Lima, Peru Day 2

            Today we opted for an open air tour bus ride into the historic downtown portion of Lima.  We walked from our condo to the Larcome Shopping Center.  This appeared to be a nerve center of the Miraflores area.  After asking several security guards where the bus stop was located – since I was pretty sure we wouldn’t be catching it underground – I finally located a nice young man who spoke some very broken English.  He escorted me to the “TouriBus” office where I finally picked up our tickets for the day.  I had purchased them the night before online at Viator but needed to obtain our ‘paper ticket’ to actually board the bus.  After several minutes and with ticket in hand we were directed to the pickup location, directly behind the taxi stand.  

            We proceeded up to ground level and managed to find the line of taxis.

We felt we were in the right place but with no posted sign one had to wonder.  After 5 minutes another couple from Hawaii joined us.  They also were looking for the bus stop.  We assumed we were in the right location and several minutes before the bus was due to arrived the young lady that had given me my ‘paper ticket’ appeared at ground level with a clipboard and walkie talkie confirming this was the stop.  The bright yellow bus came into view right on time and we boarded, opting to sit in the open air upstairs seating.  It was slightly chilly at first but warmed up nicely within a short time.  We had layered our clothing so were well prepared for the different temperatures.

            We slowly proceeded through the streets of Lima on our way to the historic downtown section.  The ride into the city center took about an hour and a half but afforded us good understanding of the culture as we took in the sight, sounds and smells of this fascinating city.  Our goal for the day was the Convento de San Francisco and the Catacombs – added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991.  Our small group consisted of about 20 but half were Spanish speaking and half were English speaking only so our tour guide had to describe each thing in both English and Spanish, taking a little longer than some of the other tour groups.

            We left our bus at Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas of Lima, the birthplace of Lima and the core of the city.  In 1523, King Charles 1 of Spain mandated the “Procedures for the creation of cities in the New World”.   These pro

cedures indicated that after outlining a city's plan, growth should follow a grid centered on the square shape of the plaza.  On the day of the foundation of the city of Lima, January 18, 1535, the conquistador Francisco Pizarro conformed to the established procedure and designated the Plaza Mayor.  Within the square you will find the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop’s Palace, Municipal Palace and the Palace of the Union. 

 

 The changing of the guards takes place at 11:45am daily at the Government Palace.  We only caught a few minutes of the ceremony but our guide tells us its about an hour in length. 

            

           From Plaza Mayor we walked the short one block to the San Francisco Church. We spent a little over an hour here. Aside from the church and monastery it also contains a library and catacombs. The church and monastery were consecrated in 1673 and completed in 1774.  After surviving earthquakes in both 1687 and 1746, it suffered extensive damage in the earthquake of 1970.  The architectural style is Spanish Baroque with the head alter carved out of wood.  The corridors of the main cloister are inlaid with Sevillian glazed tiles dating from the 1620s. 

            The library is world-renowned containing over 25,000 antique texts pre dating the conquest.   I thought one of the most notable books was the Holy Bible dating 1571 printed in Antwerp. 

            As we walked through the refectory one couldn’t help notice 13 large paintings on either side of you.  They represented the biblical patriarch Jacob and his 12 sons and were done by the hand of Spanish master Francisco de Zurbaran.  A painting of the last supper depicted Peruvian ingredients such as guinea pig, potatoes and chillis.  I also found interesting a picture of Judas with the Devil hovering besides him.

            Discovered in 1943, the catacombs contain thousands of skulls and bones having served as a burial-place until 1808, when the city cemetery was opened outside Lima.  Dark, mysterious and somewhat eerie, I was fascinated at the way they chose to ‘display’ the bones.  After a limestone decay process was completed the Monks would place the bones in different patterns in different areas.  It is said to conserve space. 

            A most interesting day indeed.   After being dropped off back at the Larcome Shopping Center, we dined at the La Bodega de la Trattoria, watched the sunset and then headed back to our condo.  Our departure to Agua Caliente and Machu Picchu was scheduled at 6am so we made it an early evening.