https://youtu.be/MqFwubolPxA?si=wTVY_oKDct1Qz1hd
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QqDzPc8wTdEVGpmSEhB1J?si=67b8e4ce359e4ff6
Located on the west coast of South America, Peru (officially the Republic of Peru) is the third largest country in the subcontinent, home to just under 5 million people. Its northern point touches the equator and its landmass of around 500,000 square miles (1.25 million square km) is widely varied in terrain and climate. The arid coast gives way inland to warm, wet lowlands (including the Amazon basin), as well as the Andes Mountains and their associated highlands.
Civilization in what is now Peru dates back to at least 2,500 BCE. The wide variety of pre-Columbian civilizations largely gave way to the Incan Empire in the 14th century, which then ruled over most of Peru. The empire proved short-lived, however. The first Spaniards arrived in 1528, followed by the conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro, in 1532. Pizarro founded the city of Lima in 1535, where he was later assassinated in 1542. The Incan Empire finally fell in 1572 when Francisco de Toledo executed the last reigning Inca, Túpac Amaru, and the Viceroyalty of Peru was created.
The Viceroyalty lasted until the early 1820s, when General Jose de San Martin invaded with an army of soldiers from Argentina and Chile. This marked the beginning of a series of battles and declarations of independence that finally ended in 1824. There has been some political volatility in the intervening years, but in 1921 the country is largely stable and prosperous.
The population of Peru is made up of a wide range of ethnicities. Around 50% are Amerindian, with the majority of the remainder being mixed race, with white people making up around 15%. There are large populations of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in Lima, with many of them having been brought over to build the railways or mine guano (accumulated seabird droppings used as a rich fertilizer in Europe).
The majority of Peruvians speak Spanish, although there are a number of other linguistic groups who speak aboriginal languages such as Quechua and Aymara. English is not widely spoken, particularly outside the cities. Investigators traveling up to Puno and the Lake Titicaca region are especially likely to encounter Aymara and Quechua speakers.
Traditional dress varies from region to region, although there are certain common features such as hats, ponchos, and brightly colored woolen clothing. In cities like Lima, however, this traditional garb tends to give over to more somber European or North American styles.
After years of decline and hardship, Lima of the 1920s is a city in the process of economic recovery and rapid expansion. The population is currently over 200,000 and growing fast. Sanitation conditions have recently been modernized, and visitors can expect to find all of the amenities of any large Western city.
The city lies on a bay and straddles both banks of the river Rímac. The bay is also home to the neighboring city of Callao, although recent expansion makes it hard to tell where one city ends and the other begins. Between being an international port and its status as capital, Lima sees a lot of international visitors, and the investigators can expect to meet people from all around the world. This cosmopolitan atmosphere changes as they travel to more rural regions.
Transportation in Lima is unlikely to pose much of a problem for the investigators. The main locations outlined in this scenario are all within a 10-minute walk of one another and easy to locate on a city map (easily obtained via their hotel or a vendor).
If the investigators insist on using public transportation, the main option available is the extensive network of electric trams. Investigators may travel around the city easily, using the tramway for a very reasonable fee. The city is also served by buses, although
Options for accommodation in Lima in 1921 are a little more basic than investigators may expect of a large, international city. Those hoping to find the type of luxury hotels they may have encountered in other capital cities will be disappointed. That said, Larkin has arranged for the investigators (as well as Jesse Hughes/Jackson Elias) to stay at one of the best hotels Lima has to offer: Hotel Maury, located in the center of the city. As well as dozens of well-furnished rooms, the hotel offers a well-appointed banquet room and an extravagantly stocked bar, famous for its Pisco Sours (a cocktail created by American bartender Victor Vaughn Morris).
Larkin and de Mendoza are staying at the Hotel España (page 64), which is some 10 minutes’ walk from the Hotel Maury. If the investigators ask, Larkin tells them that there were no more rooms available at the Hotel España, so he arranged alternative accommodation.