Our private guide, Manuel Arboleda of Nawpaq Expeditions, arranged by Brent and Bev Robinson, had lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego for a total of 50 years. He believes that Lima is similar to Los Angeles because it sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The water is cold because of the Humbolt Current. The city sits in a desert because the Andes catches all the rain from the Amazon. Lima also spreads out like a huge sprawling fan, which is surrounded by mountains, the same as Los Angeles. Earthquakes are the plague of the city. Yes, this does sound more and more like Los Angeles.
Miraflores, where we met our guide, is the trendiest and most well-to-do section in the city. It is also a very cat-friendly area. (We miss you Foxy but saw many of your South American relatives!) Sites of interest were Noskys, where you can buy the finest barbecue sandwich in the world, and the Pucllana, a mud-brick pyramid more than 2,200 years old that covers several city blocks and was even more expansive before urbanization took over. Decapitation was the preferred form of execution and mass rituals of decapitation occurred there that wiped out many of the natives in the name of the Indian gods. In addition, we visited olive gardens that were more than 400 years old that dot San Ysidro, the financial center of the nation, and saw a Peruvian hairless dog, of which his ancestors originated in Mexico before being imported to Peru. Also prominent in these small pockets of affluence were homes in the Mission Revival style, similar to homes in Los Angeles.
Our tour ended in Rimac, Lima's oldest quarter and the former playground of Viceroy Manuel Amat, and his concubine, "La Perricholi." The residence he built for her now houses Peru's largest brewery. Unfortunately, most of the Alamedas, the walkways lined with sculptures and trees that provided shade for the elite to stroll and enjoy, are gone or in dire need of restoration, and the best adjective to describe the quarter is "seedy." To reach the area, we crossed the Rimac River and viewed the houses of the hill people. Unlike in Los Angeles, the poor people live in the hills. Here we saw the Bull Ring of Peru, Acho, which was built in 1774 and is the oldest bull ring in the Americas. Surrounded by poverty, the ring hosts bull fights every October. Hanging balconies, which are prominent, were so prevalent in the past that they looked like streets suspended in the air.
We toured the Franciscan Convento de Los Descalzos, the Convent of the Shoeless Priest, built in 1595. The highlights of the convent are its collection of Lima's religious paintings with so many sweet, innocent faces and the large 17th century choir books. The baroque chapel with its gold and mother of pearl flourishes offered us a taste of the churches in Quito. In the wine cellars, the priests and nuns made wine for the masses. While we asked for a sample, Manuel said we would not have liked it because the grapes gave it a bitter taste. People were buried in the church because there were no burial grounds. We also saw the exterior of Iglesia de San Francisco, which was the city's first cemetery with its underground catacombs containing the bones of more than 75,000 people, whose skulls are piled in eerie geometric patterns.
In addition to churches, the other major attractions of Lima are museums and shopping. Lima has more than 20 museums so you must choose carefully among them. These museums recognize gold, Peruvian art, pre-Columbian artifacts, the Inquisition and erotic art too racy to explain. Replicas of Peruvian artifacts, sterling silver jewelry and alpaca wool are must-buys. Sara drooled over the long buttoned, ponchos made from alpaca before she remembered that they would not be practical to wear in southwest Florida in any season. Instead she purchased a red alpaca wool shawl that she can sport in the Cabaret Lounge in place of the blue-and-white striped beach towel (that lounge is still as cold as it was last year) and several items for relatives who live in colder climates.
Interesting facts about Peru and Lima: The population of Peru is 30 million with 80 percent Catholics, 60 percent urbanized and 50+ percent Indian. The country boasts 1 million Chinese who came to work on the railroads. Education is compulsory through the sixth grade but Peru ranks low in quality of education. Recently the government started paying an incentive to parents to keep their children in school so the scores on the tests that students take at age 15 might improve to the level of those in Chile, Peru's neighbor, whose children do quite well. (Peru moves slowly says Manuel.) Peru ranks first (or second to Mexico) in the mining of silver, second to Chili for copper and fifth for gold. The economy also is booming because of drug money but the gap between rich and poor is massive. (Manuel claims the drug problem could be solved in 24 hours by legalizing it.) The minimum wage in Peru is $210 a month with the average salary being about $350 but Manuel reminded us that food and transportation are cheap.
Pizzaro founded Lima in 1535, which has a current population of 8 million, after he invaded Peru and threw out the Incas. The city was designed in the Spanish colonial urban plan with numerous town squares. Plaza San Martin is a lively gathering place dominated by an equestrian statues commemorating General Jose de San Martin, South America's George Washington. The Plaza Major, the center piece of the historical heart of the city, is flanked by a cathedral, archbishop palace with splendid baroque balconies that was moved in December 2010 and will soon be a museum, presidential palace and monuments. Missing are the gallows that were used to execute the Indians, now replaced with a water fountain. Only two buildings in Lima date back to the 16th century due to the revitalization projects initiated by the numerous earthquakes. The most important religious holiday in the city honors the Lord of the Earthquakes and everyone wears purple.
