The origins of pisco started when the Spanish Conquistadores invaded Peru in 1532. At the time, the Conquistadores brought wine, but in little amounts, and they were destined only for the Holy Church. In 1553, to meet the growing demand for wine in the new country, the Marquis Francisco de Caravantes imported grapes from the Spanish Canary Islands. By 1563 vineyards were planted in the sunny lands of arid city of Ica in the south of Peru, which became the cradle of pisco in Peru.