined in internal strength, was distracted with the dissensions of a regency, and torn by civil war; nevertheless, in 1820, the Spanish viceroy had an army of 23,000 men in Peru, and all the large toy ns were completely in the bands of Spanish officials. Peru was the last of the Spanish South American possessions to set up the standard of independence. In Aug., 1820, a rebel army, under gen. San 3Iartin. one of the liberators of Chili, sailed for Peru, and, after a number of successes both on sea and land, in which the patriots were most effectively assisted by English volunteers, the independence of the country was pro claimed July 28,1821, and San Martin assumed the protectorate of the young republic. From this date to the year 1860, 21 rulers, under various titles, have held sway. For the first 24 years of its existence as an independent republic the country was distract( (1 and devastated by wars and revolutions. In 1845 Don Ramon Castilla, was elected presi dent; and under his firm and sagacious guidance the country enjoyed an unwonted measure of peace, and became regularly organized. Commerce began to be developed, and important public works were undertaken. The term of his presidency ended in 1851, in which year gen. Rufino Jose Echenique was elected president. The country. however, was discontented, and Castilla again found himself, in 1855, at the head of affairs. Slavery, which, although abolished by the charter of independence, still existed, was put an end to by a decree dated Oct., 1854. In Aug., 1863, a quarrel had taken place at the estate of Talambo, in the north, between some Basque emigrants and the natives, in which several of the disputants were killed or wounded. Taking advantage of this occurrence, the Spanish government sent out a "special commissioner" in the spring of 1864, to complain of injuries sustained by Spaniards. The commissioner" left Lima on April 12, and on the 14th, a Spanish squadron. under admiral Pinzon, took forcible possession of the Chincha islands. The European consuls protested loudly against this outrage, and the Peruvians were greatly excited. War was, however, averted, president Pezet being unwilling to risk hostilities with Spain; and, in Jan., 1865, a treaty of peace was signed. This did not lead, however, to internal peace. The president was declared a traitor by the assembly in the same month that saw the treaty of peace ratified in the Spanish capital. Gen: Canesco, after a severe struggle, assumed the presidential authority. and retained it till November, when col. Prado was nominated temporary dic tator. The obnoxious treaty was now rejected, and Peru entered, January, 1866, into a treaty, offensive and defensive, with Chili (q.v.), which country was then at war with Spain; but this led to no serious consequences to Peru, an unsuccessful attack on Callao having vindicated Spanish honor. In October, gen. Prado was regularly elected presi dent, anti, in Feb., 1867, he recommended a new constitution, which was formed and issued in July, when he was again elected president. At the close of 1867 the river Amazon was declared free for navigation to ad nations, an event most auspicious for Peru as regards commercial prosperity and national influence. Prado was compelled to resign in 1868, and was succeeded by col. Balta, who was assassinated in 1872. Don Manuel Pardo was elected his successor. Under the new constitution, the president and vice-president are both elected by the people for a term of four years There is a senate and a house of representatives, the former composed of 44 members, and the latter of 110 in 1875. The army, in the same year, numbered 13,200, distributed thus: infantry, 5,600; cavalry, 1200; artillery, 1000; gendarmerie, 5,400. The navy consisted of 6 iron clads end 6 other steamers.