A WIRRAL professor has been given the highest civilian honour from the country he has devoted his life to studying.

Professor John Fisher has been made a Great Officer of the order of The Sun of Peru, an honour founded in 1821 after Peru declared independence.

The award is the oldest civilian award in the Americas and Prof Fisher is among only a few to have be awarded it in the UK.

It means the 65-year-old professor, from Greasby, can now wear his gold-plated honour by special permission of The Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Prof Fisher, who has taught Latin American History at the University of Liverpool for 42 years, said he was delighted by the honour but admitted he was “just in the right place at the right time”.

He took his job at the university in 1966 as Harold Wilson was setting up five national research centres to study parts of the world which had significant economic importance for Britain.

Prof Fisher said: “Liverpool was given Peru and the Andean region and was asked to build up the country’s research collection.”

His studies have taken Prof Fisher back and forth to Peru and Latin American exploring everything from the importance of silver mining in the colonial period and the exportation of raw material to revolts and peasant uprisings.

His work has explained why such a large Inca empire was captured and destroyed by just 180 Spaniards back in 1572.

Prof Fisher said: “The Spaniards were tough and greedy and had a strong sense of mission to convert the Peruvians to Catholicism.