If your job involves a busy social life and late nights, or your taste for city life includes cafés, art galleries and concerts, then you will prefer San Isidro, nearby Orrantia del Mar (which belongs [...]]]> Choosing where to live in Lima depends a great deal on your lifestyle and where you will be working.

If your job involves a busy social life and late nights, or your taste for city life includes cafés, art galleries and concerts, then you will prefer San Isidro, nearby Orrantia del Mar (which belongs to Magdalena), parts of Lince and Jesus Maria, and Miraflores (which includes the quiet Aurora and San Antonio areas), as well as Barranco, where many artists and writers live. San Borja and parts of Surco are also fairly close to the hustle and bustle.

You should also seriously consider the climate. There is a sharp contrast between the districts hugging the coast and those that are further east against the foothills of the Andes – the coastline is cool and very damp between the winter months of May and October, whereas the climate gets drier and the skies brighter the further east you go.

If you suffer from hay fever or asthma, definitely avoid living in areas such as San Miguel and Magdalena, the oceanside areas of Miraflores and San Isidro, and particularly the Parque El Olivar (the olive grove) in San Isidro, all high on the city’s humidity levels map.

Also humid is La Encantada, a gated community on the beach next to the Villa wetlands and bird sanctuary, but the air is very clean, and the area is beautifully quiet and green. It is also within easy access to any part of the city.

Be careful when choosing an apartment just for the view. The buildings overlooking the ocean in San Isidro and Miraflores provide a spectacular view of the bay between the months of November through April, but they will be fogged in for the better part of the morning the rest of the year.

Heading east, you will begin to notice the drier climate even in San Borja, and of course in Chacarilla and parts of Surco that include the quiet La Castellana and areas off both sides of Av. Benavides.

Further northeast lie Monterrico, Camacho, La Molina, and La Planicie, where the micro-climate is very different to San Isidro, and the suburban lifestyle is now supplied with everything you need. Traffic is heavy between these areas and San Isidro/Miraflores but moves fairly quickly.

There is another option for the more adventurous who don’t mind Lima driving – further east and higher up the Central Highway lies Chaclacayo, with quiet backstreets and sunshine year-round, that includes the residential areas of Los Girasoles, next to the Los Andes golf course at Huampaní, plus the area called California, and the unique architecture and quiet seclusion of Los Condores. These areas are only a 30-minute drive from anywhere in Lima, and people who choose to live there say the dry climate and sunshine are worth every penny of the higher fuel budget. They are also ideal places for a weekend house.

Other out-of-town options are the Cieneguilla and Pachacamac valleys and the beaches south of Lima, all definitely more suitable to alternative lifestyles that don’t involve daily office or school commuting.

Tip:

• Limeños are noisy drivers, so beware of choosing housing on main thoroughfares.

FINDING YOUR WAY

Streets, depending on their length and importance, can be called avenida, calle, jirón (abbreviated to Jr.), pasaje (abbreviated to Psj.) or [...]]]> Even if you know the language, every town or culture has its own way of saying things, its own special words and customs. The following are a few of Lima’s favourites.

FINDING YOUR WAY

Streets, depending on their length and importance, can be called avenida, calle, jirón (abbreviated to Jr.), pasaje (abbreviated to Psj.) or malecón (an oceanside or riverside drive). The Via Expresa is the expressway that runs north-south from downtown to Barranco, and the street running parallel on both sides is Paseo de la República.

Street names often change between districts. Examples are Av. Angamos which begins in San Isidro and changes its name to Av. Primavera when it gets up near Av. Velasco Astete in Surco. Or the names may change because the new town council has decided to honour someone else — Av. Republica de Panama, for instance, which runs north-south from the banking section of San Isidro to the entrance to Barranco, has been re-named Av. Roosevelt, but despite even new street signs everyone continues to identify it as Panamá, and if you ask for Av. Roosevelt you will be taken to a short street downtown near the Sheraton Hotel.

Another classic is Av. Wilson in downtown Lima, the hub of everything linked to computers, and small graphic design and printing shops. The street was named after President Woodrow Wilson, and during the nationalist military regime of the 1970s was changed to Av. Inca Garcilaso de la Vega (a mouthful shortened to Garcilaso). But ever practical, Limeños are back to using the shroter, simpler Wilson.

Beyond the residential and industrial zones lie the north and south cones of settlements or shanty towns that are generically known as pueblos jóvenes or young towns. The pueblo joven is also a legal description used when first registering some of the settlements, just as asentamiento humano, or human settlement, is used for community organizations that are a step higher on the legal ladder but similarly new. Note that the bustling, upwardly mobile Cono Norte no longer likes being called a “cono” – it is Lima Norte, plain and simple.

Public transport is still all privately owned except for the new Metropolitano bus system and the soon-to-be electric train route. Transport is provided by microbus (which are now anything but micro), the combi (the ubiquitous, small van-type buses), the cooster (spelled Coaster, a van model), and the soon-extinct colectivo (usually sedan cars, which ply long stretches such as Av. Arequipa, the Expressway or Av. Javier Prado, picking up and dropping off passengers along the way).

LEARNING THE LINGO  —just a sampling

Aguinaldo A tip given at Christmas and Independence Day to service suppliers such as your local garbage collector and postman, and to part-time or occasional workers such as window cleaners, gardeners.

Bonificación A bonus given at Christmas and Independence Day to payroll employees.

Boleta A general receipt for purchases or services

Factura An official receipt for purchases or services, to be used for business accounting. To be given a factura, you need to have a tax registration number (RUC).

Cambista Foreign currency exchanger. They are usually on the corners of main thoroughfares, wearing a bright-colored jacket.

Chicha morada Purple maize drink, non-alcoholic, made from boiling purple corn (also available now in packets of instant powder mixes).

Chicha de jora Andean maize beer, not commonly available in Lima except at markets.

Comida criolla Creole cuisine, the dishes of Peru’s coast that are a fusion of Andean, Spanish and African, and a more recent touch in the past century of Chinese and Japanese.

Pachamanca Andean underground ‘barbecue’ – meats, potatoes and other vegetables steamed/roasted with herbs in an underground oven made of fire-heated stones.

Peña Live entertainment, usually local creole and Andean music, in an informal atmosphere.

Cajón Literally box, used as the main percussion instrument in creole music. It was incorporated a couple of decades ago into Spanish flamenco music by Paco de Lucía.

Maestro Master or teacher: traditionally used to address plumbers, carpenters, even taxi drivers, when you don’t address them by their name or when you address them by their surname. If you address older workers by their first name, using the title ‘don’ (as in don Carlos), is a sign of respect or deference.

Soroche Altitude sickness.

Tramites Paperwork, documentary process, red tape. A household word, part of life in Peru, a tradition said to have been brought from Spain with the Conquistadors. British humorist Miles Kington once described it as a game in which no one is intended to win.

SLANG

Bamba Fake, poorly made, or a pirated copy

Chamba Work, a job

Chicha Music: the modern interpretation and rhythms of Andean music played with electric and electronic instruments. Also used to describe tabloid newspapers, even hodge-podge architecture, a whole culture. The best translation would be kitsch.

Chino Anyone of Asian descent. President Fujimori, of Japanese descent, was referred to by his admirers as El Chino

Guachimán Guard, from the English ‘watchman’

Lechero Lucky

Pata Pal, buddy

Señito Almost Ms., a contraction of señora and señorita (but not drawing room use!)

Vivo Cunning, quick to take advantage, a cad

Waipe Industrial rag, from the English instruction to “wipe it” (a number of English words were incorporated during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when British companies operated the railways, flour mills and many of the sugar and cotton plantations).

One of the pleasures of food shopping in Lima is the wide variety of fresh produce, and the fact that almost everything is available year-round.

There is also a fairly wide assortment of imported foods —maybe you can’t find your favourite brand or specific flavor, but there should be plenty to satisfy your [...]]]> Stocking your Pantry

One of the pleasures of food shopping in Lima is the wide variety of fresh produce, and the fact that almost everything is available year-round.

There is also a fairly wide assortment of imported foods —maybe you can’t find your favourite brand or specific flavor, but there should be plenty to satisfy your cravings until your next visit home.

Whatever your tastes, use your shopping time in Lima to start a new adventure and discover things completely outside your own boundaries.

You’ll find locally made Arab pita bread, Greek-style goat’s cheese, Chinese won ton pastry, sheets of French-style flaky pastry and Greek phyllo, olive oil as strong as any Spaniard’s dream, and even a local version of cranberry juice (Ocean Spray is also available).

Breads and cakes have a strong European influence —Spain, France, Italy— and some specialty bakeries now also carry items such as carrot cake and pecan pie. Brownies tend to be dry, more cake-like than chewy.

If you have a cook or a maid who helps you cook, go shopping with her occasionally. There are some good tips for Peruvian recipes and shopping —and good tips on the mysteries of meat cuts— in the American Women’s Literary Club Cookbook, and your maid can open your eyes to a whole array of possibilities in local herbs and spices.

Most of us are now used to and prefer supermarket shopping, which is admittedly more efficient because you can get almost everything you need in one place. Also, items such as pork should always be bought in supermarkets or specialty stores, where the quality is fully guaranteed.

But even if you don’t make a habit of it, do take the time occasionally to browse at the well-stocked municipal markets. The variety of vegetables and the freshness of the fruit have no comparison, and the vendors are always happy to assist in choosing just the right papaya or pineapple (an art in itself), the avocados that are perfect for today or best eaten tomorrow.  This is also where you will find all the ingredients for Chinese and Japanese dishes. 

Peanuts and other snacks in the dried fruits section  of these markets come no fresher and tastier than this, and will make any packaged version seem so stale and boring. Any vegetable stall vendor will happily provide you with the instructions and all the ingredients you need to make an arroz con pollo, or whatever else it is you want to prepare.

The secret is that when in doubt or curious or in the mood for an adventure, ask – in the supermarkets as much as in the markets, people love to help.

SOME OF THE BEST OPEN MARKETS

In the San Isidro and Miraflores area:

• Mercado de Productores, 15th block of Av. del Ejercito, San Isidro, next to the access down to the Costa Verde road on the beach. Slightly pricey, but spotlessly clean.
• Mercado Surquillo Nº 1, on Paseo de la República at the Av. Ricardo Palma bridge, in Miraflores. This is the gourmet choice, and well earned, for the variety of native and imported fruits and vegetables, Chinese and Japanese ingredients, dried fruits and grains, and items such as Dijon-style mustard and maraschino cherries.
• Farmers’ Market, on Saturday mornings, on the sidewalk behind the Parque Reducto at Av. Benavides and the expressway in Miraflores – organic foods are the specialty, good variety, mostly from the Pachacamac valley.

In the Monterrico and La Molina area:

• Monterrico, on Av. Primavera and Av. Encalada; there is a good choice of lamb, mutton, kid, and some very good specialty shops.
• Agrarian University, at Av. La Universidad in La Molina, has good beef, lamb, kid, as well as vegetables, grains and honey.

Lima is informal and there is no strict dress code.   What formal and informal dress means, of course, depends entirely on which socio-economic circle you are moving in, but at every level casual does not mean scruffy – you’ll find that people take pride in looking tidy and clean, and even teenagers in [...]]]> DRESS CODE

Lima is informal and there is no strict dress code.   What formal and informal dress means, of course, depends entirely on which socio-economic circle you are moving in, but at every level casual does not mean scruffy – you’ll find that people take pride in looking tidy and clean, and even teenagers in gothic or ‘grunge’ stages tend to wear their clothes ironed (although, as one of our female contributors observes, that most probably is because their maids, mothers or wives do the ironing!).

HIGH WALLS AROUND HOUSES

Although front walls have become more prevalent in recent decades, the tradition of keeping the best away from the public eye comes from Spain and the Moors, who considered it to be in poor taste to boast or provoke envy. The seclusion also fosters exclusion, of course, but people generally have a strong sense of privacy and don’t like strangers or neighbours peeking into their lives –the idea of a backyard and barbecue open for all the neighbours to see is anathema to most Limeños. Nowadays, of course, security reasons (namely against theft) are also why there is an increasingly widespread use of high walls and wrought-iron fences.

FAMILY

The family unit is very important in Peru, as everywhere in Latin America. Relatives and the relationship of co-godparents (compadres) take precedence over any other relationships. Family events and most social gatherings at home tend to include all generations, from grandmothers to toddlers and everyone in between.

MAÑANA

Mañana does not always mean tomorrow. It means “not today.” If you need something by a specific date (translation, carpentry work, a suit made), order it ahead of time or give the person a deadline that is actually a couple of days ahead of your own deadline.

GREETING

• Buenos días, buenas tardes or buenas noches are the standard forms of greeting people at every level and in every situation. You are expected to be the first to offer a greeting when you arrive or enter a place, whether it is a small shop, a service counter, an office, a doctor’s waiting room or a living room. Some people still give a general greeting to fellow passengers when they enter an elevator/lift.
• When using the telephone, the above rules for greeting very definitely apply.
• Reserve the greeting of hola for friends or close associates only, and for social gatherings. It means “hi” or “hi there” rather than “hello.” Uninvited familiarity is looked on with certain ridicule in Lima’s class and status conscious society, and it works at both ends of the scale – you will be taken more seriously if you are formal when addressing government or business officials and also your plumber or carpenter.
  
• You or thou – the eternal confusion between usted and tu. Unless you are meeting people socially who are your peers, you will be safer in most situations if you use the more formal usted form of address, at least initially or invited to do otherwise —and this applies across the board, from people older than yourself in a social gathering to meeting a potential business associate or dealing with a carpenter or electrician.  In the case of a business associate, the form may quickly change to tu, but in the case of business negotiations or in dealing with the carpenter it is advisable to remain formal – usted not only conveys respect but creates a formal situation, a certain distance, which is helpful when negotiating or demanding a service. As in greeting, familiarity is a gentle rather than immediate process.

www.expatperu.com  – offers an excellent e-mail list and forums for the expatriate community to exchange comments on living in Peru, keep informed of community events, and buy and sell their household goods as they [...]]]> There are a lot of sources for keeping informed and making friends in Lima.  The following are some suggestions.

www.expatperu.com  – offers an excellent e-mail list and forums for the expatriate community to exchange comments on living in Peru, keep informed of community events, and buy and sell their household goods as they come and go.

www.livinginperu.com  – includes a wide range of news and information listings, plus articles and a weekly events newsletter.

www.limaeasy.com — tourism information and details on some aspects of living in Lima.

Alcoholics Anonymous: 
Union Church, Av. Angamos 1155, Miraflores. Every day at noon.
Good Shepherd Cathedral, Calle Santa María 125, Miraflores. Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-8pm.
Meetings in Spanish are usually held in parish churches at noon and early evening – at Virgen de Fátima and Carmelitas churches in Miraflores, also Virgen Milagrosa in the Miraflores Park (all these 7pm-8pm); in San Isidro at the Santa Maria Reyna church, side gate entrance on Av. Conquistadores (noon-1:30pm). Maps and addresses are on www.aaosg.org.pe and click on Solo Miembros for locations.

American and Canadian Association — The office is at Av. Angamos 1155 (inside the Union Church facilities building), Miraflores. Tel. 222-6359 Fax 441-4545 . www.acap-peru.org Office open daily 9am-1pm. Activities and events year-round, and a good networking tool for discovering Lima and common interest groups for quilting, baseball, etc.

American Women’s Literary Club – Open to women of all nationalities, the club sponsors numerous activities including monthly entertainments/talks plus tea, and sections for visiting cultural institutions and getting to know Lima. There are discussion groups on literature, films, childcare and any other interests members would like to pursue. Good library. The central meeting is once a month at the Chase Hall, Union Church (Av. Angamos 1155, Miraflores). Contact Marcia Koth de Paredes at Tel. 264-3382 / rumicuna2@yahoo.com or the American Canadian Association (see above) for more information.

Community Bible Study – an interdenominational study in English open to everyone, held at the Union Church once a week (except Jan-March). For information, call Delyth Yabar at 242-4565 or e-mail gdyabar@terra.com.pe.

Contact – For expatriate women of all nationalities who speak English, a chance to meet other women in Lima for coffee and a friendly chat, exchange tips. Meetings once a month. Contact lima_contactgroup@yahoo.com, or call the American Canadian Association (see above).

Good Companions Theatre Group – The amateur theatre group produces sketches, plus a pantomime at Christmas, and always welcomes new talent and new ideas. Contact David Killerby at dkillerby@hotmail.com

Lima Women’s Chorale – The chorale is open to women of all nationalities who enjoy singing. A self-supporting organization founded in 1963, it prepares three or four concerts a year. Meets every Tuesday 9:30 am to noon at the Chase Hall in the Union Church (Av. Angamos Oeste 1155, Miraflores). Contact the American Canadian Association at Tel. 222-6359 (see above).

Lima Toastmasters Club – Open to all adults interested in learning the art of speaking in public. Must be fluent in English. Luncheon meetings every Thursday, 12:30 to 2:30 pm at the Lima Cricket Club, Justo Vigil 200, Magdalena. Reservations not required. For information call Jim at 476-0899 or Toti at 372-3005.  A Toastmasters Club in Spanishmeets every Wednesday 1:00pm to 2:45pm at the Miraflores Social Club opposite LarcoMar.

South American Explorers – a non-profit organization, annual membership fee of $60 provides a quarterly magazine and access to the best source of independent information and ideas on travel, research, and exploration in Peru and South America. Talks and other events held every Wednesday evening. Also has club houses in Cusco, Quito and Buenos Aires, with headquarters in Ithaca, New York. Calle Piura 135, Miraflores. Tel. 445-3306. Open office hours Mon-Fri, and on Sat until noon. www.saexplorers.org

St. George’s Club of Lima – Informal social evenings for expats, held in a private residence, team quiz nights. Contact paul.b.gibbs@gmail.com http://limastgeorge.webs.com/

Whether this is your first move abroad or the tenth foreign [...]]]> One of the most stressful activities we can face in life is moving home. No matter how many times you do it, it is a difficult situation. And it is even more so, obviously, when you move to a different culture and language.

Whether this is your first move abroad or the tenth foreign posting in your career, the secret is the same everywhere: relax, be flexible, hang loose.

Above all, approach Lima with a sense of adventure and a sense of humour.

When you find yourself faced with attitudes, opinions or even values that appear to be diametrically opposed to yours, remember:  different country, different history, therefore different customs and perspectives.

_________________________

One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things – Henry Miller

___________________________

Lima may be part of the Third or Developing World but that by no means makes it third rate. As a Spanish city, Lima has been around for 470 years: San Marcos University is over 450 years old and the oldest seat of learning in the Americas (yes, older than Harvard), the Acho bullring is the oldest in the hemisphere, and the port of Callao could tell more than a few dark tales about Francis Drake and other pirates of his day.  Lima also has a very rich legacy in the arts, both pre-Hispanic and colonial as well as contemporary.

And that is just looking at the most recent 500 years.

Lima was inhabited as early as 100 B.C. and the Rimac valley was a thriving farming community long before Francisco Pizarro reached these shores. The cultural memory of Peru as a whole dates back at least 5000 years, and the ruins of Caral, north of Lima, inhabited between 2900 BC and 1600 BC, are the remains of the oldest city discovered so far anywhere in the Americas.  Pachacamac, just south of Lima, was one of the coast’s main oracles even during the Inca empire.

Of course, there are many things that will try your patience in modern Lima: the anarchic driving, the casual disregard for punctuality, the usually broken promises of delivering the goods mañana, the bureaucratic labyrinths, the corruption that this breeds, and the inequalities and stark contrasts between rich and poor.

But Lima is a great city for many reasons: the pace of life is pleasant; Limeños are friendly, hospitable, and they know how to enjoy themselves; the city offers an active, varied and sophisticated social and cultural life; you’ll get a chance to meet people of probably more nationalities and walks of life and careers than you would anywhere else; and Peruvian cuisine ranks with French, Chinese and Indonesian as the best in the world.

Enjoy!  ¡Provecho!  Bon appetit!

The Peru Reader (History, Culture, Politics) is an excellent anthology, ideal for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the country. Ideal for newcomers and ‘old hands’ alike.  Essays, folklore, historical documents, poetry, song, short [...]]]> Recommended reading for a better understanding of Peru

• Lima……
• What Makes the Limeño Tick
• Summer in February

The Peru Reader (History, Culture, Politics) is an excellent anthology, ideal for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of the country. Ideal for newcomers and ‘old hands’ alike.  Essays, folklore, historical documents, poetry, song, short stories, autobiographical accounts and photographs. Edited by Orin Starn, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University; Carlos Ivan Degregori, of the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP); and Robin Kirk, research associate at Human Rights Watch-Americas and a contributing journalist to The Boston Globe, Ms., The Nation, and other periodicals. Duke University Press November 2005.

Peru Beyond Machu Picchu (Its People, Its Problems, Its Possibilities), by Kurt Schultze-Rhonhof, is a unique mix of serious analysis, light-hearted anecdote and personal observation. Born in Peru of German parents, the author has worked in Peru for more than 40 years as a leading businessman in the mining industry. Ideal reading for foreign visitors and recent arrivals who wish to scratch beneath the surface. Published in Lima and available at local bookstores, and through the Peruvian Timesbookshop.

The Fujimori Legacy – The Rise of Electoral Authoritarianism in Peru

Edited by Julio F. Carrion, associate professor at the University of Delaware, who contributed with 12 other well-known Peruvianists, including Maxwell Cameron, Cynthia McClintock, David Scott Palmer, Kurt Weyland, and Carol Wise. Penn State University Press, January 2006.  Says Pedro Pablo Kucynski, Peruvian Prime Minister to 2006, “..The Fujimori Legacy is an exhaustive and entertaining analysis of the Fujimori years that focuses as much on the economic and political aspects of his presidency as the sociological and cultural. The thirteen authors, all from universities in the United State and Canada, know Peru well and have ample experience, primarily academic, with our country.”

Peru: Society and Nationhood in the Andes by Peter F. Klaren. (Oxford University Press, 1999). The author, professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University, explores the country’s long history, with particular emphasis on social and economic issues. The book’s underlying theme is the struggle, in both its ethnic and class dimensions, between Hispanic elites and indigenous masses over power and inclusion.

The Conquest of the Incas,by John Hemming, is a classic masterpiece with rich detail and insights. The New Yorker reviewer said “Excellent…. Sharply and tautly written. Extraordinary.” Read this book before reading anything else on the subject.

The Last Days of the Incas, by Kim MacQuarrie. A fascinating story of the different accounts written about the fall in the 16th century, as well as chapters on 20th century explorers and archaeologists who have unearthed more details. (Simon & Schuster, 2008).

The Incas and Their Ancestors : The Archaeology of Peru by Michael E. Moseley (Thames & Hudson, 2001). The saga of the Incas and the prehistoric Andean culture on which they built, by an archaeologist with 40+ years work in Peru.

History of the Inca Realm by Maria Rostworowski (Cambridge University Press, 1998) – One of Peru’s foremost historians carefully researched historical archives to produce a wide and groundbreaking vision into the Inca Empire. She has written a number of books on pre-Hispanic Peru, published in Spanish by the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos.

The Men of Cajamarca: A Social and Biographical Study of the First Conquerors of Peru, is an interesting study by James Lockhart of the arrival of Pizarro and 168 Spaniards in 1532, when they capture the emperor of the Incas and radically altered the course of history both in the new World and in Europe. Lockhart focuses on the lives of these specific Spaniards in his study. University of Texas Press, Austin, 1972.

Conversation in the Catedral, depicting life in Lima during the political regime of the 1950s, Pantaleón and the Visitors, and The War of the End of the World based in Brazil, are among the many titles by Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru’s best known novelist. A number of the books are available in English in Lima at the Ibero bookstores (two are at opposite ends of the Miraflores Park, on Av. Larco and on Av. Diagonal).

Magnificent Field of Enterprise – Britons in Peru 1815-1915 by Arthur R.B.Robinson, is the story of the first British trade interests in Peru, following on British soldiers who joined the forces of independence, and the influential English-speaking community that grew out of these interests, including the Anglo-American ‘Lima Protestant Church’ started in 1849, whose records tell much about the community. Available in Lima through the Peruvian Times bookshop.

Shining Path – Terror & Revolution in Peruby British journalist Simon Strong, who worked in Peru from 1988 to 1992. The origins and workings of the terrorist group to the capture more than a decade later of its leader Abimael Guzman in September 1992. Times Books, New York, 1992.

The Shining Path: A History of the Millenium War in Peru by Peruvian journalist Gustavo Gorriti, translated by Robin Kirk, digs into the origins of Abimael Guzman’s leadership and the terrorist group he formed. Goritti covers the period from the start of the conflict to the point where the Peruvian national police – who initially were the ones charged with bringing the uprising under control – were replaced by the military in 1981. It is a unique look at the situation as it emerged.

The Shining Path of Peru – edited by David Scott Palmer, St. Martin’s Press, NY. 1994.

An outstanding collection of articles on the movement that the editor describes as “the most radical expression of Marxist revolution in the Hemisphere.” David Scott Palmer is a long-time specialist on Peru and Latin American studies, and professor of political science and international relations at Boston University.