Ministry of Culture

Ministerio de Cultura
Logo
Headquarters inLima, Peru
Agency overview
Formed	20 July 2010
Preceding agency	National Institute of Culture
Jurisdiction	Government of Peru
Headquarters	San Borja, Lima, Peru
Minister responsible	Fabricio Valencia
Website	www.cultura.gob.pe

TheMinistry of Culture (Spanish:Ministerio de Cultura,MINCUL) is thegovernment ministry ofPeru in charge of the promotion ofPeruvian culture and identity. It was created on 20 July 2010, during theSecond presidency of Alan García. It replaced theNational Institute of Culture (Spanish:Instituto Nacional de Cultura,INC), withJuan Ossio Acuña serving as its inaugural minister after his appointment on 4 September 2010.

As of 2025^[update], the culture minister isFabricio Valencia [es]

TheHouse of Culture of Peru (Spanish:Casa de la Cultura del Perú) was created under the government ofRicardo Pérez Godoy in 1962. The following year, Supreme Decree 48 established its headquarters at theCasa de Pilatos, in thehistoric centre of Lima, which were inaugurated on 24 July after being restored by architectHéctor Velarde Bergmann [es].^[1]

The same year, presidentNicolás Lindley López created the National Commission of Culture (Spanish:Comisión Nacional de Cultura, CNC), which was overseen and directed by the head of the House of Culture.^[2] In 1965, the CNC was dissolved and the National System for the Promotion of Culture (Spanish:Sistema Nacional de Fomento de la Cultura) was created to absorb all cultural institutions of the Peruvian State, being composed of theConsejo Superior de Fomento de la Cultura, theCasa de la Cultura del Perú, and the houses of culture for eachdepartment.^[1] The first was formed by theminister of education, a number of cultural directors (those of theNational Archive, theNational Library, the House of Culture, theNational Conservatory of Music, and theNational Superior Autonomous School of Fine Arts), and delegates from universities.^[1]

All state museums, theNational Symphony Orchestra, the National Archaeology Board, and theNational Theatre were directly dependent on the House of Culture of Peru, which also had an important bibliography, including theCultura y pueblo magazine (1964–1970), theRevista peruana de cultura (Lima, 1963–1970), and theBoletín informativo de la Casa de la Cultura del Perú (1964–1969).^[1]

TheNational Institute of Culture (Spanish:Instituto Nacional de Cultura) was created on 9 March 1971, by theRevolutionary Government as a decentralized public body of the education sector through Supreme Decree 18799, replacing the House of Culture of Peru.^[1] The INC's functions were to formulate and execute the policies and strategies of thestate in regards to cultural development, cultural conservation, and the diffusion and investigation of affairs related to the country'scultural heritage. The Regulations of the Organization and Functions of the INC were defined by Supreme Decree 027-2001-ED of 20 April 2001.

The INC continued to be based at its predecessor's headquarters until 1996, when it was replaced by theConstitutional Court of Peru. Due to this, it moved toSan Borja District, next to theMuseo de la Nación. It had a theatre called theNational Theatre of the INC,^[3] which was renamed theGrand National Theatre of Peru in 2011. It also published the reportPolítica cultural del Perú, which was printed byUNESCO.^[4]

In 1992, the Fund for Culture and the Arts was created by the institute.^[5] In 1998, ministerDomingo Palermo [es] announced that the INC would become the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (Spanish:Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural), but this never came to pass.^[6]

In 2001, government ofAlejandro Toledo created the National Commission of Culture (Spanish:Comisión Nacional de Cultura, chaired by artist and social activistVíctor Delfín and writer and scientistJose-Carlos Mariátegui (Executive Director). This commission was tasked with preparing theCultural Policy Guidelines, which outlined the need for the creation of a Ministry of Culture. However, despite repeated public promises during his term, Toledo did not legally formalise its creation, and it was deactivated in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

In mid-2002, it was integrated into the Executive Branch. In 2004, the INC collaborated withIBM to improve its asset registration system.^[7] In 2006, a weekly publication focusing on the country's relevant contributions was launched, known as theGaceta Cultural del Perú.^[8]

The ministry was officially dissolved on 1 October 2010, by Supreme Decree 001-2010-MC, being incorporated into the newly-formed ministry three months after its establishment.^[9][10]

Throughout its history, the INC was headed by the following:

• Directors-general:
  • Miguel Oviedo Chamorro (1971–1972)
  • Martha Hildebrandt Pérez-Treviño (1972–1976)
  • Jorge Cornejo Polar (1976–1978)
  • Francisco Abril de Vivero (1978–1980)
  • Ricardo Roca Rey (1980–1981)
  • Luis Enrique Tord Romero (1982–1983)
  • José del Busto Duthurburu (1983–1984)
  • Carlos Ernesto Saavedra Sánchez (1984)
  • Augusto Tamayo Vargas [es] (1984–1985)
  • Fernando Silva Santisteban (1985–1987)
  • Germán Peralta Rivera (1987–1989)
  • Fernando Cabieses Molina [es] (1989–1990)
  • Elías Mújica Barreda (1990)
  • Pedro Gjurinovic Canevaro (1990–1996)
  • Juan Guillermo Carpio Muñoz (1996)
  • Luis Arista Montoya (1996–1999)
  • Luis Repetto Málaga (1999–2000)
  • Luis Enrique Tord Romero (2000–2001)
  • Leonor Cisneros Velarde (2001)
  • Luis Guillermo Lumbreras Salcedo (2002–2006)
  • Cecilia Bákula Buge [es] (2006–2010)
• Executive directors:
  • Abelardo Sánchez León Ledgard [es] (1973–1974)
  • Rodolfo Loayza Saavedra
  • César Urueta Alcántara (1985–1986)
  • Laura Bozzo Rotondo (1989–1990)
  • Ricardo Rivera Martínez
  • Flor de María Valladolid Illescas
  • Gustavo Benza Pfucker (1999–2000)
  • Eduardo Antonio Mazzini Otero (2000–2001)
  • María Elena Córdova Burga (2001–2002)
  • Alejandro Falconi (2002–2006)

During theSecond presidency of Alan García, several bills were introduced in Congress with the aim of creating a Ministry of Culture, eventually being approved.^[11][12] The ministry was formally created through Law 29565 of 2010.^[13]

On 12 June 2020,Popular Action Congressman Jorge Vásquez presented a bill suggesting that the headquarters the ministry be moved toCuzco, the historic capital of theInca Empire.^[14] The following year, during the inauguration ofPedro Castillo, it was suggested that the name be changed (from "Ministry of Culture" to "Ministry of Cultures") and that its headquarters be moved toGovernment Palace, which ultimately did not happen.^[15]

• Minister of Culture
• Vice Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Industries
  • General Directorate of Cultural Heritage
  • General Directorate of Immovable Archaeological Heritage
  • General Directorate of Museums
  • General Directorate of Cultural Industries and the Arts
  • General Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage
  • Directorate of Audiovisual, Phonography, and New Media (DAFO)
• Vice Ministry of Interculturality
  • General Directorate of Intercultural Citizenship
  • General Directorate of Indigenous Peoples' Rights
• Secretary General
• Public prosecutor

• Tourism in Peru
• Culture of Peru
• Ministry of Foreign Commerce and Tourism

• Official website
• Official website of the National Institute of Culture (Archive)

• Ministry of Culture (Peru)
• Culture ministries
• Government ministries established in 2010
• Culture of Peru
• Lists of government ministers of Peru

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from March 2014
• Articles containing Spanish-language text
• Pages using infobox mapframe with missing coordinates
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2025
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