Lima:
Located halfway down the dry, dusty, desert coastline of Peru, Lima is by the Pacific Ocean on the west side and with the foothills of the Andes mountain range on the east.
The capital of Peru is an overcrowded, polluted and noisy metropolis. The contrast between poverty and wealth is most visible along the coast on either side of the city within the miles of shantytowns, and the glitter of apartment and office buildings in the affluent seaside suburbs.
During the Spanish colonial rule, Lima was considered the most important and prosperous city in Spanish America. It was called “The City of Kings’. Today Lima is a bustling city with a mix of nationalities, a rich heritage and about 8,200,000 people, at last count.
Lima dominates the country’s political and commercial life and it is the major gateway to the rest of the country. Several of Peru’s best museums, restaurants and nightlife are here. There is an old colonial center with a certain elegance because of its old churches and convents, old mansions, central plazas, and colonial-style buildings.
The focal point of the city's life is the central square, the Plaza de las Armas. It is dominated by the huge national palace and cathedral. The cathedral, begun by Pizarro and containing what are claimed to be his remains, was almost totally destroyed by earthquakes in 1687 and 1746, along with much of the city.
There are simply too many places to visit in Lima during the short time that most tourists have to visit. We only visited a few of the places and are showing some of these places on this page.
Plaza de Armas Or Plaza Mayor:
National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru Or Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú:
Huaca Pucllana or Juliana:
Located in the district of Miraflores, located at General Borgoño Street. Huaca Pullana is a ceremonial center dating from earliest stages of the Lima culture in 200 - 700 AD.
Huaca Pullana, is made from small handmade, sun-dried brick, is 22 meters high. It is divided into two areas, one for ceremonial and another for administration. Huaca Pullana has a pyramidal shape, dedicated to the god Pachacámac.
Monument to Tauli Chusco:
A large stone in place in Pasaje Santa Rosa, a small street leading into the Plaza Mayor, beside de Hall City, commemorates Tauli Chusco, the last Curaca or Indian governor of the Rímac Valley. This monument was unveiled on the 450th anniversary of the founding of the city of Lima.
The Peru government palace was set up on the ruins of the residence of Tauli Chusco, cacic of Rimac.
When founding Lima ( 1535 ) , Francisco Pizarro awarded to conqueror Jeronimo de Aliaga a piece of land owned by curaca Tauli Chusco
Government Palace:
Also known as the House of Pizarro because since the foundation of Lima, this was the place where the conqueror worked and lived until his death in 1541. It has magnificent halls such as the Salon Dorado where important paintings are exhibited.
It also has an elegant area which is the official residence of the President of Peru.
Located on the north side of the Plaza de Armas, the Palacio de Gobierno or Government Place, is the residence of the president of Peru. It is easily recognizable by the large wrought iron fence that surrounds the building and lines one side of the Plaza de Armas.
The location of the Government Palace is of historical importance for two main reasons. It was house of Taulichusco, the ruler of the Rimac Valley during that time period.
This was also the location where Jose San Martín declared the Independence of Peru on July 28, 1821.
La Catedral - The Cathedral of Lima:
The conqueror Francisco Pizarro put the first stone of the Cathedral the same day of the foundation of Lima. The church was placed under the invocation of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, and on May 11, 1540 the holy sacred heart of Jesus was placed for the first time. From then on it had different rebuilt due to earthquakes. Particularly noteworthy are its altars consecrated to Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo and the Virgen de la Evangelización. Pope John Paul II crowned the statue of the Virgen de la Evangelización, a gift sent by King Carlos V of the Spain, in a special ceremony during his visit to Peru in 1985. Other outstanding features are the choirstalls, the churrigueresque (Spanish baroque) chapel of the Immaculate, the main altar and a Christ made of carved ivory. Entering to the right is the crypt with remains of the conqueror Francisco Pizarro. The Museum of Religious Art is located in the Sacristy. To one side of the Church is located the Bishop Palace with beautiful balconies.
San Francisco Cathedral:
San Francisco most important religious monument of Lima. Consecrated in 1673, built in 1542 in Baroque style, of great aesthetic beauty. This group is conformed by the temple, a convent, the chapels of "La Soledad" and "El Milagro" and its external little plaza. Under the temple and convent there are underground galleries transformed into gloomy catacombs that served as a cemetery of Lima during the viceroyalty. The temple of three naves, an altar completely carved, beautiful sacristy, wide windows and a rich pictorial collection. The convent has cloisters, plazas, library and living rooms. The portal is adorned with authentic Sevillian tiles placed in 1620. It has a "Museo de Arte Religioso" (religious art museum) and the room Zurbarán with the collection of the Apostles. Declared "Cultural World Heritage Site" by UNESCO. Restored few years ago with support of "Banco de Crédito del Perú".
It occupies the same place that the first town hall of the colony, Nicolás de Ribera "the Old" founded in Lima on 1535. Its current construction corresponds to 1939, work of José Alvarez C., Emilio Harth Terré and Ricardo de Jara Malachowski. Beautiful colonial wooden balconies, of sober and elegant interior. The Hall City has an important collection of Peruvian paintings and photographs, as well as the historical documents of the Founding of Lima on January 18, 1535 and the Independence of Peru, obtained in 1821.
Plaza San Martin:
Santo de la Espada, The Knight of the Andes - Statues, plazas, streets, schools, monuments - all dedicated to José de San Martín. Revered in Argentina as the military hero who brought independence to the country; in Chile as the general who aided Bernardo O'Higgins in ousting the Spanish royalists; in Peru as the man who ended the vice-royalty system and liberated the country.
Parque del Amor:
One unexpected surprise in Miraflores was the Parque del Amor, a park on the cliffs overlooking the ocean devoted to romance. The poet Antonio Cilloniz had lamented that "In the cities, they do not build monuments to lovers", a reaction, no doubt, to all the monuments in South America (and everywhere else) devoted to those who had distinguished themselves in battle by either winning or dying. Miraflores decided to prove the exception and built the Parque del Amor, which features a prominent statue of two lovers in a passionate embrace over Cilloniz's words. (Can you imagine such a monument in the U.S.?)
We passed through this city several times between April 11, 2006 and May 01, 2006.
