Stamps of Peru - Printable Version

+- Kingston Stamp Club Community Forum (https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum)
+-- Forum: Philatelic Discussions - Country / Region Specific Forums (https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=24)
+--- Forum: Central and South America and Mexico (https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=31)
+--- Thread: Stamps of Peru (/showthread.php?tid=111)

---

Stamps of Peru - Hugh - 28-09-2025

So ... is it a fort if we think it's a fort?

In 1962 Peru issued a series of stamps with the image of the ruins of a large pyramid structure, with four levels, built on a hill near what is today the town of Paramonga.

During the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the early 16thC, the structure reminded those who saw it of a European Fortress. And, so it became known as the Fortress of Paramonga. In 1541 Pedro Cieza de León wrote, "The buildings were very handsome, and many wild beasts and birds were painted on the walls, which are now all in ruins and undermined in many places by those who have searched for buried gold and silver. In these days the fortress only serves as a witness to that which has been" [Wikipedia].

It was old when the Inca Empire was new.

More recent archaeology suggests, however, that the complex had a more religious purpose. But who knows? Fort or Temple? As de León suggested, it is a silent witness to a distant past.

Stamp:
Peru: Definitive Series of 1962
Fortaleza de Paramonga, Ruinas Incas
Issued on November 19, 1962
1s [Peruvian Sol], Rose-carmine
Mi.Nr. 622

[attachment=257]

Satellite photo by Peru-Sat1

[attachment=258]

---

RE: Stamps of Peru - Hugh - 22-01-2026

This is a rather tiny (13.75cm x 7.75cm) example of a Postal Stationary envelope from Peru. This particular example is probably from 1883 or 1884. It has a 5 centavos green indicium with the arms of Peru in the centre and 'Correos / Cinco Centavos' above and below - there is an Arabic numeral 5 on each side. At the time, 5c was the standard domestic letter rate for the first weight step (~15 grams).

Why I date it to 1883 or 1884 is because of the red hand stamp to the left. It reads, 'Caja Fiscal de Lima' [Lima Tax Fund] and is the same hand-stamp that Chile used to create occupation stamps following the 'Pacific War' with Peru. The Pacific War (1879-1884) was fought between Chile and an alliance of Bolivia and Peru. The war ended with victory for Chile who then occupied part of Peru before annexing significant resource-rich territory.

This is a nice item for my occupation collection. Used examples are very scarce as these envelopes were withdrawn from service almost immediately.

[attachment=1123]

As an aside .. after a recent exchange on revenue and monetary policy with another collector -- I found myself wondering about the 'Lima Tax Fund'. Contemporary newspapers in Peru accused Chile of extracting wealth though taxes, forced loans and customs revenues. There is no proof, of course. The Memoria de Guerra y Marina, the official report issued by Chile's Ministry of War and Navy [Ministerio de Guerra y Marina] framed the collection of taxes as essential for maintaining order and paying for local governance. Naturally, they'd say that (smile).

It is certainly plausible that some of the Caja Fiscal de Lima’s income (including stamp‐based revenues) went back to Chile’s national treasury rather than being spent exclusively on Lima’s administration. Who knows?

There was no clear international treaty before 1907 that outright forbade that practice. The 1874 Brussels Declaration and the 1888 Oxford Manual laid out evolving norms for managing occupation finances, but that was after the war and, in any event, would not have been binding on Chile or Peru (or any other country). And, in fact, even the Oxford Declaration did not explicitly forbid sending monies back to the occupying power.

Cheers, Hugh

---