lima
If it’ s Lima’ s artistic soul you’ re in search of, look no further than Barranco, the rapidly gentrifying bohemian neighborhood where restored mansions have been turned into boutique hotels and some of the world’ s best restaurants
HISTORY
The Central Peruvian coast was originally inhabited by the Lima and Ichma communities, whose people left archaeological sites in and around where the city would later be built. The most prominent within the city limits is Huaca Pucllana, a clay and adobe pyramid that dates from around 500 B. C. E., while the larger and better-preserved Pachacamac complex is 25 miles to the south.
Lima’ s modern era began in 1535, when it was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who called it La Ciudad de los Reyes, or the City of Kings. Back then, it was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru that governed the Spanish Empire in South America. The colonial center of the city( rebuilt several times after severe earthquakes) radiates from the Plaza Mayor, ringed by historical buildings such as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Government
Palace. Within a few blocks is the catacombladen Basilica and Convent of San Francisco and the Iglesia Las Nazarenas, which is the starting point of the fervent Señor de los Milagros procession that takes place each October.
Republican-era architecture has been best preserved in the Barranco neighborhood to the south, especially surrounding the Bajada de los Baños, a walkway that leads down to the oceanfront, and the Bridge of Sighs that crosses it from above.
FOOD
The thing that unites Limeños more than anything else is food. From rotisserie chickens spinning on charcoal grills to world-class fine dining, the city excels when it comes to gastronomy.
Around the turn of the century, chef Gastón Acurio spearheaded a movement, organizing a collective of cooks, pumping
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