Lima's Historic Centre

Plaza Mayor or Main Square
The site of the Spanish founding of Lima by Francisco Pizarro, the Plaza Mayor, has witnessed some of the most important historic events in Peru. The Plaza Mayor, or main square, was originally surrounded by small shops and businesses. It was also used as a bullring and scaffold to execute those condemned by the Holy Inquisition. More than a century later, a bronze fountain, built in the centre in 1651, still stands today. It was in this plaza that Peruvians declared their independence in 1821. The Presidential Palace sits on the northern side of the square, while the Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace are on the east side and the City Hall is located to the west.

Lima Cathedral
Built in 1625 in Baroque Renaissance style and rebuilt after an earthquake in 1940, the Cathedral is a veritable work of colonial art. While its façade is somewhat austere, the Cathedral houses magnificent Churriguerra altars, beautifully-carved wooden choir stalls and gold-leaf altars, in addition to a unique collection of oil paintings and sculptures from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

San Francisco Church
This is a striking colonial complex consisting of a church, the convent of San Francisco and the chapels of El Milagro and La Soledad. Built in the seventeenth century, the complex's cloisters and patios are decorated in blue Sevillian tiles, while there is also a well-stocked library. This complex houses the Religious Art Museum and the Zurbarán Room. The church is built on top of a network of underground tunnels or catacombs which were used as a cemetery during colonial times, and today is open to the general public.

Santo Domingo Church
Construction of this church, which features three naves, got underway when Lima was founded, however it was not finished until the late Archaeological Site of Pachacamac, Lima sixteenth century. The church has superb choirstalls, carved in cedar, as well as an imposing dome. The convent cloisters are lined in Sevillian mosaic tiles, while the chapel is filled with Baroque sculptures. It was here that San Marcos University, the first in South America, was founded in 1551.

La Merced Church
Built in the eighteenth century, this church is an excellent example of the splendour of Spanish colonial architecture. With a Churriguerra façade, the church is filled with works of art, such as the main altar dedicated to the Virgen de las Mercedes, patron saint of the Peruvian armed forces, and a beautiful sacristy decorated with Arabesque tiles. La Merced houses one of the finest collections of colonial oil paintings and carvings in Lima.

Riva Agüero House
Built in the nineteenth century, the house was donated to Lima's Catholic University by the last of the original owners' descendants, Don José de la Riva Agüero. Today it houses the Riva Agüero Institute, which in turn features vast historic archives and a fine library. It is also the site of the Museo de Arte Popular, the Folk Art Museum.

Torre Tagle Palace
Built in 1730 by the Marquis of Torre Tagle, treasurer of the Royal Spanish fleet, the palace is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture to be found in Peru. Its façade features two superb carved wooden balconies and a Baroque stone doorway. The interior, decorated with Moorish arches, Sevillian tiles and soaring coffered ceilings, is particularly noteworthy. Today it is the seat of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Casa Aliaga
Built on top of the foundations of a pre-Hispanic temple, this mansion has been inhabited since 1535 by the descendants of the Aliaga clan, one of Lima's well-established families, and is the oldest standing mansion in Lima. It features huge, luxurious salons, coffered ceilings and a beautiful inner patio, a characteristic of great colonial mansions in Lima. Today, it is used for a variety of cultural events.

Source: Lima, the City of Kings and its surrounding areas. A traveler's guide, by Promperú.