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Like
its inhabitants, Lima, the city of kings, is a rare and exciting
mix of nationalities, styles and forms. While other major
cities in the Americas and around the world strive for modernity,
the urban landscape of Lima maintains the age-old texture
of its rich tradition.
The original city center, the old quarter of the city originally
mapped out by Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro - called
el damero de Pizarro due to the classic geometric form found
in other old Spanish colonial cities- is today a UNESCO Mankind
Heritage Site. The streets of Lima have preserved the venerable
beauty of the city's original colonial architecture, and a
tour through old Lima is a chance to delve into more than
four centuries of living history, peeking through the doorways
of gracious manors and striding through sunlit patios and
Baroque balconies.
The city, founded in 1535 by Pizarro, features a series of
buildings which boast an incalculable architectural and historical
value, buildings which fringe the main square, the Plaza Mayor
and line nearby streets. Lima's Cathedral, built in 1625 in
a Renaissance-Baroque style, with splendid Churriguerra altars,
is definitely the first stop on the tour.
However, other buildings are also not to be missed, like the
San Francisco church, whose cloisters and patios are decorated
with Seville mosaic tiles which are the ideal picture frame
for the religious art kept there. There is also the convent
of Santo Domingo, which in 1551 saw the founding of San Marcos
University, the oldest university in the Americas.
The old Palacio de Torre Tagle, a palace built in 1730, is
one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in Lima,
fitted with carved wooden balconies and its Baroque stone
gateway. The Riva Agüero and Aliaga mansions, the traditional
Acho bullring, and the revamped riverside promenades overlooking
the Rímac River round off the traditional Lima landscape,
which without a doubt is one of the most interesting circuits
of its kind in Latin America. |
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