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September 2005

Downtown Lima
Lima, the Beautiful - Its Architectural History 1535-1900
By Christine Mortimer

The Torre-Tagle mansion, the seat of Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in downtown Lima. 
Photo courtesy of PromPeru.

When Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in 1535, the site was a humble Indian village. Nevertheless, the clay ruins of its huacas and of the neighboring sanctuary of Pachacamac indicated that the area must have been immensely significant during the pre-Colombian era.

Its proximity of the sea, its vital position on the coast of the conquered territory, the fertile valley that surrounded it, its mild climate, and the small rushing Rimac River that divided the valley, were all factors that Pizarro took into account when choosing a location to create Lima, the capital of Peru.

Lima was planned like all Spanish cities: checkerboard blocks with an enclosed central square or Plaza de Armas (Main Square). On each side of the square were the Viceroy's Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and the Town Hall. Only the original plots of these buildings remain today, and the Cathedral is the only one that retains some of its original construction and colonial façade. It was at this time that the Casa de Aliaga was constructed.

Most of the early inhabitants came from Andalucía in Spain, so from the beginning, Lima took on the appearance of a Moorish town. Thick adobe walls, smoothed and colored, windows with beautiful grilles, and beautifully carved wood balconies. These balconies were unique in America and modeled after those of Cairo or Damascus, and were certainly the most picturesque characteristics of colonial Lima.

The architecture of an ordinary colonial house was very interesting: one story with plain walls, simple fronts and windows with projecting iron grilles. Most houses had a skylight built into the roof called a teatina.

At the time, the Pacific Ocean was a haven for every type of pirate, buccaneer and adventurer. All sorts of rumors ran around Lima about the sacking of various ports of the Spanish realm.

In 1624, during the government of Don Diego Fernández Córdova, Marquis of Guadalcazar, news reached Lima that the port of Callao had suffered frequent attacks and ransacking by crews of 11 ships commanded by the famous Dutch buccaneer, Admiral Jacob Clerk of the L´Hermite. Thus the reigning Viceroy contacted Don Luis Venegas Osorio, a reknown engineer, to build a wall around the City of Lima. Plans were drawn up and sent to the King of Spain for his approval. The construction began in 1684 and was completed three years later. It was quite an undertaking! The walls stood 5 to 6 meters high and approximately 5 meters wide, there were 34 bastions and 5 gates, and later a 6th was added. Its cost was 680,000 pesos.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Lima reached its architectural zenith: religious buildings multiplied and the city's population was calculated at some forty thousand people. In spite of numerous earthquakes, rebuilding and restorations, the churches, monasteries and old mansions still reflected the excellence of past glory. The Paseo de Aguas (the Aqueduct), the Alameda de los Descalzos (the Promenade of the Barefoot Statues), the Puente de Piedra (the Stone Bridge) of Roman design; and Acho, the oldest bullring in the world and the Inquisition building, all reflect the beauty that the City of Lima must have had because of its uniquely individual and delightful architecture.

The rich tones of ochre, bright blue and the “rose (pink) of Lima” that were so popular during the Colonial period are still present today. Look around you!

In the 18th century, French architecture became popular and blended with the Spanish influence, and the local builders created a greater inventiveness and freshness to the houses and churches.

In the 1870's, the French influence with false roofs and skylights was very fashionable. Avenues such as La Colmena and the Paseo Colón imitated Parisian boulevards. Charming and elegant facades replaced the native techniques of adobe and cane walls. Interiors were lighter and the symmetry gave way to a svelte Neo-classical style, but surprisingly the houses retained their colonial shape. The Museo de Arte (Museum of Art), Museo Italiano (the Italian Museum) and its surrounding park area reflect this Parisian style of architecture.

Next month: a peek into some of the finest of Lima's old colonial mansions. Sources for this article include bibliography and brochures kindly made available by the Municipality of Metropolitan Lima, as well as Hector Velarde's book A Guide to Lima for the May 2004/2005 American Women's Literary Club Home Tours.

Please join the American Women's Literary Club for our next AWLC Home Tour to La Punta/Callao on Thursday, 1 December 2005.

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