Peru was heavily indebted, and political in-fighting was again on the rise. Peru embarked on a railroad-building program that helped but also bankrupted the country. In 1879, Peru entered the War of the Pacific which lasted until 1884. Bolivia invoked its alliance with Peru against Chile. The Peruvian Government tried to mediate the dispute by sending a diplomatic team to negotiate with the Chilean government, but the committee concluded that war was inevitable. Chile declared war on 5 April 1879. Almost five years of war ended with the loss of the department of Tarapacá and the provinces of Tacna and Arica,
Peru Andean, Spanish, and African roots. In pre-Hispanic times, musical expressions varied widely in each region; the "quena" and the "tinya" were two common instruments. Spaniards introduced new instruments, such as the guitar and the harp, which led to the development of crossbred instruments like the "charango". African contributions to Peruvian music include its rhythms and the "cajón", a percussion instrument. Peruvian folk dances include marinera, tondero, zamacueca, diablada and huayno. Peru Peru (; ; ; ), officially the Republic of Peru (), is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in