Lima: Peru

Lima is the capital and largest city in Peru, as well as the capital of the Lima Province. It is the cultural, industrial, financial, and transport hub of the country. The city is located in an area encompassing the valleys of the Chillon, Rimac and Lurin rivers. It lies on a desertic coast adjacent to the bay in the Pacific Ocean where its port was built and named Callao.

Founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima is also known as the City of Kings. For more than three centuries, Lima was the most important city and the greatest metropolis in South America. More than four centuries have passed since its founding as a Spanish city, and Lima has become an expression of Peru’s mestizo heritage, with nearly one-third of the nation’s population living in its metropolitan area. The city covers most of the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area.

History

The city was founded by conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, naming it Ciudad de los Reyes as the location was decided at Epiphany, the January 6. Lima, its original name, however persisted. It is uncertain where the name originated, but it is thought that it derives from the Aymara word lima-limaq, (yellow flower) or from Quechuan rimaq (talking). In the oldest Spanish maps of Peru, both Lima and Ciudad de los Reyes can be seen together as the names of the city.

Lima became the most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, which encompassed nearly all of Spain’s possessions in South America during the colonial era (mid 1500s to early 1800s).

In 1746, many important and monumental buildings were damaged and or destroyed (later repaired) in an earthquake.The City of Kings’ cultural patrimony and incomparable, beautiful architecture remained prevalent. Its architectural and political importance in Latin America were equalled only by Mexico City.

In 1996, the Japanese embassy hostage crisis took place in Lima, an affair which received global media attention. It ended on April 22, 1997 when Peruvian Armed Forces commandos stormed the building by carrying out a frontal daytime attack after tunneling underground into the embassy to rescue the seventy-two hostages. One hostage died of medical complications, two soldiers and all fourteen kidnappers were killed in action.

Demographics

The Lima Metropolis ranks among Latin America’s largest urban concentrations, with a population of 6,954,583 in city and over 8 million in metro (2005 census), which features a very complex mix of racial and ethnic groups. Traditionally, Mestizos, Peruvians of mixed Spanish and Amerindian descent, have been the largest contingent, making up much of the middle class.

However, political and economic instability during the latter half of the twentieth century created unprecedented poverty and violence in the Andean highlands, forcing hundreds of thousands of campesinos of full-blooded Amerindian descent to migrate to Lima, thus greatly augmenting the Lima’s population. Unlike other ethnic groups, many of them speak primarily Quechua or Aymara, rather than Spanish. While a number of Amerindians eventually attain middle class status, others still live in shantytowns, locally known as pueblos jovenes. These areas often lack such basic services as electricity and running water.

Europeans, the economically dominant segment of the population, are mostly of Spanish descent, but there are significant numbers of Italians, German and others. Afro-Peruvians, initially brought to the region as slaves, are yet another important part of the city’s ethnic quilt. Finally, during the 20th century, Lima also gained signicant Asian communities, particularly of Japanese and Chinese ancestry. The former constitute the largest Japanese concentration in South America after Sao Paulo.

Geography

Physical setting

Lima has a land area of 2,672.28 km². It is located on mostly flat terrain in the Peruvian coastal plain, within the valleys of the Chillon, Rimac and Lurin rivers. As in the rest of the region, the extreme dryness of the climate means that away from the river valleys and irrigated areas the local terrain is absolute barren of vegetation.

Climate

Lima’s climate can be said to be quite peculiar, as besides the aforementioned dryness, it surprises for its mildness: despite being located in the Tropics and at a near sea-level elevation, temperatures are far from torrid, with maxima ranging from 26°C in February to 19°C in August, with an all-time record high temperature of 32°C (90°F). Corresponding minima are 15°C (59°F) in August and 20°C (68°F) in February, with 8°C (46°F) being the lowest ever recorded. On the other hand, relative humidity is very high, and the fog associated with it shrouds the city from May to November. Rainfall is all but unknown, usually occurring only in El Nino years, the yearly average of 0.7cm (0.03in) being the lowest of any large metropolitan area in the world. All these climatic phenomena have a common cause, which is the presence of the cold Humboldt Current just offshore.

Lima is the largest city in the Western Hemisphere, and the second largest in the world after Cairo, that is located in a desert.

Districts and neighborhoods

The Lima city proper is comprised of thirty districts in the Lima Province. Each of them is headed by a mayor, although the Metropolitan Lima Municipal Council (Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima), led by the mayor of Lima, also has authority in these districts.

The historical downtown of the city is located in the Lima District, which is locally known as Cercado de Lima. This is where most vestiges of Lima’s colonial heyday remain, as well as the Presidential Palace and the Metropolitan Lima Municipal Council.

The upscale neighborhoods of Miraflores and San Isidro are among the wealthiest in the city, and most of the better hotels and other tourist destinations are located in them. The latter district is also an important financial center that is noweadays far more important in Lima’s daily business life than the Cercado. The districts of La Molina and Santiago de Surco offer quieter, upscale residential areas with several gated communities.

The traditional middle-class districts such as Jesus Maria, Lince, San Borja and Magdalena del Mar surround the “rich” districts.

Barranco, south of Miraflores, is known as a bohemian neighborhood and has earned recognition for its population of writers and intellectuals.

The most populous districts of Lima lie in the north and south ends of the city. Their population is comprised principally of immigrants from other regions of Peru. Many of them are poor people of indigenous origin who arrived during the mid and late twentieth century after being displaced by terrorism, agrarian crises, and general economic frustration. These peasants invaded the vast desert areas and hillsides in the districts of the Cono Norte and Cono Sur areas, populating new slums known as pueblos jovenes. Economic growth during the late 1990s helped these districts, and today they have a fast-growing middle class and lively economic life, with malls and other commercial services being inaugurated in former marginal districs such as Comas, Los Olivos and Villa El Salvador.

Education

Universities

The city has the largest concentration of higher-education institutions in the country. The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551 during Spanish colonial regime is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas and considered by many peruvians “La decana” in the sense of “dean of universities” across Peru.

The Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru is the oldest private university (established on 1917). Other notable private institutions that are located in the city are Universidad del Pacifico, Universidad San Martin de Porras, Universidad de Lima, Cayetano Heredia University and Universidad Ricardo Palma.

Other state owned universities also play key roles in teaching and research, such as the Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria and Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina.

Libraries

Founded by Jose de San Martin, Peru’s oldest and most important library, the National Library of Peru is located in downtown Lima. As it has suffered wars and earthquakes throughout history, a new location for the library is being built in the San Borja district and is scheduled to be finished in early 2006. This modernization program aspires to turn the library into one of Latin America’s most modern libraries.

Commerce and industry

Lima has substantial textile, paper, paint, and food products industries. In recent decades, Lima has rapidly expanded and the city has seen much unregulated development. In the last decade, air pollution has risen to alarming levels, as no restrictions are allowed on the age or efficiency of motor vehicles. Leaded petrol is still widely used.

The “Estadio Monumental “U”", located in Lima, is Peru’s largest and most modern stadium; it seats eighty-thousand spectators.

Commercial services in Lima have increased drastically since the mid-1990s, malls are starting to be built everywhere. Examples of this are Primavera Park and Plaza, Parque Canepa, Minka Mall, Plaza Sur Mall and Megaplaza Norte, located strategically in Los Olivos where a a new middle class is quickly rising. Old malls are being redesigned, such as Lince’s Risso Mall , Camino Real in San Isidro or San Miguel’s Plaza San Miguel. The biggest mall in the city is Jockey Plaza, which is also one of the biggest and currently considered the most modern in South America. A new one under construction called Paruro Plaza, Lima Center and a new building called Larcomar Fashion Mall which will be only for designers shops such as Gucci, Versace, Polo, Hugo Boss, Armani, Dior, DKNY, Prada, Guess, Calvin Klein, DandG, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino among others, making of it one of the most exclusive fashion centers in South America.

Supermarkets are also using aggressive marketing strategies and old stores are being bought by these large companies. The largest supermarket chains in the city are Wong (which also owns all Metro stores), Tottus (owned by Saga Falabella), Vivanda, Santa Isabel, Plaza Vea and Eco Almacenes.

Gamarra is one of the biggest Peruvian business emporiums and the biggest one in South America. Guarded by the Comando Centurion, a group of security officers, 150,000 shoppers per day can browse the hundreds of shops in the area. The stores offer designer clothes at affordable prices. Fashion shows presenting the latest trends are a weekly event.

Transport

Lima has an extensive bus system, which connects all of Lima’s main streets and avenues. These buses are commonly known as micros or combis. Although very cheap and convenient (they stop virtually everywhere), they are often poorly mantained and the smaller buses run at excessive speeds.

Taxis vary in quality of service and price. They can be stopped at any street, or private taxi companies can be called to pick up passengers at a certain address.

Numerous inter-urban bus companies offer transportation to other cities in Peru. Quality varies depending on the price, from luxury express buses to uncomfortable and crowded micros.

Nowadays Lima’s mayor is working on a new bus system called Metropolitano where all busses will have exclusive lines; it has been told that new busses must be acquired by the companies working in the metropolitan area, this busses will be bought from a Chinese company, the same company that sells busses to Italy. The mayor’s hope is to see a new massive transport system in the next few years.

To improve the quality of taxis running in Lima, a new law has been released where its forbidden to import used cars; thanks to this law, the city of Lima ensure to always have new cars all over the city, reducing smog.

An agreement signed by Mayor Luis Castaneda and President Alejandro Toledo on February 17, 2005, provided funding for finishing the Lima Metro, an above-ground mass-transit system which will link the downtown area with the financial district, San Isidro. The project was launched in the late 1980s but left unfinished by former president Alan Garcia.

Lima’s main passenger gateway for national and international air travelers is Jorge Chavez International Airport.

Tourist attractions

The Historic centre of Lima, located in downtown Lima and the Rimac District, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to the large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era, a small number of which have now been restored. In particular, the monumental Plaza Mayor, with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace, and the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco are popular with visitors.

Several sections of the Lima City Walls can still be seen. These fine examples of Spanish medieval fortification were used to defend Lima from attacks from pirates and corsairs.

The city also has a number of fine museums, notably the National Museum of Anthropology, Archaeology, and History and the Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum, both in the Pueblo Libre district.

Many small beaches, which are heavily visited during the summer months, are located by the southern Pan-American Highway. The most well-known ones are located in the districts of Santa Maria del Mar, Punta Hermosa, Punta Negra, San Bartolo and Pucusana. Also, the district of Ancon, located north of the city, has a very popular beach resort.

Numerous restaurants, clubs and hotels have been opened in these places to serve the many beachgoers. The beaches in Lima itself are not suitable for swimming because the city’s sewage is dumped raw into the ocean.

The suburban district of Cieneguilla and the town of Chosica (in the Lurigancho District) provide attractive green landscapes at a short distance from the city. Because of their elevation (over 500 meters), the sun shines in these areas even during winter and hence they are visited by residents of Lima to escape from the winter fog.

Recently, the Palomino Islands near the port of Callao have attracted visitors due to a population of sea lions.

Situated in Monterrico, the Gold Museum, together with the even more interesting textile museum. Here can be seen almost perfectly preserved thousand year old garments and feathered capes recovered from the waterless deserts of Western Peru. Also in the same building, an arms museum with a huge range of antique Spanish firearms, among muskets and arquebuses.

Sites of interest
Historical Center of Lima
Beaches and Waterfront
Barranquito
Aguadulce
Los Pavos
Las Cascadas
Las Sombrillas
Costa Linda
Museums
Gold Museum
Park of Walls Museum
Museum of the Nation (Museo de la Nacion)
Japanese Inmigration Museum
National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru (Museo Nacional del Arqueologia, Antropologia, e Historia del Peru)
Arts and Peruvian Popular Traditions Museum
Miguel Grau House-Museum
Ricardo Palma House-Museum
Morro de Arica soldiers Museum
Italian Arts Museum
Colonial Buildings
Justice Palace
Rimac Building
Governor’s House
Lima’s Cathedral
Saint Lorenzo Church
Saint Rose of Lima Church
Congress of the Republic
Lima’s Mayor House
Segura Theater
Italian Arts Museum
Lima’s Art Center
Lima’s City Walls Park
Torre Tagle Building
Acho Plaza
Saint Martin Plaza
National Culture Institute
University Park
Desamparados Train Station
Rosa Nautica Restaurant
Perez Aranibar Children House
Naval Heroes Park
Islands
San Lorenzo Island
Amusement Parks
Lima’s Zoo, San Miguel
Huachipa’s Zoo, Huachipa
Kart Circuit, Magdalena del Mar
Daytona Park, Surco
Sports Center, Miraflores, Costa Verde (Green Coast)
Apolo (Ice-Skating Park), San Isidro
Lima’s Hippodrome, Surco
Parapente and Ala Delta, Miraflores
Play Land Park (From June to August)
La Granja Villa

Notable people born in Lima

Statesman
Alberto Fujimori, former president of Peru during the 1990s.

Scientists
Pedro Paulet

Artists
Felipe Pinglo Alva, father of Peruvian Musica criolla
Susana Baca
Rosa Flor
Eva Ayllon
Pepe Vasquez
Chabuca Granda
Boris Vallejo

Historical
Saint Rose of Lima (April 20, 1586-August 30, 1617) Patron Saint of America, first Roman Catholic saint born in the Americas.
Saint Martin of Porras

Tycoons
Dionisio Romero, banker and entrepreneur.
Pedro Brescia, entrepreneur.
Carlos Bolona Behr, industrialist and former CEO of San Ignacio de Loyola University.
Hurtado Miller, tycoon and former Finance Minister of Peru in 1991.

Politicians
Javier Valle Riestra, lawyer and politician
Javier Perez de Cuellar, first Latinoamerican to become Secretary-General of the UN.

Sportspeople
Jefferson Farfan, football (soccer) player
Hans Gildemeister, tennis player
Jose Paolo Guerrero, football (soccer) player
Luis Horna, tennis player
Carlos di Laura, tennis player
Sofia Mulanovich, world champion surfer
Roberto Palacios, football (soccer) player
Claudio Pizarro, football (soccer) player
Luis Villalta, boxer (d. 2004)
Jaime Yzaga, tennis player

Writers
Alfredo Bryce Echenique, writer (novels, memories, and short stories), among which the renowned A world for Julius (in Spanish: “Un Mundo para Julius”.
Julio Ramon Ribeyro, writer best known for his short stories, and awared in 1994 by the Juan Rulfo prize.
Ricardo Palma, writer of “Tradiciones Peruanas”
Jaime Bayly, controversial writer and former media personality

Contemporary Musicians

Leuzemia
Christian Meier
Pedro Suarez Veriz
Libido
Julie Freundt
Gianmarco
Madre Matilda
Arena Hash
Campo de Almas
Julio Andrade
Fragil
TK

DJ’s
Jumi Lee
Nucleus