The city of kings

The cosmopolitan city of Lima is a goldmine of fascinating cultural experiences,
writes Nivedita Choudhuri

A view of Kennedy Park, which often holds poetry and art exhibitions.

The cathedral lies in Plaza Mayor, which is in the heart of Miraflores district and a huge Unesco World Heritage site. Photos: Indranil Choudhuri

Peru packs all sorts of cultures and landscapes into a surprisingly compact area, making it one of South America’s most tempting destinations. Its capital, Lima, is a city of contrasts and commotion. Street-sellers scamper through traffic that idles down streets, flanked by colonial mansions, pre-Inca ruins, historic churches and museums, full of treasures. Unfairly undervalued, Lima is a warm and vivid city that has much to offer.

Sitting dead centre on the coast of one of the most exotic travel destinations in the world, the city is all too often seen as nothing more than a transport hub to the mystical Andes and its Incan relics or to Peru’s tropical Amazon region. Shrouded in fog for six months of the year, Lima looks dull at first sight. Home to a third of the country’s population (Peru has 27 million inhabitants), it is also home to a third of its pollution, poverty, traffic and noise. But pull off that layer of fog, peek past the dusty streets, block out the sounds of a million car horns and you find there is more to the city than meets the eye.

Founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535, Lima was the capital of the Spanish Empire in South America for almost two centuries. Dubbed the City of Kings, it was at the time the most important metropolis in the region, the centre of power and wealth. An earthquake decimated the city in 1746, leaving thousands dead and only a few buildings standing. However, rebuilding was rapid, and most of the old colonial buildings, still to be seen here, date from after the earthquake.

I had expected to find an endless sprawl in what is the fourth largest city of South America — only to encounter a cosmopolitan enclave on the shore of the Pacific, where early-bird surfers catch waves and joggers bound through manicured parks in the hip and happening district of Miraflores. Then, there is its gloriously impressive heart — a huge Unesco World Heritage site pinned around the Plaza Mayor, with its cathedral and presidential palace. The show-stealer, though, is the Convento de San Francisco, another grand monastic pile finished in 1674.

It was at Plaza Mayor, formerly called Plaza de Armas, that Pizzaro founded Lima. Major institutions such as the Palacio Arzobispal (Archbishop’s Palace), the Municipalidad (Town Hall) and the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace) were established here and today they form the city’s historic centre. The plaza has witnessed many significant events, including the first bullfight, executions the Spanish Inquisition, and the declaration of Peru’s independence in 1821.

The country’s leading museums are in Lima and they display collections of pre-Columbian artefacts, colonial and contemporary paintings as well as folkloric works. Museo de la Nacion has excellent models of Peru’s well-known ruins and extensive exhibits about the country’s heritage. Everything from Chavin stone carvings to Nazca ceramics and Paracas weavings is represented. At Museo de la Inquisicion, visitors can explore the basement where prisoners were tortured. Museo de la Cultura Peruana specialises in items of popular art and handicrafts. Exhibits include ceramics, carved gourds, traditional folk art and costumes from various periods and places. But if you have not much time at hand then visit only one museum in Lima, and that should be the Museo Rafael Larco Herrera, which showcases pre-Columbian artefacts.

Peru’s cosmopolitanism is reflected in San Isidro and Miraflores, Lima’s most exclusive residential and commercial neighbourhoods. San Isidro holds many of the city’s top luxury hotels and a slew of offices and shopping malls. Miraflores contains the greatest number and variety of hotels, bars and restaurants.

Lima’s culinary scene in fact is extremely exciting. One may well ask if a nation that barbecues guinea pigs really has anything to offer the serious gastronome. However, the cuisine is one of the world’s most varied and delicious. Staples such as potatoes, corn, peanuts, chillies, quinoa and fresh seafood pre-date the Incas, while chicken, beef, pork, citrus fruits, olives, wine, cinnamon and cloves came courtesy of the Spanish. Some popular dishes are aji de gallina — chicken stew made with milk, Parmesan, bread, chillies and walnuts, and cancacho – roasted pork or lamb marinated in chilli and oil. Pisco, a clear grape brandy is Peru’s national drink. Most Peruvians prefer it in the form of pisco sour, which is three parts pisco mixed with limejuice, sugar syrup, egg white and ice cubes.

Lima has calmed down a bit since the chaotic 1980s and 1990s, when the city was the scene of carjackings and kidnappings. It demands some effort to sift beneath the soot and uncover the city’s rewards, especially when such extraordinary treasures hover over the horizon in the Andes. But, you skip Lima and you miss a vital part of what Peru is today.

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