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,
Old Peru, Iowa Old Peru, Iowa Old Peru (also Peru, pronounced "PEE-roo") is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Iowa, United States. Its elevation is 1,122 feet (342 m). Although Old Peru is unincorporated, it once had a post office under the name of Peru; the office was established on 18 April 1853 and closed on 14 September 1903. Even though the community's post office has been closed for over a century, ZIP Code 50222 is still reserved for Peru. Old Peru was laid out as a town in 1855, but it declined when the railroad missed it by a mile, and in