Matthew Barker

Lima’s Colonial Treasures

A description of Lima’s colonial architectural treasures, as described by a Peru travel expert at Peru For Less.

Lima is an expansive city, incorporating nearly 9 million people in its sprawling districts. When the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro moved the capital of the Inca Empire from Cusco to Lima, the city represented a new power, one that is reflected most prominently today it the city´s central plaza architecture. Its rare to find a place quite like Lima, where electronics stores are adjacent to Baroque churches, but that is the gift of a well-preserved colonial past mixed with a thriving contemporary city.

Tucked in next to shopping malls, hotels, and eateries, the Plaza Mayor is surrounded by five colonial buildings,the Palace of Lima, the Government Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop´s Palace, and the Municipal Palace. Lined by tropical palm trees and painted in a distinctive, colonial yellow, the buildings in the plaza remain an imposing display of Spanish influence.

The Cathedral, with its grandiose steps stretching along one side of the square, is reminiscent of the famous Spanish cathedrals. Its later date of construction – construction began in 1535 and was finished in 1622 – explain the Baroque facade. The main altar, reconstructed in 1800, is neoclassical in style. There is also a brilliantly decorated mosaic chapel housing Pizarro´s tomb.

Also in the heart of the city is the Palace de Torre Tagle, a gem of Spanish Baroque architecture. Built around 1730 as the home of the Royal Spanish Fleet´s treasurer, the building is now used as the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The façade has a Baroque doorway, and materials were brought from Spain and Central America.

Another highlight from the colonial era is the port of Callao, located in the La Punta district, close to Lima. From this port have launched many famous expeditions, including those of the scientist Charles Darwin and the explorer Alexander Von Humboldt. Callao, founded soon after Lima, quickly became the center of shipping, and thus also of pirating. The Fotaleza del Real Felipe is the most famous colonial site, as this was the fort that protected against pirates.

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