From the 100 Facts for 100 years of Machu Picchu- Fact #2

From article By Catharine Hamm Los Angeles Times Travel editor
 
2. Peru shares borders with five countries: Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile and Colombia.

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish the Incan Kingdom spanned from northern Chile and Argentina to the South, to Ecuador in the North and encompassed both Peru and Bolivia.

When the Spanish conquered the Incas they established the Vice Royalty of Peru which at its peak administered most of South America (with the exception of the Portuguese expansion of Brazil and part of Colombia).

The vice-royalty required all shipments to pass through the port of Callao to and from overseas markets. As a result the economy in Lima thrived and the population boomed from an estimated 25,000 people in 1619 to 80,000 in 1687.