Miraflores & Central Lima
Travel in Peru’s Capital City, More Than a Gateway to Machu Picchu
Mar 1, 2009
Travelers to Peru often overlook Lima in favour of the country’s main archaeological attractions such as Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and the lines at Nazca.
However, this desert city by the sea has many attractions to hold tourist interest for at least a couple of days.
Established by the Spanish in 1535 as the Capital of their entire South American empire, Lima was for more than 200 years the most important city on the continent.
Modern Lima
Today Lima’s a city of disparity in architecture, culture and people. Pre-Incan ruins stand next to modern glass towers, colonial mansions, churches and museums bordered by thundering mountains and starved deserts in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west.
The city jives to different beats. In Central Lima, the heart of the city, historic buildings document the city’s Colonial past whereas the sleek Miraflores quarter caters to travelers seeking world class restaurants, shopping and hotels.
While travelers may have to choose which of Lima’s areas to concentrate on discovering, each unique quarter deserves some attention.
Central Lima - Plaza Mayor
Francisco Pizarro founded the city around its Plaza Mayor, the major square in Central Lima formerly known as Plaza de Armas. This makes the perfect location to begin exploring Lima. Historic buildings surrounding the square - the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace (Palacio Arzobispal), the Town Hall (Municipalidad) and the French architecture Governement Palace (Palacio de Gobierno) - form the heart of the historic center.
The square also holds a special place in the hearts of Peruvians; Peru declared its independence from Spain in this square in 1821. Lovers of architecture have plenty to appease them in and around Plaza Mayor’s churches and other buildings constructed in Baroque, Renaissance or Rococo style.
Walking around Central Lima feels like peeling away the layers of history at each street corner. The Parque de la Muralla, a park built atop the crumbling original city walls offers a great opportunity to see “limenos” at play and taste the city’s treats from street vendors. A tour of the Catacombs at San Francisco Convent and Church renders a glimpse of the city’s deeply entrenched Catholicism.
Miraflores – Larcomar and the Parque del Amor
Lima has the distinction of being a desert city by the sea. At Larcomar, a modern shopping complex comprised of three terraces carved out of a sea front cliff top, shoppers mingle with surfers on their way to the beach. For modern shopping, dining, entertainment and everything else, Miraflores is the place to be.
Residents of Miraflores enjoy the scenic nature of the area, which boasts several well maintained parks such as Parque del Amor (The Park of Love) on the edge of the Miraflores Clifftops overlooking the Pacific Ocean beach. Parque Kennedy in the heart of the shopping district welcomes shoppers tired of retail therapy.
Besides the luxuries of modern day living, this prosperous quarter contains ancient adobe ruins dating back to around AD 200 at Huaca Pucllana in the district center, flanked by concrete-and-glass apartment building complexes.
Entertaining and multifaceted, Lima is well worthy of being the capital of a country as diverse and unique as Peru. It merits a look even if most travelers only consider the city a necessary entry point.
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