Viceroyalty of Peru
Created in
1542, the
Viceroyalty of Peru (in
Spanish,
Virreinato del Perú) contained most of
Spanish-ruled
South America until the creation of the separate viceroyalties of
New Granada (now
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Panamá and
Venezuela, the last-named previously in the Viceroyalty of
New Spain) in
1717 and the
Río de la Plata (
Argentina,
Bolivia,
Paraguay and
Uruguay) in
1776. The Viceroyalty ended with the independence of the republics of
Chile (
1818) and
Peru (
1821).
During the 17th century the Viceroyalty contained six audiencias or provincial administrations: Panamá, Santa Fé de Bogotá (Colombia), Quito (Ecuador), Lima (Peru proper), Charcas (Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay) and Chile.
See also: Viceroyalty, South America