Order of the Sun of Peru

Order of the Sun
Awarded by the Republic of Peru
Eligibility	All
Awarded for	Civil and military merit
Status	Currently awarded
Description	purple ribbon
Statistics
Established	8 October 1821, discontinued 1825 re-established 1921
Precedence
Next (higher)	none

The Order of the Sun of Peru (in Spanish: La Orden El Sol del Peru), formerly known as The Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in the Americas, first being established in 1821.

The Order was originally instituted on 8 October 1821 by General José de San Martín on reaching Lima to recognize those who had distinguished themselves in the campaign against the Spanish Royalist. It was discontinued four years later, after many grantees started to use the award as a nobility title, similar to the earlier Castile titles awarded by the colonial government. All such nobility titles were abolished by 1828.

The Order was re-established in 1921.

The award consists of the following classes:

...
Wikipedia