Discovered part of Peru near the desert (9)
I believe the answer is:
unearthed
'discovered' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'part of peru near the desert' is the wordplay.
'part of' indicates a hidden word.
'UNEARTHED' is hidden within 'peru near the desert'.
(Other definitions for unearthed that I've seen before include "Excavated, brought to light" , "Discovered something hidden by digging" , "Dug up" , "found" , "unsafe condition of electrical apparatus" .)