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City Guide - Lima - Key Attractions | ||
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Key Attractions Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor (Main Square) The very centre of the capital and the home of government, the impressive main square is the logical starting point for a visit to the historic centre. With its gardens, old street lamps and bronze fountain, the square is a picture of colonial elegance and testimony to the thousands of Dollars lavished on its restoration in the last five years. Dominating the north side of the square is the opulent Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), which stands on the site of the original palace built by the Conquistadors. During the days when Peru was a Spanish colony it was the official residency of the King's representative. These days the President of the Republic occupies it. The building was completely rebuilt in 1938. The main attraction is the changing of the guard, which takes place at 1145 and 1745 - when palace guards goosestep round the main courtyard in scarlet and blue uniforms. The Cathedral, an example of Spanish Baroque, stands on the site of two previous churches. The first was built in 1550 but replaced nearly a hundred years later when a larger church was required. A massive earthquake then destroyed this building in 1746. The present cathedral, built a few years later, is a perfect copy of its predecessor. The interior is distinguished by its high nave, three aisles and carved wooden stalls. The walls bear the coats of arms of Lima and Pizarro. The Museo de Arte Religioso (Religious Art Museum) in the Cathedral contains icons and woodcarvings. Guided tours in English are available. To the left side of the Cathedral stands the beautiful modern replica of the Archbishop's Palace with its Moorish wooden balcony. Also on the square is the impressive Municipalidad de Lima (Town Hall), which houses a selection of Peruvian paintings. Palacio de Gobierno Opening hours: By arrangement. Register in the office on the fifth floor of the Edificio Palacio (tel: (01) 427 6732), the building opposite the side entrance of the Palace. Free guided tours available by arrangement or through agents. Admission: Free. Cathedral/Museo de Arte Religioso Tel: (01) 427 9647. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1630, Sat 1000-1530. Admission: US$2. Municipalidad de Lima Tel: (01) 427 6080. Opening hours: Daily 0900-1300; tours by arrangement. Admission: US$1.20. Transport: Buses marked Avenida Tacna, then walk four blocks. Around Plaza Mayor (Main Square) Two blocks east of Plaza Mayor stands the jewel of the city's colonial architecture, the Palacio Torre Tagle. The mansion was built in 1735 for Don José Torre Tagle y Bracho, who received the title First Marquis of Torre Tagle from King Charles V of Spain. The façade boasts two carved wooden balconies. The family house has beautiful staterooms and opulent staircases and the decorative azulejos (tiling) shows a mixture of Spanish and Moorish influences. The highlight, however, is a gilded sixteenth-century carriage. The government took the house over in 1918 and it remains the home of the Foreign Ministry. Visitors can only enter the courtyards. A brief walk north from the mansion is the Museo de la Inquisicion (Spanish Inquisition Museum), which faces Plaza Bolivar near the Congress building. In the main hall the ceiling is made of mahogany carved into beautiful abstract forms. The infamous Court of the Inquisition was first held here in the late sixteenth century. In the basement are examples of the torture instruments used by the Inquisitors. Behind the museum is Lima's Chinatown, a maze of grubby streets dominated by exotic sights and smells. The zone is entered through a decorative Chinese-style gateway. Here are some of Lima's best and cheapest Chifas (Chinese restaurants). Peru's Chinese community is now well established, a century or more after the first Chinese immigrants arrived as economic refugees to seek farm work on the coast. Behind the Palacio de Gobierno is the rundown Rimac area. Here visitors can stroll along the Alameda de los Descalzos, a walkway designed by the city's Fathers in the seventeenth century. At the end of the Almeda is a Franciscan monastery El Convento de los Descalzos (The Convent of the Shoeless Ones), which gets its name from the Franciscan friars' habit of going about bare-foot. The Convent was founded in 1592 and its cloisters contain hundreds of Peruvian religious paintings. Palacio Torre Tagle Tel: (01) 311 6800, ext 2761. Transport: Buses marked marked Avenida Abancay, then walk one block. Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700; tours by arrangement. Admission: Free. Museo de la Inquisicion Tel: (01) 428 7980, ext 2537. Fax: (01) 427 0365. Transport: Buses marked Avenida Abancay. Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800. Admission: Free. El Convento de los Descalzos Tel: (01) 481 0441. Transport: Some buses marked Rimac; check with driver. Opening hours: Daily 0930-1300 and 1500-1730. Admission: US$1.50. Museo de la Nacion (National Museum) The Museo de la Nacion, a large concrete building in the suburb of San Borja, is the country's main anthropological and archaeological museum with exhibits that highlight Peru's history stretching back to its earliest tribal cultures. Exhibits have explanations in English and include displays of traditional peasant costumes from around Peru. 21st block of Avenida Javier Prado Tel: (01) 476 9933 or 9897. Transport: Bus marked Javier Prado/Aviacion. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1700. Admission: US$4 (including exhibitions). Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) The highly recommended Museo de Oro is housed in a Fort Knox-like building set back from the street and surrounded by trees in the Monterrico suburb. Here, the loot that made Peru famous and Spain fabulously wealthy is on display. Upstairs are weapons and uniforms to remind the visitor of Peru's violent past. Downstairs can be found hundreds of dazzling gold and silver artefacts from pre-Conquest to colonial times, including a yellow-feathered Inca poncho and a skull sporting teeth made of pink quartz. Tel: (01) 345 1271 or 1292. Transport: From junction Avenida Javier Prado/Avenida Aviacion, bus or colectivo to Avenida Angamos; then 72 microbus or colectivo to Centro Commercial shopping centre; then short walk. Opening hours: Daily 1130-1900. Admission: US$6. |