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Cental Lima ~ Part 1

4/7/2015

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     The city of Lima was founded by the great Indian fighter Francisco Pizarro in 1535.  His caskets--one for his body, another for his head--are on display in the Cathedral of Lima and you can stand on the spot of his assassination, South America's first of many coup-d'etats.  What you won't find is a statue of Pizarro, which was removed in deference to Peru's indigenous people.  Pizarro located the city in the Rimac River valley, an area already occupied by 150,000 or more Ychsma.  It was chosen for its harbor where fleets of Spanish ships could sail with silver from the mines in Potosi.
     Lima has had several boom and bust cycles.  It was a major center of the Spanish trade empire with Asia until a major earthquake in 1687 and competition from other South American cities led to its economic downturn.  Peru remained loyal to the Spanish crown so it took armies from Argentina and Chile to "liberate" it.  The next big boom was fueled by guano (see 1493) and lasted roughly from 1850 to 1879 when Peru lost the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) to Chile and Lima was sacked.
     Several ups and downs and earthquakes have determined Lima's growth but, especially since the Shining Path guerilla movement of the 1980's, population growth has exploded.
     Lima has not enjoyed the same tourist boom as have the more popular destinations of Macchu Picchu and Amazonia, but in 1988 UNESCO declared the historic center of Lima a World Heritage Site for its originality and high concentration of historic monuments constructed in the time of the Spanish presence.  In my book, it's certainly worth a couple of days and some of the next postings will demonstrate why I think so. 
We start with a slide show of the Plaza de Armas, the center of colonial Lima.




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Huaca Pucllana

3/14/2015

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     The Huaca Pucllana is one of my favorite locations in Lima.  At one point it was a grand pyramid that was added onto over the centuries until now it's hard to imagine its original shape.  Construction began c. 200 c.e. by the Limeno culture which continued building through 700.  The Wari culture came along around 800, dominated the Limenos and took the top of the pyramid off to use the area as a place of burial. 
      The first time I went looking for it I was confounded by the fact I couldn't see it.  Finally I turned a corner and there it was looming in front.  It is amazingly well hidden, especially considering its size, in the middle of a residential district of Miraflores.
     I grew up on tales of the Inca who built incredible stone structures so well fitted that one couldn't slide a piece of paper between the stones.  The Huaca Pucllana turned many of my presuppositions on their heads.  First, Lima is an extension of the Atacama desert receiving somewhere, depending on source, between 5 mm and 2 cm of rain a year.  So, given the lack of water erosion, adobe is the building material of choice up and down the coast.  Second, the Inca were johnny-come-lately who only held sway for 100 or so years before the arrival of Pizarro and the Spaniards.  This huaca had essentially been abandoned 500 years before that.  Caral, located a 100km north of Lima and
also made of adobe brick, is the oldest inhabited area in the western hemisphere and dates from 2600 b.c.e.
     Huaca Pucllana was privately owned until 1981 when it was purchased by the government.  I talked to a man in his sixties who spent his childhood using the huaca as a bmx track since it was the only "hill" in the neighborhood.  35 years of excavation have uncovered lots of history, pottery, textiles and 64 tombs.  Archaeologists are looking forward to the next 30 since they think the remaining area is potentially even richer than what they've uncovered so far.

A Slideshow of the Huaca

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Finn's and Sam's first week...

2/13/2015

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We started the week at the Museo Nacional.  Finn and Sam both enjoyed it more than they thought they would.  The Inca were late arrivals on the scene and this museum does a great job of putting the previous 2000 years in perspective.  Lots to learn...

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Every good field trip includes lunch so we went to Palachinke, Sam's favorite restaurant in the world.  He always gets a nutella panqueque (crepe) the same size as the one on Finn's plate.  You wouldn't think he could finish it but he is always the first one done and that includes half a side of bacon.  The waiter, Mattias, remembers us from past visits so we already have a regular haunt.
We went to a chocolate "museum" where we learned about chocolate from tree to bar.  The young man in the photo was quite charming and informative.  It's interesting how much emphasis is put on sustainability and stewardship here.
The highlight of the experience was taking melted chocolate and pouring it into a mold with favorite additives--gummy bears, marshmallows and various other things to ruin good chocolate.  You can see how attentive the boys are.
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Today we toured the Fortaleza de Real Felipe in Callao which is the northernmost municipality in Lima proper, though Lima seems to continue well past its city limit.  It is quite an imposing structure, one of the largest such the Spanish built.  Lots of gold and even more silver was mined in the Andes and brought here for safeguarding until the galleons were ready for transport to Acapulco and then to the Philippines for trade with China. (This trade is very well described in Charles C. Mann's 1493).  Sir Francis Drake made two of his most lucrative hauls north of Lima on his circumnavigation.  He is less well regarded here than he was in the more England-centric history books I was brought up on.
Sam, being Sam, is already beginning to make friends.  Both boys are less hesitant about using Spanish and we are hoping school goes well when it starts in March.  A few more things to do first.
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Lima/Miraflores

2/11/2015

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Many people don't realize that Lima is a coastal city located in the tropics in the middle of a long stretch of desert.  Average annual rainfall is 2 cm a year, most of which is in the form of accumulated drizzle.  Temperatures are moderate with apartments having no heating or cooling systems.

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Lima, a city of 10 million inhabitants, is divided into submunicipalities each with its own government and character.  This section of the coast is Miraflores, one of the more affluent and cosmopolitan areas.  It has done a great job of keeping the coastal strip open to the public via a well-used and well-kept park.
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Water comes via river from the Andes and although not really abundant, Limenos like to keep things green.
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Looking south from Miraflores to Chorillos.
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             A well earned rest after a long walk around town.
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