A DAY OF CULTURE

WEDNESDAY 22nd JUNE

  It was indeed a cultural day today.  Briefly, Lima is a city of some 8 million inhabitants, and is the second largest desert city in the world after Cairo. Apparently some 80% of all the hotels in Lima are situated in Miraflores. (Don't say you don't get riviting factual information here!).

  I was picked up after breakfast and driven to an archeological site in Lima called the Hucca Pucllana.  It dates back to the Lima culture which overlaps with the Moche and Nasca periods and ran from 100BC to 500AD.  It consists of pyramidical structures flattened off at the top built from adobes (mud bricks).  (I now know what an "Adobe Hacienda" is after all these years!). The platforms so formed were used for worship of Pachacamac the God creator of life and the universe.

  We joined up with other parties on a large luxury coach that drove us into the central part of Lima which consists of some 900 hectares.  Enroute we passed various embassies, the English school and various buildings of interest.

We passed through the Chinatown district of Lima where there are loads of Chifas to be found, the Peruvian name for a chinese restaurant.  Apparently it comes from the Chinese word for eating.

Above at the end of the street is the national football stadium that is still under construction, a sight that residents of Wembley like myself are totally familiar with!  I cannot remember what the pink building below was other than interesting!  However my memory has returned - it is the Argentinian Embassay, or so it says on the blue plaque.

 Below is the Parque de la Reserva opened in 2007 and currently holding the world record fountain complex in the world with thirteen fountains. Fuente Magic (Magic Fountain) can shoot water up to a height of 80m. Nocturnal displays with the fountains illuminated with various colours regularly take place.

 The imposing building below is the Palace of Justice

Below is the National Art Gallery or Museo de Arts

We eventually arrived at the museum in the centre of town where we disembarked and split up into two groups; the Spanish speakers and the English speakers.  I'm glad to say that the English speakers were about a quarter the size of the Spanish speakers!  We were taken on a tour of the museum by our guide Alfredo, who although he had a distinct Spanish accent, had an excellent grip of English vocabulary.  We started at a board which showed the periods of the various cultures in Peru.  It goes back to around 3000BC and shows the various cultures in different parts of Peru, with examples of the pottery these various civilisations produced.  It is interesting to note that the Incas ruled in all areas, albeit for a relatively short time.  They came from the small highland tribe of Quechua people who in 1400AD were an inconsequential local tribe, but by the beginning of the 16th century had conquered all and established the Inca Empire, the largest ever seen in South America, ranging from Ecuador in the north to Chile in the South and Bolivia in the east.  However the Empire only lasted for 130 years, until the arrival of the Spanish sounded its death knell.

The vast proportion of Inca treasures, something like 90% found there way to Spain, so the amount left in Peru is relatively minimal.  Far more prolific is jewelry and pottery from earlier periods.  Gold alloys were extensively used to create jewelry and death masks to cover the faces of the deceased.

Earrings                                

                                          Death Masks - note the traces of red to symbolise blood.

                                           Necklace

                                           Inca Items

We moved into another area where the pottery of the various civilisations was displayed.  The intial two items come from the Nasca civilisation 200BC - 700AD in the southern coastal area of Peru.

The following items come from the Moche civilisation which reigned between 200BC - 700AD in the northern coastal area of Peru.

When we finished at the museum we wended our way to the Plaza de Armas.  Hey that rings a bell!  Seems there's more than one around!  Also my man San Martin - the Casa, the Calle thereof - turns out to be a pretty important figure not only in the independence of Peru but also Chile and Argentina.

San Martin

  Born in 1778 in Yapeyu, Argentina he moved to Spain with his parents in 1786.  After studying at the Noble Seminary in Madrid, he entered the military in Murcia and fought in the Spanish Army against the French in 1808.  In Cadiz he met some South American officers and espoused their cause for independence in South American countries.  He sailed for Buenos Aires from England in 1812. In Argentina his military rank was recognised and he was asked to form a cavalry corps that became known as the Mounted Grenadiers. In 1813 he formed the Lautro lodge whose aim was to free South America from the Spanish yoke.  In 1813 he defeated the Spanish near San Lorenzo. In 1817 with the so called "Army Of The Andes" he won the battle of Chacabuco and entered Santiago.  He resigned the various honours and appointments accorded him in favour of Bernado O'Higgins. This still left Peru in Spanish hands.  Martin decided that the only way to attack Lima is from the sea and set about forming a naval force in 1820.  In July 1821San Martin triumphantly entered Lima, on what was to become Independence Day. In August Martin's wife died in Buenos Aires, and disillusioned by the civil war in Provincios Unidas del Rio de la Plata, Martin decided to go to France in February 1824 with his young daughter Mercedes.  He stayed there up to his death on 17th August 1850.  There is a fine statue of him in the Plaza de Armas, unfortunately all access to the centre of the square was blocked by policemen with riot shields!

On the right hand side of the square is the Cathedral of Lima, which despite its external appearance is 80% timber in construction to make it as earthquake proof as possible. (The last earthquake here was in 1974).

Between the Cathedral and the Presidential Palace, St Christopher Hill can be seen in the distance.  I gather there are excursions organised to go to the top for a bird's eye view of Lima.

At the far end of the square is the Presidential Palace, which for whatever reason seemed to be protected by a row of riot shield wielding policemen.  I gather there is an election due in July.

On the left hand side of the square is the Town Hall, seemingly the Mayor is currently a lady.

All three buildings are to be seen below with self pictured in the foreground.  I recall somebody telling me once that you can usually get better postcards of sights than you can take photos, but what you cannot buy is a picture of yourself in these places, although I have to add I did see a chap wandering around in the square in Quito offering to photograph couples and parents with children with absolutely no success!

We were given a quarter of an hour to wander around on our own before rendezvousing on one corner of the square.  From there we walked to the Church of San Francisco, which also includes a monastry and catacombs that were the first cemetery in the town, and houses some 75,000 bodies. 

Only the monks are buried there nowadays, and the general public ceased being buried there in 1825.  The bodies were buried up to ten deep in rows and separated by layers of lime.  The bones have been excavated and arranged in geometric patterns or simply placed in containers.

The visit also included parts of the church, which concluded the tour.  We returned to the coach and were dropped off at our various desinations.  I thought it was all excellently organised by Limavision and very good value for $30.

  I located a new restaurant in the same road as the hotel, and got a three course meal for just over two quid including a fruit juice and bread roll.  It was all very good and much better value than last night's dinner.  Fully fed I located a laundry two doors away from the hotel and took in my dirty washing which for the princely sum of £2 will be ready for me to collect at 6.00 tomorrow, or at least that is my understanding.  (First clothes wash since leaving Australia at the end of April!).

  Later in the afternoon I went to the local Movistar store and managed to ask for a local prepaid SIM card for my iPhone.  It cost me $5 and considerable effort.  After explaining what I wanted I had to produce my passport which fortunately I had on me, then take paperwork upstairs to the cashiers and pay.  From there I had to take stacks of paperwork to another counter where they gave me the SIM card and I left with a sheaf of paperwork.  I fitted the SIM and I think my number is 208 172 18, obviously with a Peruvian prefix in front.  Upon my return to the hotel I found they were cleaning my room so I wandered off again and perambulated the environs of Miraflores.  I somehow got caught up with a teacher from the north, as I was crossing the road, who was trying to raise money for his school.  He showed me photos of the children, they go out fishing for food, so there is no problem with food, but he decided to come to Lima to try and raise money for medicines.  He showed me maps of Peru and Lima  and traditional hats that the children had made, obviously a sale was coming up!  I told him I didn't have any space for purchases, but gave him $5 for his school.  He seemed genuine enough to me and wasn't that pushy.  After that it was a case of getting this blog done which took some considerable time!