LIMA. PERU

Scenically perched atop coastal cliffs, Lima was founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizzaro as La Ciudad de Los Reyes or “City of Kings.”  It soon grew into the capital of Spain’s Viceroyalty of Peru and established the oldest university in the Americas, the National University of San Marcos.  By all accounts, Lima is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South America, made even more so by the passion with which it preserves its rich past.  Its extravagant collection of  architecture spans the centuries: early colonial, Spanish baroque, neoclassical and Art Nouveau buildings all adorn the cityscape.  The historic center, graced with hundreds of balconies built during the viceroyalty era, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This write-up makes the city seem absolutely beautiful!  I guess that I didn’t see that part…… 

Our ship docked in a commercial port and we had about an hour bus ride to get to the historic city center.  The town was congested and busy and not very pretty in my opinion.  The buildings were very dated and not maintained.  

We stopped at two museums on the way to the city center - the old, historical part of town.  Both museums were very well done - and this is coming from someone who normally doesn’t like museums!

Our first stop was the Larco Museum, which is a museum owned and maintained by the Rafael Larco Hoyle family.  It includes Rafael Larco Hoyle’s personal collections of pottery, paintings, statues and textiles.  The quantity and quality of this collection is incredible and it is commendable that it has been shared with the public.  The museum also includes a charming restaurant and beautiful gardens.

We left the museum and traveled a little further to the historic city center.  As we got closer, the streetscape improved too.  I suppose as with any major city, the outskirts of town isn’t the best parts to see.  We found out that the city is divided into 42 different neighborhoods called districts, each having its own mayor.  Then there is a metropolitan mayor who is in charge of ALL the district mayors.  I found this interesting!  The following photo shows the street views as we approached the city center.  Things were looking better!

The second stop was to a former convent that now is open to the public. It is called the Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo (Our Lady of the Rosary.) It is also the location of the first University of South America.  The University was separated from the convent by cloistered doors.  

Monks currently live on premises and the architecture and gardens are stunning.  I thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

Look closely - Yep, that’s me!

In and out of the garden…..

Our final stop was at the town square or plaza. This is where the beautiful old buildings are.  The presidential palace, postal service and other government buildings form the square.  Unfortunately, our visit here was very short, but we did get to see the changing of the guard at the palace.  We would have enjoyed more time in this area!  This is the part of Lima that the write-up must have been about. Too bad we didn’t see more of it!

Doors in Lima!

There were lots of sweet little doggies all with sweaters on.