Saturday we joined Patricia, the Affinity Office's administrative assistant and our awesome tour guide, for our first journey into Central Lima. Had a great time checking out the historic center of Lima including the Government Palace and the national cathedral. We wanted to hang around for the changing of the guard, and as an added bonus caught a mini-parade and drill exhibition with music while a wedding was trying to take place. Then the Peruvian Navy guys came into the square to take pics with anyone who wanted. Enjoy some shots of the day and some of my guide book's descriptions!
La Catedral-
The Cathedral dominates the eastern side of Plaza Mayor. Conquistador and founder of Lima, Francisco Pizarro carried the first log for the construction of the original adobe wall and the straw roof structure on this site in 1535. Construction began on the current Baroque-Renaissance-style structure in 1564. However, work stalled due to lack of funds and the devastating earthquakes of 1687 and 1746. The reconstruction ended in 1758, but it had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1940.
The Cathedral has 5 naves and 10 side chapels, with the smaller ones dedicated to religious figures. The chapel of John the Baptist has a carving of Jesus, said to be the most beautiful in the Americas. The remains of Francisco Pizarro lie in the mosaic-covered chapel to the right of the entrance. A headless body thought to be his languished in the crypt until tests in 1990 proved that the wrong remains were on display.
Palacio de Gobierno-
Known also as the Casa de Pizarro, the Government Palace was built by Pizarro on the land once owned by Taulichusco, a pre-Hispanic chief of the Rimac Valley. It has been the seat of political power in Peru ever since, undergoing major reconstruction in the 1920s and 1930s following a fire. Inaugurated in 1938, the palace is a grand example of Colonial affluence. Rooms are festooned with mahogany and cedar carvings, French glass, Carrera marble, and Czech crystal. A marble staircase dominates the Grand Hall, which is flanked by busts of key figures in Peru’s history. The gilded Salon Dorado (Golden Room) is modeled on Versailles Palace’s Hall of Mirrors.
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Cathedral decorated for the wedding
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| Man decorating the Cathedral for some religious festival. |
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| The Archbishop's House |
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| Cathedral |
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| Literally the "other side of the tracks." |
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The bronze fountain was commissioned by the Count of Salvatierra, and Viceroy of Peru, in 1650.
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| Military performance on one side, wedding on the other! |
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| Watching the Navy perform. + Shark balloon |
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| Highly entertaining. |
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| Yes. That IS a nun posing with the Navy guys and their guns... |
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| Aww. |
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| She was having a great time! |
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| Too cute. |
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| No age limit! |
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| Yep. Adorable. |
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| Cathedral at night. |
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| Pedestrian street at night. |
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