The Incas lived in Peru from 1100 to 1532. They had an advanced civilization but did not have a written language. Its capital was in Cuzco. In 1532, Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas, and its territory became part of the Spanish empire. The Peru belonged to Spain until 1821, when independence was declared. The Incas lived in Machu Picchu, a city that was too strong in the Andes. It was also a center for religion. Macchu Picchu means "old mountain." An American archaeologist, Hirman Bignam, discovered in 1921.

The Spanish language became the official language of Peru after the conquest and was the only language used for many years. In 1975, the government decreed that the language of the Incas, Quechua, now is an official language in