The great Desert of Atacama –reputed to be the driest place on Earth- extends from northern Chile to central Peru, with over half of its area lying within the latter country. It is likewise in this northern section where several important pre-Columbian cultures flourished and expanded. Of these, the Paracas Culture, followed by the Nazca -dating from 450 B.C. to 500 A.D.- are the most prominent. Both reached a high degree of excellence in the production of textile and ceramic arts. The Nazca developed efficient hydraulic engineering technology to irrigate extensive areas of desert valleys transforming them into fertile oasis.

In the Peruvian Andes there also occurred an efflorescence great cultures and civilizations, which developed noteworthy socio-political and agricultural systems as well as eminent, and in many cases astonishing, works or art ranging from levels of handicrafts to monumental urbanistic and religious architecture. A clear example of this is represented in the Saiwite archaeological complex which consists of a massive stone boulder -two meters tall and eleven meters in diameter- bearing over two hundred zoomorphic, biomorphic and architectural forms carved on its surface.

After the advent of the Spanish conquest, there ensued a long and changing process in the lives of ancient Peruvians, especially regarding religious matters. The resulting syncretism is reflected in the great Christian Churches –many of them built atop preexisting native foundations- and numerous other architectural works which are still to be seen all over the country.

This period begins in 1821 with Peru’s declaration of independence from Spain. That moment and much of the remainder of the19th century were times of social and political upheaval and changes for the newborn/ancient nation. The city of Tacna, which aptly bears the appellative of “the heroic city”, represents a fitting example of those turbulent times.