After Peru declared its independence, the general José de San Martín began a public contest to select the National March, which was published on 7 August 1821 in the ministerial gazette.

The contest called upon professors of poetry, composers and general aficionados, to send their signed productions to the Ministry of the State before 18 September, the day in which a designated commission would decide which of them would be adopted as the "National March".

Seven compositions were entered, and on a prefixed day, they were reviewed and played in the following order: After hearing the last production of José Bernardo Alcedo, General José de San Martín stood up and exclaimed, "Without a doubt, this is the National Anthem of Peru."

The following day, a signed decree confirmed this opinion expressed in the midst of great enthusiasm and jubilation.

The anthem was first performed publicly in the night of 23 September 1821 in the Theater of Lima, in the presence of San Martín and the supporters of independence, who on that day were once more gathered in the capital.

The voice of Rosa Merino, was the first to sing the lyrics to the anthem, from the original verses from the poet José de la Torre Ugarte from Ica.

Upon hearing the music and the lyrics of the National Anthem for the first time, the audience responded with a standing ovation directed at Alcedo, who conducted the orchestra.

Diverse publications of the anthem had subtle modifications in the lyrics and the music, which was then restored by Claudio Rebagliati in 1869 at the behest of Alcedo.

In 1874 there was a solicitation which asked for a revision to the lyrics of the anthem, in light of the various versions in circulation, as well as the minor mistakes which were found.

This initiative was approved, but did not prosper, due to the rejection that it generated in the public opinion at its core and the recognition that it had already become a time honored tradition.

The lyrics also had references to the great South American liberator hero Simón Bolívar as well as José de San Martín, the nation's founder, in the first verse.

Public pressure was so great that the Peruvian Congress was obligated in 1913 during the administration of President Guillermo Billinghurst to declare untouchable the lyrics as well as the chorus of the National Anthem.

Glory erected in millennia of history molded the national sentiment and it was the yell of Túpac Amaru which alerts, which demands and which impels, towards liberty.

And the creole and the Indian embrace yearning for a single ideal and the sacrifice of their soul and blood that gave the white and reds of the emblem that announced to the world that Peru rises sovereign.

In similar form to previous attempts, it was imposed during official ceremonies and in schools and during the administration of General President Francisco Morales Bermudez the last stanza was sung instead of the first.

But these attempts also had no success and the original anthem was once again sung when his successor Fernando Belaunde Terry became President in 1980.

The Constitutional Tribunal determined in June 2005 that the first stanza in the anthem (Largo tiempo...) was not written by José de la Torre Ugarte and that was just a popular folklore,[1] but its insertion into the history of the anthem expressed the will of the people represented in Law N° 1801 passed by Congress which declares it an intangible subject.

The Peruvian Armed Forces and National Police of Peru also adopted the new official verse, with a new music video of the anthem made for this purpose at the same month as the adoption of the now official seventh verse of the national anthem.

The "stand at attention" posture is done when it is played for civilians while military, police and fire personnel must render hand salutes when out of formation.

Lima fulfilled this solemn vow, and, severe, its anger showed by throwing out the powerless tyrant, who had been trying, who had been trying, who had been trying to extend his oppression.