WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
Playwright and actor
Novelist
Writer and poet
Volleyball player
Italian-Peruvian naturalist and geographer
Singer and percussionist
Last Inca emperor
Politician, former prime Minister
Journalist and TV host
Poet
Inca warrior
Actor and comedian
Biophysicist
Poet
Doctor and researcher
Businessman, Interbank group
Journalist and writer
Poet and writer
Singer and songwriter
Writer
Film director, Berlin Golden Bear winner
Football player
Writer and journalist
Doctor and scientist
Photograph
Chess player
Industrialist
Former general
Specialist in public health
Actress and singer
Afro-Peruvian music singer
Mathematician and engineer
Indigenous chronicler
Neurologist and anthropologist
Painter
Football player
National hero, military leader
Intellectual and reformer
Chef and entrepreneur
Fashion designer
Singer-songwriter
TV presenter
Marathon runner
Indigenous Peruvian chronicler
Theologian
Former national team captain
Economist and former health minister
Inca princess
Writer and television host
Folk musician
Poet and guerrilla
Former UN secretary-general
Chef, known for fusion cuisine
Football player
Peruvian aviation pioneer
Poet and artist
Marxist philosopher and writer
Industrialist and businessman
Novelist and ethnologist
Painter and muralist
Opera tenor
Fashion designer
Cardinal of Lima
Peruvian tennis player
Football coach
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Military hero
War of the Pacific hero
The youngest mother in history
Politician
Creole music singer
Tennis player
Musician
Writer and politician
Politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party
Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
Archaeologist and anthropologist
Military leader and politician
Television host
Actress and singer
Contemporary sculptor
Women’s rights activist
Beauty queen
Astrophysicist
Heroine of independence
Mathematician and archaeologist
Historian and anthropologist
Military figure and historical figure
Fashion photographer
Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Politician
Revolutionary leader
Environmental activist
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Musician from Gaia band
War hero
Military leader and politician
Chef, known for Nikkei cuisine
Volleyball coach and former player
Environmental activist
Television personality
Writer
Football player
Epidemiologist and former health Minister
Inventor and aerospace pioneer
Soldier and inventor
Rock singer
Chef and co-owner of Central restaurant
Painter
Football player
TV presenter and actress
Actor
Writer and historian
Journalist and lawyer
Archaeologist, founder of Caral site
Monk and Saint
Saint, patron of Latin America
Physicist and engineer
World champion surfer
Actress
Oncologist
Singer, Latin Grammy winner
Former mayor of Lima
Singer
Actress
Former football player
Painter
Former football player
Painter
Inca leader
Archbishop, saint
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Revolutionary indigenous leader
Diplomat and intellectual
Sculptor and painter
Political leader, founder of APRA
Lawyer and Former prime minister
Chef of Central restaurant
Former head of secret services
Popular singer
Fashion designer
Exotic music singer
Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre is one of the most influential political figures in 20th-century Peru. Born on February 22, 1895, in Trujillo, Peru, he is best known for founding the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), a political movement that had a significant impact not only in Peru but across Latin America. Haya de la Torre was a charismatic leader, advocating for social justice, anti-imperialism, and Latin American unity. His ideas and leadership left a lasting legacy on Peruvian and regional politics.
Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre was born into a middle-class family in Trujillo. From a young age, he showed interest in political and social issues. After finishing secondary school, he moved to Lima to study law at the National University of San Marcos, where he became involved in student movements and political debates. During his university years, Haya de la Torre was greatly influenced by ideas of social justice and anti-imperialism, shaping his future political vision.
In 1924, while in exile in Mexico, Haya de la Torre founded the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The movement sought to unite anti-imperialist struggles across Latin America and promote social justice for the working classes and indigenous populations. Haya envisioned APRA as a continental movement, aiming for the liberation of Latin American countries from colonial and neo-colonial oppression. Although APRA spread to other countries, its most significant impact was in Peru.
APRA's platform was based on five fundamental principles: Latin American unity, the elimination of foreign imperialism, the nationalization of key industries, agrarian reform, and the democratization of society. Haya de la Torre advocated for a form of democratic socialism that respected civil liberties while promoting greater economic justice for the masses. These ideas made APRA a popular movement but also attracted opposition from Peru’s economic and political elites.
The Peruvian government, fearing the growing influence of APRA, persecuted Haya de la Torre and his followers. He was imprisoned multiple times and spent long periods in exile. His ideas, considered radical by Peru’s conservative elites, led to brutal repression of APRA, particularly under military regimes that sought to contain the movement's rise. Despite the repression, APRA continued to grow, becoming one of the most significant political parties in the country.
Haya de la Torre returned to Peru several times throughout his career, despite the risks of persecution. In 1945, he played a key role in the election of José Luis Bustamante y Rivero as president, an APRA ally. However, after a military coup in 1948, APRA was again repressed, and Haya was forced into exile once more. It wasn’t until 1956, during the presidency of Manuel A. Odría, that APRA was legalized, allowing Haya to re-enter Peruvian politics formally.
Despite being a central figure in Peruvian politics for decades, Haya de la Torre never became president. He ran for the presidency multiple times but was often defeated due to electoral fraud or opposition from the military. In 1963, he was elected President of the Congress of the Republic, marking the pinnacle of his political career. In this role, he continued to advocate for social reform and economic justice, although he was never able to implement his full political vision on a national scale as president.
Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre left a lasting legacy on both Peruvian and Latin American politics. His ideology of social justice, economic nationalism, and Latin American unity inspired numerous political movements across the region. In Peru, APRA remained one of the country’s most influential political parties for decades, even after his death in 1979. Though he never held the presidency, Haya de la Torre is widely regarded as one of the most important political leaders in Peruvian history.
Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre was a visionary leader who left an indelible mark on the history of Peruvian and Latin American politics. His fight for social justice, anti-imperialism, and the unity of Latin American peoples made him a historic figure. Although he never achieved the presidency, his influence on politics and social movements remains significant, and his ideology continues to inspire future generations of activists and politicians throughout the continent.