LIMA, WHERE IT NEVER RAINS
- Alberto Moby Ribeiro da Silva
- Sep 29, 2023
- 13 min read
Updated: Dec 14, 2023
Being a historian by training, I obviously had certain expectations of Peru. After all, this is the region that was home to the Caral civilization, one of the oldest in the world, as well as being the center of the Inca Empire, considered the largest state in pre-Columbian America. With the European invasion of America, its territory was elevated to a viceroyalty by the Spanish Empire in the 16th century. Just the possibility of coming into contact with the vestiges and legacy of these three moments in Peruvian history would be enough to stimulate the appetite of any tourist with a passion for history.
But Peru also has a geography that enchants with its variety. Arid landscapes, but also beautiful beaches on the Pacific coast, the snow-capped peaks of the Andes, the Amazon Rainforest, the enchanting Lake Titicaca, among many other landscapes, are characteristic of a country full of natural beauty.
As a country with such a rich and geographically diverse history, Peru also has some of the most charming cultural heritage, including the Aymara and Quechua populations, whose languages are co-official with Spanish.
But the only trip I've made to Peru so far lasted just twelve days. It was short and insufficient, forcing us to give up some alternatives, such as the famous Nazca Lines or Ayacucho, or even Cajamarca, to the north of the country. But it was enough to leave a taste of wanting more.
For each of the places we passed through, it is possible to make several records. The itinerary recorded here was just MY itinerary, in the short and intense twelve days I was given to live in Peruvian lands. As this blog is not intended to be a travel guide, but a space to share my memories and impressions, I suggest that each traveler make up their own, using more or less of mine, or leaving it completely aside.
My trip, in fact, came down to two almost identical parts, which I'll have to dedicate more time to another occasion, I don't know if before or after I've explored some of the infinite attractions of this enchanting country. The first half was based on the Peruvian capital, Lima, and its metropolitan area overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with around 12 million inhabitants full of historical, cultural, gastronomic and leisure attractions that are not always appreciated by the tourism industry.
The second half was dedicated to Cusco, about 1,100km to the southeast. Around ancient Tahuantinsuyu, capital of the rich and powerful Inca empire until the Spanish invasion in 1533, there are beautiful natural and archaeological treasures, the highlight of which is undoubtedly the sacred - and unmissable - city of Machu Picchu. To make it easier to read, I'll talk about these two halves of my trip in two different posts. Shall we go?
THE GREAT LIMA
In the metropolitan region of Lima, for example, in addition to the countless attractions in the historic center, we only had enough time to visit the Larco Museum, the San Francisco Convent Museum and its catacombs, the San Isidro district, Miraflores - where, among other attractions, the Huaca Pucllana archaeological site is located - Barranco, and the El Callao-La Punta beach district. It was also possible to book a night for the unmissable Magical Water Circuit in Parque de la Reserva.
Founded in 1926 by Rafael Larco Hoyce, an amateur archaeologist who was only 25 years old at the time, the Larco Museum has a fascinating collection of around 45,000 pieces of pre-Columbian art. Passionate about the ancient Peru and faced with a lack of archaeological information, Larco began his own scientific research as an absolute amateur, coordinating the excavation of a series of archaeological sites on the northern coast of Peru. His investigations led to a series of remarkable archaeological discoveries, as well as the publication of scientific texts. His stratigraphic studies were important for understanding the depth of the history of pre-Columbian Peru. In 1946, he presented the first chronological ordering of northern coastal cultures, even before the development of the carbon 14 dating method.
Housed in an 18th century mansion and surrounded by beautiful gardens, the museum is a gateway to the fascinating history of ancient Peru. In addition to the permanent exhibition, admission to the Larco Museum also gives you access to part of the archaeological storage rooms and the famous Erotic Gallery. The address is Av. Simón Bolivar 1515, Pueblo Libre. It is open every day, including Sundays and public holidays, from 11am to 7pm (Sundays until 5pm). More information here.
The San Francisco Convent and Catacombs Museum is part of the San Francisco de Jesús el Grande Monumental Complex, founded by the friar Francisco de la Cruz in 1546.
It is currently located in the first block of Av. Abancay. It is approximately 600m wide and 300m long. Although at its most popular time it was one of the largest religious buildings in the Americas, this convent suffered several partial destructions due to a series of earthquakes, the largest in 1746, which led to important modifications to its structure. It was the Spanish friar Luis de Cervela, who went to Peru as Commissary General of the Order of St. Francis, who was responsible for much of the convent's reconstruction, to which he added the tiles that still make the convent famous today, as well as a series of canvases depicting the life of St. Francis, painted by the most important artists in Lima at the time.
In 1936, the First Pan-American Tourism Congress was held in Lima. During this event, a Museum of Religious Art from the period of the Viceroy was created inside the convent, with collections of cult objects from different convents and monasteries, as well as the collection of the San Francisco Convent itself. Since then, the Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas de Lima has been implementing conservation areas and workshops, organizing academic events and dissemination activities, seeking to consolidate itself as one of the main religious museums, especially the famous Crypts (or Catacombs) of San Francisco, famous for their resemblance to the Roman catacombs.
The Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas is located in Plazuela San Francisco, Cercado de Lima. It is open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 8:45pm and on public holidays from 12pm to 8:45pm.
Huaca Pucllana is an archaeological site located in the Miraflores district. It consists of an adobe and clay pyramid with seven stepped levels. Its builders lived between 200 AD and 700 AD, and Huaca Pucllana was built around the year 500. The process of discovering the archaeological site began in 1981 and the site has since been transformed into a historical and cultural park. Today, it is one of the main tourist attractions and the most researched archaeological site in metropolitan Lima.
Pucllana is a sacred site (huaca) made up of a truncated pyramid 25m high and a series of courtyards, squares and walls to the northeast. It has an exhibition hall, visitor circuit and other attractions. It is 6ha long, but in the 1940s the area was triple what it is today. According to researchers, abandonment and lack of interest in the past meant that valuable evidence and smaller pyramids were destroyed to build houses, avenues and parks.
Huaca Pucllana is located between Independencia, General Borgoño, Elías Aguirre and García Calderón streets, in Miraflores, and is therefore fully integrated into the urban environment. The researchers, however, draw attention to the fact that in the past this location provided quick access to the coast, the ecosystem of the hills and control of the mouths of the irrigation canals. Looking at the urban landscape that surrounds it today, it's hard to imagine Huaca Pucllana as originally being set in an environment of cultivated fields, forests and marshes.
San Isidro, Barranco and Miraflores
Administratively, the city of Lima is roughly equivalent to the Province of Lima, which is subdivided into 43 districts. The Metropolitan Municipality has authority over the entire city, while each district has its own local government. Each of the 43 districts has its own district municipality, which is responsible for its own district and coordinates with the metropolitan municipality. Among these 43 districts, the most charming are San Isidro, Miraflores and Barranco, about 10km, 12km and 15km south of the Metropolitan Municipality respectively.
Considered one of the city's noble neighborhoods, San Isidro is full of mansions and business buildings on tree-lined streets. It is one of Lima's most sophisticated residential districts, as well as being the city's financial center. It is therefore a privileged area and one of the safest in the capital. For this reason, it's also a fairly quiet area at night. If you stay there, you'll enjoy excellent coffee shops and restaurants, as well as visiting parks such as El Olivar Park. But at the same time, be prepared to spend more, although it's not impossible to find quality hotels at more affordable prices.
El Olivar Park, one of the capital's main parks, deserves to be on your list of things to do in San Isidro. Considered one of the great "lungs" of the Peruvian capital due to its immense green area, the site was certified as a historical monument in 1959 and is an excellent option for a stroll. The name comes from the fact that the park has olive trees that are over 450 years old. Many locals take advantage of the park's huge lawns to picnic and enjoy the breeze from the trees, especially at weekends. El Olivar Park is open from Monday to Sunday from 12:30am to 11:30pm.
Miraflores is the perfect neighborhood for those going to the Peruvian capital for the first time. It's a very well located area for those who want to visit Lima's main tourist attractions. What's more, having become a tourist district in a city that values gastronomy, Miraflores is home to some great restaurants and leisure options. This is where the Parque del Amor and the Larcomar Shopping Center are located, two of the city's must-see spots.
I don't know what you think of shopping malls and/or having them as a reference point for your sightseeing. Whatever your point of view, I'm sure that visiting the Larcomar Shopping Center will be a pleasant surprise. Starting with the entrance. It's a beautiful square overlooking the Pacific Ocean, full of groups of friends, skaters and couples. There are no mirrored buildings, no gigantic towers, none of the stuff that usually characterizes mega malls in big cities. The Larcomar Shopping Center is just below this square, on a cliff, right against the sea, which you can reach by going down a few steps on a side staircase dug into the rock.
Once in the mall, you discover that the restaurants have sea views and the stores are open-air. And here I need to explain why.
This is essential information for any tourist planning to spend some time in the Peruvian capital: it never rains in Lima. And here, never means never. Its climate is characterized by a lack of rain and constant cloud cover. The average annual rainfall in Lima is just 7 millimeters, the lowest figure for a metropolitan area in the world! My trip took place in July, exactly the month when the sun shines the least - about 29 hours on average during the whole month.
I spoke to people who told me they had never seen more than a few sparse sprinkles - and even then, very rarely. It's no coincidence that Lima has no rainwater network or culverts. A tour guide told me - half jokingly, but based on real facts - that since the sky in the Peruvian capital is always cloudy for most of the year, even though it never rains, this peculiar weather condition helps to identify tourists (particularly Brazilians). When the weather closes in, it's common for tourists to leave their accommodation carrying a cautious umbrella - which not only won't be used, but will also serve as a lure for "tourist predators" of all kinds.
Back at the Larcomar Shopping Center, restaurants such as Mangos, Tanta or Popular are a good tip for lunch or dinner. Also for those who want to go shopping in Lima, there are many big brand stores in this mall.
It's also important to note that Larcomar is a relatively small shopping center and that its charm lies in the fact that it occupies an extensive horizontal strip and offers spectacular views of the Pacific, even in cloudy weather.
In conclusion, if you like walking along the coast, spending the afternoon in the park or getting to know the local cuisine, Miraflores should be your choice of where to stay in Lima. As it's one of the most popular neighborhoods, it's worth booking in advance.
Miraflores' biggest postcard is the 1993 statue El Beso, by Peruvian artist Víctor Delfín, which stands in the Parque del Amor. The statue portrays a couple kissing in love, with the Pacific Ocean in the background. Around the statue, along the Malecón de Miraflores, wavy-shaped benches covered in colorful mosaics have been created, in the style of Barcelona's famous Park Güell, a work by the artist Gaudí. The ceramic shards that cover the benches form drawings of flowers and excerpts from poems referring to great love stories from literature, but also some real-life couples. Declarations of eternal love and heartbreaking confessions provide a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the sea. If you're lucky enough to catch a cloudless afternoon in Lima, take the opportunity to watch the sunset at Parque del Amor.
One of the best places to try Peruvian flavors or just to wander around is the colorful Barranco district. With 24-hour entertainment, the neighborhood is a mix of beaches, nightlife and tourist attractions. It is also home to the artistic community, which lives in old buildings and wanders around antique shops and exhibitions, and is undoubtedly the city's biggest bohemian stronghold.
During the day Barranco has a village atmosphere and a quieter climate. This is the ideal time for strolling through parks, squares, design stores and art galleries. It's the ideal neighborhood for those who like to walk along alleys, such as the Bajada de los Baños (above), which leads straight down to the sea. The Bajada de los Baños is a staircase above the cliffs, acting as a path to the coast, which used to be used by fishermen. Around it were built beautiful haciendas, chalets and houses that have been preserved to this day, many of them converted into commercial premises.
The coastline, in fact, has some beautiful beaches – although an immense expanse of pebbles occupies the place that our eyes have become accustomed to seeing filled with fine sand, and walks and contemplation of the beautiful landscape are more recommended than swimming in the sea.
I think a good suggestion is to start with the green areas, for example, the Húsares de Junín Park, the Municipal Park or the Federico Villarreal Park, where there are beautiful gardens and the historic Puente de los Suspiros, a wooden bridge built in 1876. At one end of the bridge is Paseo Chabuca Granda, with a square containing a statue of this great Peruvian singer-songwriter, who was born in 1920 and died in 1983. Her importance to Peruvian culture is so great that in 2017 her musical career was declared Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación (Cultural Heritage of the Nation) and in 2019 the Peruvian government posthumously awarded her with the highest national decoration, the Orden El Sol del Perú (Order of the Sun of Peru). In the statue, by sculptor Fausto Jaulis, she appears accompanied by the shaman José Antonio Lavalle.
The next step is the Iglesia de la Santísima Cruz (below) which is the main church in the district, and the Parroquia La Ermita, where there is a beautiful viewpoint overlooking the Bajada de los Baños and the sea, just in front of the restobar La Posada del Mirador.
Barranco also has good restaurants for all budgets, which I couldn't enjoy because my time was short. Here you can see an extensive list of them, with addresses, menus and prices.
Although it wasn't part of our very tight tour of Barranco, I suggest you to take a tour of some of the cultural spaces that we only had time to see the front of, such as the Municipal Library and the renowned Galería Dédalo, which also has authorial design pieces for purchase. You might also like to visit the Museo de la Electricidad, the Museo Pedro de Osma, which is a beautiful art nouveau mansion, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, which brings together works from the 1950s to the present day, and the MATE - Mario Testino Museum, a renowned Peruvian photographer who has made a name for himself in the fashion world. To get to know more national artists it's worth going to the Casa Taller de Víctor Delfín, the residence of the painter and sculptor, author of the El Beso sculpture mentioned above, where his best-known works are on display.
While walking around the neighborhood, it's common to come across large urban art murals coloring the walls. They are very high quality works that deserve a close look and good photographs. The images below, for example, are of works printed on the steps of the Bajada de la Oroya.
The next two works are (or were - the photos are from 2019) on a wall in Jirón Ayacucho, near Pasaje Chabuca Granda.
In summary, in my opinion Barranco is the most charming neighborhood, ideal for travelers who want to have more contact with the local culture and who want to get away from the ordinary places where most people stay.
The Parque de la Reserva's Magic Water Circuit, inaugurated in 2007, is one of Lima's icons and a symbol of the recovery of the city's public spaces. It is made up of thirteen electronically controlled fountains of the highest technology. They form an ensemble in which music, water, sounds and laser lighting blend into a unique and incredible spectacle.
O Parque de la Reserva, por sua vez, é uma imensa área verde que existe desde 1929. Ele foi criado em homenagem aos antigos reservistas que lutaram em defesa da cidade durante a Guerra do Pacífico, entre 1879 e 1883, tendo, por um lado, o Chile e, de outro, o Peru e a Bolívia. No entanto, foi a partir de 2007, com a inauguração do Circuito Mágico del Agua, que o parque adquiriu o status privilegiado que tem hoje. Na verdade, sua criação foi parte de um grande projeto da prefeitura para revitalizar os espaços públicos de Lima.
Each of the Circuit's thirteen fountains is different from the others, with its own particular attraction, offering an independent and separate show. There are squirts of water that dance to the sound of music, projections of the most varied colors and shapes reflecting in a mirror of water or huge jets that can reach dozens of meters in height - all so perfectly synchronized and spectacular that they have been awarded the title of the largest fountain complex in a public park in the world by the Guinness Book of Records, as well as being home to the tallest fountain on the planet.
Every day the Circuit offers a show at the Fuente de la Fantasía, one of the largest and most impressive in the park. There are four performances, at 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm, which bring together a crowd of locals and tourists from all over to watch a show of lights, colors, music and magic. The show lasts around 20 minutes and holds your attention from start to finish.
The park is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 3pm to 10pm and admission costs S/ 4.00 (4 Soles - about US$ 1.00). It's worth arriving at 3pm and enjoying the pleasant atmosphere until the water show. An important detail of this recommendation is that several of the park's fountains are interactive and therefore are guaranteed fun not only for children, but also for adults. For those arriving in the afternoon, an added bonus is that the fountains light up at the nightfall, completely changing the atmosphere.
To wrap things up, I think it's worth a trip to the Provincia Constitucional del Callao, 15km from the center of Lima. El Callao brings together the port infrastructure and some of Peru's largest industrial facilities, as well as housing the Jorge Chávez International Airport and the Fortaleza del Real Felipe military museum. With a population of around 813,000 inhabitants occupying a tiny territory, it is the most densely populated area in the country.
The province of El Callao is also home to the small seaside resort of La Punta. As the name suggests, it's a small point of less than 1km² on the southwestern edge of El Callao. As being off the beaten track, this small peninsula, in addition to its enchanting natural attractions, offers a very tasty food in establishments facing the sea, at prices that are much more affordable than in the more traditional tourist spots. Furthermore, it's delightful to take a walk along the edge of Playa La Arenilla, an incredible seabird sanctuary, returning on the opposite side of the peninsula. If there's time, it's well worth taking this absolutely out-of-the-box walk. I think it's a good way to round off a tour – even as short as ours – of Peru's multifaceted capital.
Translated by Laura Vieir
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