Our Tour Begins in Historical Lima

Government Palace in Plaza de Armas

March 26: Day 3. The tour begins! We had an early breakfast with David & Linda then met our group for a bus tour to Lima’s historical center and Miraflores. During the transfer to downtown Lima, we were given some facts about the historical center we were going to visit.

At the heart of the center is the main square— the Plaza de Armas— which is considered the city’s core and birthplace. Founded in 1535 by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro, the plaza is today home to the Government Palace, Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palacio de la Unión.

Lima Metropolitan Cathedral

We walked the square and took in the magnificent buildings and architecture, while our guide provided us with historical facts and background information regarding the plaza.

Courtyard in Casa de Aliaga

We left the square and after a short walk arrived at the Casa de Aliaga— the oldest colonial mansion in Lima, and the oldest house in the Americas continuously occupied by the same line: the De Aliaga family. Built in 1535 by conquistador Jeronimo de Aliaga on land granted to him by Pizarro, the home has been continuously occupied by the de Aliaga family for 17 generations.

Sitting room in Casa de Aliaga

Some 8,000 visitors come to the home each year and many enjoy the Peruvian Creole gastronomic experience provided to groups up to 120 people offered by lunches and dinners. Our guide took us on a tour of the home with its magnificent furniture, fixtures, and art collection representing a wide variety of styles, including French, Baroque, Gothic, Viceregal, Neo-Gothic, classical and even Modern. After our tour we boarded our bus for a drive back to the Miraflores district.

Our lunch stop would be at the Casa Garcia Alvarado home located in the heart the Miraflores district.

Lunch in the courtyard

Built in 1912 by the Castro Iglesias-Thorndike family, the home was declared a National Historical Building in 2005 and is currently owned by descendents Ana Maria and Josefina Alvarado Garcia. The owners have opened the home to visitors, corporate and private wedding and anniversary receptions, private parties, and high teas. We were given a guided tour of the home and then treated to pisco sours and hors d’oeuvres in a courtyard while being serenaded by two guitar-playing musicians.

Capt. Larry, Jane and Ana Maria

Pisco sour is the national drink of Peru and is made with pisco, a base liquor distilled from fermented grapes, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, and Agnostura bitters. The lunch was several courses of typical Peruvian home cooking that didn’t appeal to some, but which Capt. Larry found delicious. Towards the end of lunch our table was visited by co-owner Ana Maria who treated us to stories about her home and family history

Buzzard sculptures

We finished our lunch at Casa Garcia Alvarado and boarded our bus for a short drive south of the Miraflores district to the Bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. Known as the Soho of Lima, Barranco is one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods with colorful street art, neighborhood bars and coffee shops, iconoclastic old mansions and summer houses, and plenty of Bohemian vibes. Exiting our bus, our first indication that Barranco marched to a different beat was a street art display of buzzard head sculptures, followed by more colorful art and floral displays.

Colorful street art

We next came to one of the famous neighborhood landmarks, the Puente de los Suspiros, or the Bridge of Sighs. A legend states if you make a wish and hold your breath while you walk across the bridge, your wish will come true. We were guided to a turn-of-the-century mansion that housed the Pedro de Osma Museum with a great collection of colonial furniture and art.

Pedro de Osma Museum

 Some of the exhibits date back to the first centuries CE, and there is an outstanding collection of paintings from the celebrated Cusco School of Art (exhibit pictures weren’t allowed).

We returned to our hotel and were given a short respite to get ready for the evening activities. We were driven to the Pueblo Libre district to visit the renowned Larco Herrera Museum of Pre-Columbian and Pre-Incan Art.

Ceramic art exhibit

This privately owned museum showcases chronological galleries providing a thorough overview of 5,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It is especially well known for its gallery of pre-Columbian erotic pottery. The Gold and Silver Gallery contains the largest collection of jewelry used by many notable rulers of pre-Columbian Peru. Ancient Peruvian cultures represented their daily lives in ceramics and the ceramics gallery holds the world’s largest collection of erotic ceramics.

Gold and silver adornments

The museum tour was interesting but provided way more cultural and historical information than could be readily absorbed. After the tour we had another Peruvian style dinner in the museum’s restaurant before returning to our hotel. It was another long day and we were exhausted.