On May 31, 1970, a devastating earthquake, estimated at magnitude 7.9, struck the north coast of Peru, with the mountain city of Huaraz being particularly hard hit. The quake triggered a massive mudslide that buried the city, killing an estimated 67,000 people. This was one of the deadliest earthquakes in Latin American history and a major humanitarian crisis. The disaster exposed the extreme vulnerability of the Andean region to seismic events and led to significant improvements in disaster preparedness.

The 1970 Peruvian earthquake inspired a wave of Latin American poetry and literature, with poets mourning the loss and critiquing the social and political conditions that made the poor so vulnerable. The event is a significant theme in the literature of Peru and the Andes, where it is often used to explore the relationship between human suffering and the environment. It continues to influence the work of contemporary Latin American writers, who see the disaster as a symbol of the region's ongoing struggles.