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| Other sites of interest |
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 Torre Tagle Palace
This building, constructed in 1730 by the Marquis of Torre Tagle, Treasurer of the Royal Spanish Armada, is one of the best examples of colonial architecture in the country. Its façade is very impressive with its two beautiful carved wooden balconies and the baroque stonework. Inside it is decorated with a series of Moorish style arches, glazed Seville ceramic tiles and handsome coffered ceilings. Today it is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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 Aliaga House
Next to the Government Palace and built over a pre-Hispanic sanctuary, this house has been inhabited without any interruption since 1535 by the descendants of this old Lima family, making it the city’s oldest mansion. It has large and luxurious reception rooms, coffered ceilings and a lovely interior patio, characteristic of Lima’s stately colonial homes. Today a number of cultural events are held on its premises.
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| * Photographs: PromPerú |
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Lima, the capital of Peru, is located towards the center of western South America, where the Pacific Ocean flows along its coastline. Founded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, it became the most important city in the Viceroyalty of Peru. The significant examples of colonial art and architecture it preserves led to its being declared by UNESCO a World Cultural Heritage Site.
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Planes from the world’s most important capital cities fly into Jorge Chávez International Airport.
The Pan American Highway runs into Peru from Ecuador and Chile and links up Lima with other cities on the Peruvian coast. All overland bus services have their own terminals.
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Tourist Attractions |
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 Plaza Mayor (main square)
The site of Lima’s foundation by the Spaniards, the Plaza Mayor has seen the unfolding of the most important events in Peru’s history.
It was originally surrounded by small shops and establishments and also served on occasion as a bull ring and the site of executions ordered by the Court of the Holy Inquisition. Later (1651) a bronze fountain was added that still stands today in the center of the square. It was here that Peru’s Independence was proclaimed in 1821. On the northern side of the square stands the Government Palace, to the east the Cathedral and the Archbishop’s Palace and to the west the Lima City Hall.
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 Lima’s Cathedral Basilica
This Renaissance baroque cathedral built in 1625 and reconstructed following the earthquake of 1840, is a veritable jewel of colonial art. Although its façade is austere, inside it contains splendid churrigueresque altars, handsome carved choir stalls and altars covered with gold leaf. The Archbishop’s Museum displays an admirable collection of paintings and sculptures of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The remains of Lima’s founder, Francisco Pizarro, lie next to a large mural depicting scenes of the Spanish conquistadors.
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 San Francisco Church and Convent
This handsome eighteenth century colonial architectural complex is made up of the San Francisco Church and Convent and the chapels of El Milagro (the miracle) and La Soledad (solitude). Its Seville-tiled cloisters and patios are outstanding and the library truly spectacular. Today it houses the Museum of Religious Art and the Zurbarán Room. The basilica is built over a network of underground galleries or catacombs used as a cemetery during the colonial period. These are open to the public today.
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 Santo Domingo Church and Convent
The construction of this three nave church started with Lima’s founding and was finished at the end of the sixteenth century. The remains of Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Martin of Porres rest within its walls. It possesses handsome carved cedar choir stalls and an elegant dome. The convent, with its splendid cloisters, is decorated with Seville tiles and the chapterhouse with baroque carvings. It was here that America’s first university, San Marcos, was founded in 1551.
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