THE
ALLURE OF LIMA
by Mark Chesnut
The first time I visited Lima, I came
upon a rather surprising sight. After wandering among
the landmark-laden streets of the historic city center,
I arrived at the ornate government palace, which serves
as the home of the president. As I gazed toward the
top of the handsome structure, I saw not one, but two
huge flags: the red and white colors of Peru, and a
colorful rainbow flag. Had I arrived at a new gay paradise,
where even the president flies the colors of gay pride?
Not quite, as it turns out. A better-educated fellow
traveler quickly explained what this variation on the
rainbow colors means in Peru. “That’s the
Inca flag,” he said. “It’s not quite
the same as the gay pride flag, but it looks very similar.”
OK, so maybe Lima isn’t a dream
world where heads of state proudly fly the international
queer colors (in fact, only former president Alejandro
Toledo flew the Inca flag, so you won’t even see
the Inca rainbow above the palace now that Alan Garcia
is in office). Never fear, Lima is still well on the
way to becoming one of the gayest capital cities on
the South American continent.
Peru has always had plenty to attract
vacationers from around the world, including the pre-Hispanic
wonders of Cusco and Machu Picchu, a broad swath of
Amazon jungle, and a long stretch of Pacific coastline
with the region’s best surfing. In the past, the
city of Lima didn’t register as much more than
a quick layover en route to other parts of the country,
but that’s changing. According to statistics from
PromPeru, the government tourism organization, the average
vacation stay in Lima has increased from one to three
nights. What’s keeping people in Peru’s capital
longer? It’s a combination of several factors:
cultural attractions, fine cuisine, improved accommodations,
and in the case of gay and lesbian travelers, an increasingly
visible LGBT community, which has helped to create a
vibrant nightlife.
I begin my first day in Lima in the mysterious
tunnels at the Iglesia de San Francisco, a church that
dates to 1674. I’m so fascinated by the sight of
human skulls that I stupidly don’t watch where
I’m going. I slam my head into a low passageway,
hard enough to draw blood, and for a moment I feel like
I might be permanently joining the long-deceased residents
of the catacombs. Most visitors, fortunately, emerge
wound-free. This subterranean complex served as the
city’s first cemetery, and the bones of some of
the 75,000 people interred here make for memorable visuals
during guided tours—and they’re one of the
reasons that this is the city’s most-visited church
(even more than the nearby cathedral). Just watch your
head.
Of course, human civilization in Peru
goes back much further than the colonial era; 11,000
years ago, pre-Incan groups flourished throughout the
region. Present-day Lima was founded in 1535 by Spanish
conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Originally named the
Ciudad de los Reyes (City of Kings), Lima was the port
from which the Spanish shipped gold they had plundered
from the Inca. The city also served as the capital of
Spain’s South American empire, which extended from
Panama to Chile, so it’s no surprise that a great
deal of wealth and power was concentrated here.
Peru’s historic grandeur is still
visible in the city center (called El Centro, or simply
Lima, by locals), where the massive colonial buildings
are impressive enough to warrant UNESCO World Heritage
Site designation. What stands today either survived
the devastating earthquakes of 1687 and 1746, or was
rebuilt in the years following these natural disasters.
Plaza de Armas, a beautiful city square
with a large fountain, is a logical place to start any
tour of Lima. Flanking the square is the stately Palacio
de Gobierno (the Government Palace, which flew the rainbow
Inca flag during Toledo’s presidency), completed
in 1938 on the site where the conquistador Pizarro was
murdered by supporters of his political rival in 1541.
The soaring Cathedral and the Palacio Episcopal are
to the east, and the San Francisco church, with its
mysterious catacombs, is just a few steps away.
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Nearby is the elegant Plaza San Martín,
an attractive square partly surrounded by ornate, French-style
architecture that dates to the 1920s. Also in the center
of town is the lovely Parque de la Exposición,
a park built to host an international exposition in
1872. You can still see some of the finely detailed
buildings constructed for the event, including the Renaissance-inspired
building that now houses the Museo de Arte Italiano,
an Italian art museum. One of the city’s newest
attractions is the Circuito Mágico del Agua,
a large group of fountains in the Parque de la Reserva,
where visitors enjoy a nightly show of water and lights.
Lima is made up of 30 distinct neighborhoods,
but most visitors stick to just a few: the historic
Centro, the upscale Miraflores and San Isidro districts,
and the lively Barranco district are among the most
popular.
For foreign visitors, taxis are the
best way to get around, and they’re inexpensive
(they don’t have meters, so agree on a price before
you get in). You’ll definitely need a taxi (or
a good sense of direction to negotiate the public bus
system) if you plan on hitting some of Lima’s excellent
cultural institutions.
Among the most-visited cultural sites
in the city are the Museo de la Nación (the National
Museum), which showcases the many cultures that have
played a role in Peru’s rich history, and the Museo
Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera (the Rafael
Larco Herrera Archeological Museum), which is billed
as having the largest private collection of pre-Columbian
art in the world. Its permanent exhibit of ancient erotic
art draws plenty of comments. Both museums are in the
Pueblo Libre district.
It’s even possible to visit pre-Hispanic
ruins without ever leaving the city. Two great choices
are the Huaca Hallamarca, a flat-topped temple in the
San Isidro district that has been partly restored, and
Huaca Pucllana, a mud-brick pyramid that dates to at
least the 4th century and sits right in the heart of
the tony Miraflores district.
Nineteen miles south of Lima is Pachacamac,
an archaeological site that dates to the first century.
The home of the Huari people until it was captured by
the Inca in the 15th century, this site has partly-
restored plazas, palaces, and pyramids, as well as a
small museum. Tour operators, including the gay-friendly
Lima Tours, offer guided visits to all the major sites
around the city.
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