The Port of Callao was first used by Spaniards in the 16th century to load their ships with treasures stolen from the Inca Empire. It remained a Spanish stronghold until 1826. During the 1940s, it had the dubious distinction of being a terminal for cocaine shipments. Since then, it has become Peru’s largest port and handles about 20% of the country’s cargo using these massive container cranes. The 117 acre harbor includes the cruise ship terminal named Cruise Portao.
