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Irala, Domingo Martínez de

(Encyclopedia)Irala, Domingo Martínez de dōmēngˈgō märtēˈnās dā ēräˈlä [key], d. 1556 or 1557, first governor of Paraguay. Of Basque origin, he accompanied Pedro de Mendoza on his expedition to La Pla...

Las Casas, Bartolomé de

(Encyclopedia)Las Casas, Bartolomé de bärtōlōmāˈ dā läs käˈsäs [key], 1474–1566, Spanish missionary and historian, called the apostle of the Indies. He went to Hispaniola with his father in 1502, and e...

tomato

(Encyclopedia)tomato, plant (Lycopersicon esculentum) of the family Solanaceae (nightshade family), related to the potato and eggplant. Although cultivated in Mexico and Peru for centuries before the European conqu...

O'Higgins, Bernardo

(Encyclopedia)O'Higgins, Bernardo ōēˈgēns [key], 1778–1842, South American revolutionary and ruler (1817–23) of Chile; illegitimate son of Ambrosio O'Higgins. He was chosen in 1813 to replace José Miguel ...

Brownell, Herbert, Jr.

(Encyclopedia)Brownell, Herbert, Jr. brounĕlˈ [key], 1904–96, U.S. attorney general (1953–57), b. Peru, Nebr. A lawyer in private practice in New York City (1927–53, 1957–89), he became active in the Repu...

Pachacamac

(Encyclopedia)Pachacamac päˌchäkämäkˈ [key], ruins of a walled Native American settlement, Peru, about 25 mi (40 km) SE of Lima in the Lurin Valley. This site, which contains a number of pyramids, was conside...

Navajo, indigenous people of North America

(Encyclopedia)Navajo or Navaho both: näˈvəhō [key], Native North Americans whose language belongs to the Athabascan branch of the Nadene linguistic stock (see Native American languages). A migration from the No...

Urubamba

(Encyclopedia)Urubamba o͞oro͞obämˈbä [key], river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in the Andes Mts., S Peru, and flowing generally north to join the Apurímac River to form the Ucayali. The Urubamba is extensi...

Sagasti Hochausler, Francisco Rafael

(Encyclopedia)Sagasti Hochausler, Francisco Rafael, 1944–, Peruvian political leader. An industrial engineer by training, he has served as an adviser to Peruvian governments and as a government official, and has ...

four-o'clock

(Encyclopedia)four-o'clock, common name for members of the Nyctaginaceae, a family of plants found in warm climates, especially in the Americas, chiefly as herbs but often in the tropics as shrubs or trees. Species...