Pedro Castillo and the 500-Year-Old Lima vs Rural Divide
A vast, ancient gap in living standards helps explain the presidential frontrunner’s appeal. Pedro Castillo speaks during a debate on May 1 from his community of Chota, in Cajamarca.CESAR BAZAN/AFP via Getty Images
Correction appended below
In 1532, in Peru’s highland region of Cajamarca, the Spanish invader Francisco Pizarro captured the last Incan emperor, Atahualpa, in a surprise massacre that ensured the empire’s demise.
Today, Cajamarca may once again be the site of a historic turning point – as the home of Pedro Castillo, the leftist farmer and schoolteacher who is now the frontrunner to win a June 6 runoff and become Peru’s next president. His insurgent campaign has emphasized the vast gap in living standards between Lima and the countryside, a problem with roots going back to the conquest of the 16