Peru

The music of Ecuador has a long history. Pasillo is a genre of indigenous Latin music. It is extremely popular in Ecuador, where it is the "national genre of music." Pasillo as a genre is also present in the highland regions of Colombia, and Panama and Venezuela, to a lesser extent.

Today, it has incorporated more European features of classical dance, such as a waltz. As it spread during the Gran Chaco period, pasillo also absorbed the individual characteristics of isolated villages. This gives it an eclectic feel; however, the style, tone, and tempo of the music differ in each village.

In its waltz, pasillo alters the classically European dance form to accompany guitar, mandolin, and other string instruments.

The pacific coast of Ecuador is known for the Amor Fino, a popular type of song, as well as a variety of dance music.

Pasillo, Pasacalle and Yarabi are popular folk songs. El pasillo is played with guitar and rondin, the latter being similar to a flute, and is usually downtempo; it is descended from the walz. El pasacalle is a form of dance music, while the sentimental el yarabi is probably the most popular form in Ecuador.

Sofia Mulanovich (born June 24, 1983 in Lima, Perú) is a Peruvian surfer of Serbo-Croatian descent. She is the first Peruvian surfer ever to win an Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour event.

- Kina Malpartida (March 25, 1980- Lima, Perú ) is a female professional boxer. She is the 2009 World Boxing Association Champion 2009 in the Super Featherweight class.

- Juan Diego Flores (born January 13 1973 in Lima, Perú) is a Peruvian operatic tenor particularly known for his roles in bel canto operas. On June 4, 2007, he received his country's highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden del Sol del Perú.

At the end of the 17th century, Spain became a declining empire with diminishing revenues and loss of both political and military influence -- especially against other rising powers such as Britain. The Bourbon Reforms (1747-1808) changed the colonial system in the Americas to that of an intendancy. These reforms were directed to increase tax revenues, but became very unpopular among the colonies as most intendants were peninsulares, or people born in Spain.

This power shift increased unrest among criollos, or people of Spanish ancestry who were born in the Americas, who ultimately attained the support of both Amerindians and mestizos (descendants of interracial marriages between Europeans and Native Americans) to wage war against Spanish rule. In Mexico and Central America, Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo (1753-1811) is considered the starter of such movement, while the South American war of independence was won by liberators Jose de San Martin (1778-1850) and Simon Bolivar (1783-1830).

When Napoleon's Army invaded both Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular Wars (1807-1814), most criollos saw the opportunity to secede from the Spanish Empire. By 1825 most of Latin America became independent, with only some last bastions in Mexico, Peru, Chile and Argentina still being loyal to the Spanish Crown. By 1833 even these were defeated, and all attempts of reconquest by Spain had been already thwarted. Finally, in 1836 the Spanish government renounced to the sovereignty over continental America, with the exception of Cuba an Puerto Rico, which were lost during the Spanish-American War (1898).

constitutional republic

Peru is considered a constitutional government, where the President and other officials are elected and must govern according to their constitution. This limits the government's power over it's citizens.