The sample of 15,991 women was drawn from the 2000 Peru Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative household survey of more than 27,000 women ages 15 to 49. The study sample was restricted to women currently living with a partner. The dependent variable was physical abuse between heterosexual partners according to the Gelles' (1997) definition of violence as "an act carried out with the intention or perceived intention of causing physical pain or injury to another person." Individual-level variables pertained to education, age when first becoming involved with the partner, and family background of violence. Current family-level variables and community-level variables were also measured. Data were analyzed with a series of logistic regression models. Intimate partner violence was related to low educational attainment, early union formation, and a violent family background. Couple relationships linked to intimate partner violence were characterized by cohabitation, large family size, and low socioeconomic status. Nearly two-thirds of the abused women reported that their partners sometimes came home drunk; and an additional 7 percent reported that their partners frequently came home drunk. In addition to the previous factors, the woman's being employed and inconsistencies in husband-wife educational levels and decisionmaking power were linked to intimate partner violence. The findings indicate that many risk markers for abuse in industrialized settings transcend culture to similarly influence abuse in Peru. Study limitations and future research are discussed. 2 tables and 47 references