Peruvian band created from the Universidad Tuna Nueva Amistad on April 22, 1978 by director Édgar García Cossío with musicologist, Aurelio Tello Malpartida. The initial band was completed with Iván Catacora, Juan Carlos Dianteras, Percy Navarro and César González , with occasional collaborations by Ada Allende. The name Alturas was adopted from the song "Alturas" from [a=Horacio Salinas], popularized by [a=Inti Illimani]. The name was also chosen since all its members were born in the highlands ("alturas") of Peru. In 1979, two more members joined: Miguel Osorio who retired in 1983, and Luis Medina.