Peru
"Marcha Nacional" (National March)

Words by: José de la Torre Ugarte
Music by: José Bernardo Alzedo
Adopted: 1822

The first leader of Peru declared a contest to compose a new national anthem shortly after independence. The winning anthem, with six verses, is an example of the "Latin American epic anthem" style typical of others in the region. It was sung for the first time in the Principal Theatre of Lima on the night of 24 September 1821 and was chosen as Peru's national anthem on 15 April 1822. In 1869 there were a few revisions made to the original lyrics. The anthem was adopted officially in 1913.