 Most
Peruvians are "mestizo," a term that usually refers
to a mixture of Amerindians and Peruvians of European descent.
Peruvians of European descent make up about 15% of the population;
there also are smaller numbers of persons of African, Japanese,
and Chinese descent. In the past decade, Peruvians of Asian heritage
have made significant advancements in business and political fields;
a past president, several past cabinet members, and several members
of the Peruvian congress are of Japanese or Chinese descent. Socioeconomic
and cultural indicators are increasingly important as identifiers.
For example, Peruvians of Amerindian descent who have adopted
aspects of Hispanic culture also are considered "mestizo."
With economic development, access to education, intermarriage,
and large scale migration from rural to urban areas, a more homogeneous
national culture is developing, mainly along the relatively more
prosperous coast.  Peru
has two official languages -- Spanish and the foremost indigenous
language, Quechua. Spanish is used by the government and the media
and in education and commerce. Amerindians who live in the Andean
highlands speak Quechua and Aymara and are ethnically distinct
from the diverse indigenous groups who live on the eastern side
of the Andes and in the tropical lowlands adjacent to the Amazon
basin.
Peru's distinct geographical regions are mirrored
in a socioeconomic divide between the coast's mestizo-Hispanic
culture and the more diverse, traditional Andean cultures of the
mountains and highlands. The indigenous populations east of the
Andes speak various languages and dialects. Some of these groups
still adhere to traditional customs, while others have been almost
completely assimilated into the mestizo-Hispanic culture.
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