Peru Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Peru appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 14 different states, among them Peru, Viceroyalty of Peru, Huari Empire, Moche, Andean states and chiefdoms.
PeruExplore the history of Peru in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Peru as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Peru, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 400 BC | Chavin 15% · Paracas 4% |
| 323 BC | Chavin 15% · Paracas 4% |
| 300 BC | Chavin 15% · Paracas 4% |
| 200 BC | Chavin 15% · Paracas 4% |
| 100 BC | Chavin 15% · Nazca 6% |
| 1 BC | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 100 | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 200 | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 300 | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 400 | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 500 | Moche 19% · Nazca 8% |
| AD 600 | Huari Empire 31% · Moche 4% |
| AD 700 | Huari Empire 31% · Moche 4% |
| AD 800 | Huari Empire 44% |
| AD 900 | Huari Empire 44% |
| 1000 | Huari Empire 42% · Chimú Empire 2% |
| 1100 | Huari Empire 42% · Chimú Empire 2% |
| 1200 | Huari Empire 42% · Chimú Empire 2% |
| 1300 | Andean states and chiefdoms 42% · Chimú Empire 8% |
| 1400 | Andean states and chiefdoms 42% · Chimú Empire 8% |
| 1492 | Inca Empire 29% · Wari 13% · Siekopa’aiInte/Aido-Pãi (Secoya) 2% |
| 1500 | Inca Empire 54% |
| 1600 | Viceroyalty of Peru 50% |
| 1650 | Viceroyalty of Peru 81% |
| 1700 | Viceroyalty of Peru 81% |
| 1783 | Viceroyalty of Peru 83% · Viceroyalty of New Granada 17% |
| 1800 | Viceroyalty of Peru 83% · Viceroyalty of New Granada 17% |
| 1815 | Viceroyalty of Peru 83% · Viceroyalty of New Granada 17% |
| 1880 | Peru 83% · Ecuador 17% |
| 1900 | Peru 83% · Ecuador 17% |
| 1914 | Peru 100% |
| 1920 | Peru 100% |
| 1930 | Peru 100% |
| 1938 | Peru 100% |
| 1945 | Peru 100% |
| 1960 | Peru 100% |
| 1994 | Peru 100% |
| 2010 | Peru 100% |
Historic cities in Peru
Famous people of Peru
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1418 – 1471 | Pachacuti | Sapa Inca |
| c. 1478 – 1541 | Francisco Pizarro | Spanish conquistador |
| c. 1502 – 1533 | Atahualpa | Sapa Inca |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| 1532 | Battle of Cajamarca |
| 1824 | Battle of Ayacucho |
Landmarks
Machu PicchuRuins · 1450
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Peru?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Peru belonged to Peru, Viceroyalty of Peru, Huari Empire, Moche, Andean states and chiefdoms, Inca Empire, along with 8 other states.
What was Peru part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Peru lay within Huari Empire.
What was Peru part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Peru lay within Inca Empire.
What was Peru part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Peru lay within Peru.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.