On August 3, 1821, just six days after proclaiming
Peru's independence,
José de San Martín created three
Secretariats of State (this date is commemorated annually as ''Diplomat's Day''): • The
Secretariat of State and Foreign Affairs (), headed by
Juan García del Río. • The
Secretariat of War and the Navy, headed by Lieutenant Colonel
Bernardo de Monteagudo • The
Secretariat of Finance, headed by Dr.
Hipólito Unanue. Two years later, Peru's
first Political Constitution, promulgated on November 12, 1823, consolidated the existence of these three secretariats, giving them the name "ministry" (
ministerio). On March 21, 1824,
Simón Bolívar issued a decree in
Trujillo reducing the three ministries to a single one, which would become the
General Secretariat of Affairs of the Peruvian Republic (), under Colonel José Gabriel Pérez. However, shortly thereafter, the Governing Junta repealed the decree, reestablishing the three ministries. On June 1, 1826,
José de la Mar, following Bolívar's orders, decreed the creation of six Secretariats of State: Foreign Affairs;
Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs;
Interior;
Treasury;
War, and
Navy. These six secretariats were to be distributed among four Ministries:
Foreign Affairs and Interior; Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs; Treasury; and War and Navy. At the end of that same year, Bolívar drafted his Lifetime Constitution, which was sworn in on December 9 and changed the names of the ministries to Secretariat Offices (). After Bolívar left Peru, La Mar issued a new Constitution. Under this Constitution, only three Ministries of State were established: one of
Government and Foreign Affairs; another of War and Navy; and another of Finance. This Constitution was replaced in 1834, and during the government of General
Luis José de Orbegoso, the administration of the three Ministries was to be consolidated into a General Secretariat. Later, during the brief administration of General
Felipe Salaverry, the three Ministries created by San Martín in 1821 were reinstated. Once the
Peru–Bolivian Confederation was established,
Andrés de Santa Cruz ordered these three Ministries to be in charge of the Confederation's affairs. Following the
fall of the Confederation, the Constitution of 1839 was enacted, and a fourth Ministry was added: the Ministry of Public Instruction, Charity, and Ecclesiastical Affairs. In the following years, a General Ministry was once again created, but it was abolished in August 1844, reestablishing only two Ministries: the
Ministry of Government and Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Finance. In April 1845, during the government of Ramón Castilla, four ministries were reestablished:
Foreign Affairs; Government; War and Navy; and Finance. By Decree No. 90 of July 31, 1846, Castilla created the
Peruvian Diplomatic Service (). In June 1855, the Ministry was organized as the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Public Education. The following year, in November 1856, the Constitution established that there would normally be five Ministries: Foreign Affairs; Government, Worship, and Public Works; Justice, Education, and Charity; War and Navy; and Finance and Commerce. In March 1857, the Foreign Ministry was internally organized into two sections: the Overseas and Continental sections. In April 1878, during
Mariano Ignacio Prado's second administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was reorganised. Under this arrangement, the Ministry was divided into two sections: the Diplomatic Section, and the Consulates, Chancery, and Accounting Sections, replacing the Overseas and Continental sections, respectively. Following the aforementioned modifications, a series of measures were enacted from 1903 to 2006 regarding the internal organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. By Supreme Decree 025-2007-Re of April 20, 2007, the
Peruvian Antarctic Institute became part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ==Organisation==