Peruvian Culture:
 

 

Greetings:
•    Women or men meeting women usually greet with a kiss on the cheek.
•    Men shake hands.
•    As in comparison to those in the west, they will stand very close together when conversing.
•    Time-keeping is erratic. Peruvians think nothing of arriving an hour or so late to social occasions. You may prefer to specify that you want to meet “en punto” to make sure it is clear you expect to meet more or less at an exact time.

Meals:
•    When dining, keep your hands above the table. The best position is for your wrist to lightly be on the table. No elbows on the table.
•    During dinner, politeness requires guest to eat everything on plate or to politely excuse himself.
•    To signal you are finished eating: place your knife and fork parallel across plate.
•    Apart from the most exclusive spots, most restaurants have a set lunch menu.

Gestures:
•    Head tap: “I’m thinking” or “think”
•    Tapping near the temple, “That’s very intelligent”
•    When seated crossed legs are acceptable, but it is customary to do so at the knee and not the ankle.
•    Beckon someone with extending the arm palm down and wiggle the fingers in a scratching motion.
•    When you are about to eat a piece of candy, offer some to those around you before eating.
•    If photographing members of an Indian population, be certain to obtain permission first. There is a belief that photographing children will take their souls away.
•    Shaking the hand up and down at the wrist with fingers flapping: if done slowly it means “What a lot!” but if done rapidly and with the elbow raised it means, “Oh, boy, we’re in for it!”
•    Tapping the underside of the elbow with fingers means “cheap or stingy”
•    Tugging the corner of the eye downward with finger means, “Be careful” or “Look out!”
•    Pointing can be done by pursing the lips and motioning in the desired direction. Never point with the fore-finger to a person or a group of people. This is a sign of disrespect or poor breeding.

Social:
Shopping:
•    For the privilege of shopping in an attractive shopping center, expect to pay more.  A street market has lower prices however, in markets, expect to bargain. 

References for cultural study: