DISAPPEARING HISTORIC LIMA

August 28, 2017 SouthAmerica

Most people when first flying into Callao to visit Lima, typically on their way to Machu Picchu, will see a heinous spread of humanity, which in many places could be described as brick, cement, and dirt hell on Earth. There is more to Lima than this, and some isolated parts can be very enjoyable, but these are along the coast, the historic center is another beast altogether. Apart from the ridiculously insane terrible traffic in Lima one suffers to visit the center of Lima, once you reach the Plaza de Armas, you will find the view to be one of the best plazas in South America- but just hang on to your wallet! The fray of teeming human activity has taken its toll on the center of Lima– old buildings rot forgotten, gutted, or rebuilt with ramshackle intent outside of anything representing building codes. Earthquakes have damaged the center many times over the last centuries. To see historic Lima takes some research, and appreciation of the long history of the place, then elements come together beyond the spray paint, trash, noise, and desperation.

Plaza de Armas de Lima - Peru — Lima Plaza de Armas

10 Important Characteristics of Historic Lima

1.Its name Lima comes from the word Rimac which is the main river the crosses the city, it is a Quechua word meaning Talkative River because of the noise that the river makes when in high season. This word with time became mispronounced Lima.

2.Before the Incas the Rimac and Lurin region was inhabited by the Ichma people, between the years of 900 and 1470 A.D. They left their ceremony center Pachacamac and their pyramids used as an irrigation system through the valleys.

3.The Spanish city of Lima capital of Peru was founded on January 18^th 1535, with the title of “Ciudad de los Reyes” for its importance during the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1532 the Spanish Conquistadores lead by Francisco Pizarro, overthrew the Inca King and his empire.

4.It was Francisco Pizarro who became governor who founded Lima as the “City of Kings.” Lima was also a site for “The Real Audiencia” (the court) in 1543. Lima located in the central coast of Peru, between the valleys of Rimac, Chillon and Lurin rivers, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in the skirt of the western slope of the central Andes of Peru.

5.Lima was the most important city in South America during the Spanish monarchy, functioning as the Centre for commercial network between America, Europe and Asia for two centuries.

6.Two main earthquakes hit Lima the first one was in 1687 this earthquake destroyed much of the city and its surroundings followed by famine and epidemics leading to a decreased in population to only 40,000 in 1692. The second earthquake in 1746 completely destroyed the port of Callao. A tsunami here washed ships several kilometers inland.

7.July 28^th in 1821 Peru declared its independence from Spain held at the Plaza Mayor de Lima.

8.El Jiron de la Union it is the name of a very famous street in the historic center in Lima, for many years it was the most important route in the city were aristocrats and famous people from the city met. Later on after deterioration of the historical city this avenue turned into a commercial venue.

9.The port of Callao in the central coast of Peru, port of the city of Lima is one of the main ports in South America due to its storage capacity. Important for modern trade, this port was also always a center of trade, including serving as a stopover for Clipper ships taking the route from the Eastern USA to the west coast after passing the foul-weathered horn.

10.The city of Lima also holds the oldest University in the Americas “La Universidad Mayor de San Marcos” founded in 1551, which then was within the Convento de los Religiosos Dominicos de la ciudad de Lima. Today the university holds two public institutions El Centro Cultural San Marcos and El Museo Natural de Historia.

Catedral de Lima - Peru — Lima´s Cathedral Church

Palacio de Gobierno de Lima - Peru — Palacio de Gobierno Lima – Peru

Lima Then and Now. In 1748 Lima measured 3.4 km east-west (22 blocks) and 2.15 km north-south (17 blocks). In 2017 the city covers 24 km east-west, and 59 km NW-SE. The original city plan had a circular out limits, often represent on maps as being a medieval style city wall. We have not seen evidence of an actual structure built along this perimeter. The out limits can roughly be seen in the trace of Avenida Miguel Grau, Calle Paris, Amazonas and Rio Rimac, Sancho de Rivera, Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, and Jiron Miguel Aljovin. Lima now has a population approaching 11 million people, making it the third largest metropolitan in the Americas (behind Mexico City and São Paulo). It reached the one million mark in 1950. The city in 1925 had a population around 250,000. In 1593 the population was at 13,000.

What is left of old Lima? Much of the center Lima streets and blocks are the same was when first laid out; the buildings on these sites have changed through time. The main churches retain structures dating back to old Lima. Many of the buildings were reworked in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Plaza de Armas, and others like Plaza Italia, occupy the same footprint, but have been resurfaced many times over. The Colonial Lima once had a surrounding wall, as mentioned above, but we have not found any remains of this. Colonial-age buildings are spread about, but there is no coherent old city to see. One must read the accounts, research former positions, and take physical there mentally reconstructed approach to seeing historic Lima, finding the left-overs in this massive city that has no plan and is constantly being rebuilt in the pursuit of immediate money. Although the historic wall can be seen in the wall park one block north from the San Francisco convent. Who cares for what is left of historic Lima? The place has been disappearing even as it grows larger.