Peru Travel Notes [Lima Historic Center]

During the summer vacation of 2016, we thought Peru would be our first stop on the South American continent. We prepared the documents and excitedly went to the Peruvian consulate to apply for a visa, but the cumbersome procedures ultimately prevented us from making the trip. Unexpectedly, one month later, Peru would open conditional visa exemption to Chinese citizens.

At the beginning of 2019, we finally arrived in Peru. On the plane from Cusco back to the capital Lima (Lima) , we clearly felt the grayness of Lima.

After the Spanish colonist Francisco Pizarro completed the sweep of the Inca Empire in 1535, Lima was selected as the Spanish governor's residence in South America. Lima gradually developed into the colonial capital of Latin America after Mexico City and Bogotá. The third largest city after that. In 1988, Lima's Old Town was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Lima Historic Center

Although the city has experienced severe damage from many earthquakes, until the mid-18th century, this "City of Kings" remained the capital and important city of the Spanish-occupied areas in South America. Many buildings here, such as the Convent of San Francesco, the largest building in South America, were built by local craftsmen and architects from the Old World.

HTTP://Wuhouci.UNESCO.org/EN/list/500/

In 1821, General José de San Martín, the leader of the South American War of Independence, liberated Lima and declared Peru’s independence. Lima The historic center is named after him Plaza San Martín Plaza San Martin ), was built in 1921 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Peru's independence.

 

There are many tourists and vendors in the square.

There are also many folk artists in traditional costumes.

A few blocks away from Plaza San Martín is Lima’s most important Plaza de Armas (Plaza de Armas), also known as the Plaza Mayor (Plaza Mayor). To the east of the Plaza de Armas is La Catedral de Lima (La Catedral de Lima) , which is also the location of the earliest church in Lima. However, due to several major earthquakes, the buildings in Lima's historic center have also been repeatedly damaged. Most of what can be seen now were rebuilt later.

Next to the cathedral is the residence and office of the Archbishop of Lima (Palacio Arzobispal).

Lima is a city of balconies, and these enclosed wooden balconies are influenced by Moorish architecture. Since most of these balconies were in disrepair and were in dilapidated condition, starting in 1996, the then mayor of Lima launched a balcony restoration plan (Adopta un balcón) to save these four hundred balconies. Owners of the remaining endangered balconies can also receive tax breaks for restoring them, which has led to the gradual restoration of many balconies in Lima's historic center.

As soon as you enter the cathedral, there is a small chapel next to the main entrance, which is inlaid with the name of Spanish colonist and the founder of the city of Lima, Francisco Pizarro, and his remains are also preserved here. .

Opposite the cathedral is the Peruvian Presidential Palace (Palacio de Gobierno), which can be visited by appointment on weekends.

There is also a changing of the guard ceremony here at noon every day.

Lima's sightseeing bus company is called Mirabus and operates a number of tourist routes.

The presence of the police signaled that there must be important events taking place that day.

Such as the Easter floral rug contest we encountered.

The road surrounding the Plaza de Armas is the competition venue. The competition started at midnight the day before. The size of each entry is 8×12 meters.

When we came to the Plaza de Armas in the morning, we saw that most of the works had been completed, and only a few participating teams were still working hard.

The materials used to lay the floral carpet can only be natural flowers, grass, leaves and dried grains, as well as a small amount of dyed sawdust, and coffee grounds are used for the dark brown lines.

This custom is most photogenic in Tarma, another small town in the Andes Mountains. Because of its pleasant climate and fertile soil, it is rich in flowers. It is Peru's "Valley of Flowers".

Later, I went back to read the news and learned that the picture of a circle of fruits and vegetables outside won first place in the competition. It came from a local farmer's market management organization.

The sun is very strong, so there will be staff spraying water on the works constantly.

After a while, a parade came to the square.

Believers carry various colorful icons.

When there are no major events on weekdays, we also see locals singing and dancing in the streets in the old city, which also attracts many audiences.

The mountain seen from a distance to the north is the San Cristóbal Mountain in the Rímac district. There is a huge cross on the top of the mountain, and the densely packed small colorful houses spreading on the hillside show that this is a low-income community.

In addition to the cathedral, there are many churches, museums, monasteries and other religious buildings in the historical center of Lima. We didn’t have much interest so we didn’t explore them.

After enjoying the floral carpet competition, we walked back from the Plaza de Armas. When we passed this building, we saw many people waiting at the door. We went up to find out that this was the Teatro Municipal de Lima Theater. ), everyone was waiting for a ballet that was about to start. We were very interested, so we went in and bought tickets.

Lima Municipal Theater was built in 1915 and was later destroyed by a fire. It reopened in 2010 after being renovated.

Performed today is "La Bayadère" (La Bayadère) by the Lima Municipal Theater Ballet. is a classic Russian classical ballet, and the story is adapted from an ancient Indian epic. I remember that when I was in Moscow, I had to give up on the ballet requirement, which required people over six years old to enter. Unexpectedly, we encountered a ballet on the streets of Lima on Easter, which was our enlightenment.

Another impressive show we saw in Lima was at the Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú.

Sisi and Lala's Musical Adventure ” (Las aventuras musicales de Sisi y Lala) is a secret The National Grand Theater of Shandong Province staged a series of theater enlightenment for children. The protagonist in the play Sisi is an eight-year-old girl and Lala is her pet dog. Sisi My mother is an orchestra conductor. Sisi My father is a choreographer .

The show we watched was "Sisi y su Primer Concierto" (Sisi y su Primer Concierto), whose content was to popularize some knowledge of Western classical music to children. Although does not understand Spanish and cannot understand the dialogues and jokes, it does not prevent and us from learning basic music theory, singing scales and playing rhythm along with the characters in the play and the children in the audience. In the second half, the curtain opened, and a real symphony orchestra appeared on the stage and performed many classic music fragments. As a musical enlightenment for children, the effect was quite shocking.

This series has currently developed four parts, followed by ballet, opera , and circus, respectively with the Peruvian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, National Ballet, National Choir, and National Children's Professional groups such as choirs co-starred. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to see these subsequent performances after leaving Lima.

The performance lasts about 1 hour, which is suitable for children's viewing habits. For ordinary people, ticket prices are a threshold for entering the theater. Tickets for this series of performances are also very friendly. One ticket only costs 15 to 40 soles, which is about 30 to 80 yuan. It is suitable for children, students, teachers and adults. Special groups such as tourists can also enjoy a half-price discount. When I returned to China, I could only lament that the ticket price was only enough to watch a movie.