Ricardo Palma founds the Peruvian Academy of Language

Background. The Peruvian Academy of Language is a cultural institution dedicated to literary figures, writers, poets, linguists, and scholars specializing in the Spanish language in Peru. It functions as a collective member of the Association of Spanish Language Academies, maintaining ties with the Real Academia Española.

Founding. The academy was formally established in Lima on May 5, 1887. However, its inauguration was delayed due to the War of the Pacific, during which the Chilean occupation of Lima resulted in the removal of books from the National Library of Peru as war spoils.

Ricardo Palma's Relationship to the Real Academia Española. Ricardo Palma, a Peruvian author, scholar, librarian, and politician, was a staunch defender of peruanismos. He documented these usages in works like Papeletas lexicográficas and Neologismos y americanismos, and campaigned for recognition by the Real Academia Española of the Latin-American and Peruvian contributions to the Spanish language. This advocacy formed the linguistic context surrounding the Academy's establishment.