By Australian journalist Philip Luker

In my travels through 59 countries I visited this market where only women trade, in Cusco, a busy town 75 km from Machu Picchu, which is the most famous archaeological site in Peru and all of South America.

Peru has one of the longest histories of civilisation, back to 4000 years Before the Common Era, which used to be known as Before Christ.

The Incas were the largest civilisation in the Americas before Columbus

The Incas were the largest civilisation in pre-Columbian America, or in other words before the adventurous Italian slave-trader Christopher Columbus arrived in America in 1492 and thought he had arrived in India.

Actually he arrived in the Bahamas and never set foot in America, but when he saw indigenous people he thought they were Indians and forever onwards American Indians have been called just that.

The Incas had no wheeled vehicles, no animals to ride, no knowledge of iron or steel, no written language and traded without money but built one of the greatest imperial states in human history.

Peruvians are skilled at making finely-woven textiles

They had great skill at architecture and built a road network reaching all corners of their South American empire.

They made finely-woven textiles but functioned largely without money and without markets.

Their taxes consisted of an obligation to work for the community.

Hats are a fashion at Cusco market

Now Cusco, where I photographed the Women’s Market, has a population of 428,000. As you can see, hats are a fashion in the market.

Peruvian culture is a mix of Spanish and native cultures.

Peru has delicious food, imposing archaeological complexes, 12 world heritage sites and vast natural resources

It is one of the world’s most varied countries, 60 per cent of it jungle.

Peru has a democratically-elected government headed by a president. School is compulsory from ages six to 16.

Life expectancy is 75 years. The literacy rate of Peru is 93 per cent.

Lima, the capital, has a population of 9,750,000, almost a third of Peru’s total of 32 million.

The Incas of Macu Picchu flee

When the Spanish invaders arrived in 1572, the Incas of Machu Picchu fled.

The invaders destroyed Cusco but Machu Picchu was left alone as the invaders couldn’t find it and it was eventually rediscovered by an American explorer.

Vegetation had helped preserve it and now four million tourists visit it a year as Peru’s main tourist attraction. Machu means “old” and Picchu means “mountain”.

Peru became independent of Spain in 1821 and adopted a liberal constitution in 1828.

In 1864, Spain sent fighting ships to try to regain the country as a colony but the Peruvians put up a strong resistance, the ships withdrew and Spain recognised Peru’s independence.

Potatoes came from Peru

Potatoes originally came from there, and Peru has 3,000 varieties of them.

Guinea pigs are a traditional dish.

Peru grows 55 varieties of corn in many colours, yellow, purple, white and black.

Peru is the world’s sixth largest producer of gold.

Farmers have herds of llamas and alpacas.