Although Peru could have been inhabited as early as 40,000 years ago, its history has been charted mostly since the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century.
The Spanish are infamous for having made every attempt to destroy even the memory of the Indian settlements who pre-dated them. A tremendous effort continues to go into the discovery of the Indians' history through the vast abundance of archeological remains scattered throughout Peru.
Charles V of Spain, who had controlled a great deal of Europe in the 1500's, had an enormous interest in colonizing the New World. The crew which made up the invading Spanish vessel under Francisco Pizarro were not trained sailors, but were either ruffians and misfits who joined up for loot, or tradesmen who signed on for adventure. When they landed in Peru, they did in fact conquer the trusting and vulnerable Inca civilization.
