Thanks to all the Peruvian students I’ve taught over the years, I’ve developed an interest in this South American country. Finally, a few weeks ago, I was able to travel to Peru on an OAT Adventure and see this fascinating land for myself. Over a period of two and a half weeks, I traveled from the Pacific coast to the Andes Mountains, from the edge of the jungle to the Altiplano, and from sea level to nearly 13,000 feet in altitude. I walked, hiked, and climbed more than I ever have in my life.
While it was the most physically challenging trip I’ve ever taken, the first few days were deceptively easy. I landed in Lima (elevation about 500 feet), a city of 10 million people and the capital of Peru, two days before the official start of my OAT adventure. My hotel was in the Miraflores area, a lovely and safe middle- and upper middle-class neighborhood known as the garden spot of Lima. Although it was shortly after midnight when I checked into the hotel and I just wanted to fall right into bed, I brushed my teeth, remembering to use bottled water. I also noticed something strange: all the towels felt somewhat damp.
It was only the next morning when I checked the weather app on my phone that I discovered the reason – the humidity level was 98%. But there was no rain in the forecast, just cloudy conditions. Pushing aside the curtains and raising the blinds, I was rewarded with an up-close view of the HVAC system and a defiantly gray sky. At least the temperatures were in the comfortable range. In fact, the 50s and low 60s were very welcome after the summer heat I’d been experiencing in the Washington, DC area.
I was on my own for the first couple of days before my OAT tour began, and I found Miraflores very easy to explore on foot. It was the weekend and the sidewalks were filled with people out shopping, strolling, and sitting at outdoor café tables. Although the temperature seemed spring-like to me, it was technically their winter season, and many were wearing puffy coats and tall boots. In addition, I was somewhat surprised to see that almost everyone was wearing a mask.
The main commercial street, Avenida Larco, was lined with modern buildings housing banks, shops, and restaurants at street level. Nearby Kennedy Park had benches, a playground, food vendors, and an open-air art exhibit.
There was a large supermarket not far from the park where I marveled at the exotic fruits and the amazing variety of potatoes.
Just a couple of blocks from my hotel, I was able to appreciate Lima’s spectacular setting on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You can walk on promenades that go through parks and look down at the waves crashing on the shore. It wasn’t beach weather but there were plenty of surfers (in wet suits) and paragliders. There’s also a very upscale shopping mall called Larcomar that is set right on the cliffs.
Continuing north on a path along the coast, I found the popular Parque del Amor, “Love Park.” Its colorful mosaic work is reminiscent of Gaudi’s Parque Guell in Barcelona and features quotations from famous writers about love.
Of course, I was eager to try some Peruvian food. For my first lunch, I went to a typical Peruvian restaurant for cebiche pescado (fish “cooked” in lime juice) and causa de langostino (lobster salad sandwiched between two layers of mashed golden potatoes). The plate was garnished with two Peruvian staples: sweet potato and large kernel corn.
For lunch the following day, I stopped by the Avenida Larco location of a legendary sandwich shop, La Lucha Sangucheria. Instead of the extremely popular chicharron, I tried pavo a la leña (roast turkey), accompanied by an order of patates fritas with a special sauce. I’m not quite sure that all the rave reviews are merited. A few slices of roast turkey on a roll? Some steak-cut fries? It wasn’t much to get excited about. Oh, well. It was only a few more hours until dinner.
Much to my delight, there was a “chifa,” the ubiquitous Peruvian Chinese restaurant, located a few doors down from my hotel. As I expected, the décor was very basic, the prices were low, and there were many familiar items on menu. For 36 soles (less than $10), I had wonton noodle soup, shrimp with vegetables and a large serving of fried rice – all very tasty and filling.
To explore beyond Miraflores, I hopped on the Mirabus (a red double decker bus for tourists) and traveled north through the San Isidro neighborhood towards the city center. As we neared downtown, the area became increasingly congested. I got a glimpse of some tallish modern buildings as well as neo-classical structures. We passed through Plaza San Martin with its equestrian statue of liberator José Martin before the bus parked a few blocks from the Plaza Mayor, Lima’s main square, with its Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace.
Wandering around the car-free streets, I noticed that the peaks of the Andes were visible in the distance. I took a leisurely walk around the vast open space of the plaza, crowded with weekend visitors, knowing I would be returning to this area as part of the OAT tour.
When the tour kicked off on Monday morning, my education started in earnest. Throughout the 2 weeks we were together, our tour leader, Walter Torres, provided us with a wealth of information. It’s not surprising, since he is a historian, a teacher, and has written two books about the Incas. With his mestizo background (Indian mother, Spanish father) and fluency in both Quechua and Spanish, Walter proved to be the perfect guide to Peru.
One of the first things I learned is that Peru’s population is 52% mestizo. Large numbers of Indian communities still exist throughout the country, although not in Lima proper. It wasn’t a surprise to learn that Peru has very little arable land, but it was definitely a surprise to learn that 58% of the country is jungle and that the coastal region is a desert. I always imagined Peru was mostly mountainous. Here’s another fact: the oldest civilization in the Americas is the Caral culture which began 5000 years ago (that’s 4500 years before Incas) on the coast of modern-day Peru. And did you know that today in the city of Lima, there are over 50 pre-Columbian pyramids? Walter noted that when the Spanish arrived in the early 1500s, there were actually over 500 pyramids in Lima, most of which the Spanish destroyed.
Our group made an afternoon visit to the Huaca Pucllana, an archaeological site located right in Miraflores, where we explored one of the pyramids that dates back to pre-Inca times.
Around 400-500 CE (1000 years before the Incas), the site was used as an administrative and religious center by the Lima culture. These people were engaged in farming, fishing, and raising livestock. They developed an irrigation system fed by the waters of the Rimac River. Marine dieties played a central role in their religion, and the image of the shark can be found on many Lima artifacts. Some archaeologists believe that the Lima people practiced human sacrifice, especially at times of droughts or poor harvests.
The Pucllana pyramid is built of sunbaked adobe (mud) bricks, in a “library” style, i.e. placing the bricks vertically but angled slightly and with spaces between the bricks. Adobe is a flexible material and by using the library style of construction, the builders created walls that were anti-seismatic, i.e. designed to withstand earthquakes.
Unlike Egyptian pyramids, the interior of the immense pyramid at Pucllana is not hollow but is filled with mud. Its seven levels, or platforms, were not built all at the same time. Three different civilizations were involved in the pyramid’s construction. Possibly due to climate change or El Niño, the Lima people eventually abandoned the site. Around 700 CE, the Wari (also spelled Huari) took over the site and used it as a cemetery for mummies of the aristocracy until approximately 1000 CE.
Pyramids similar to the one we saw in Miraflores existed all along the coast of Peru prior to the arrival of the Spanish. In the mid-1800s, Rafael Larco, the wealthy descendant of an Italian immigrant, bought a plantation on Peru’s northern coast and discovered several pyramids on his property. Exploring the land further, he found cemeteries filled with mummies, pottery, textiles, metal work, etc., and began a collection that eventually grew to over 45,000 pieces. The majority of the pieces are pre-Inca pottery, mostly from the Moche civilization. Although the objects were 1500 to 2500 years old, 99% of the pieces were completely intact.
The Larco Museum was established in 1926 by the Larco family to showcase the collection. What’s remarkable about the items in the museum is that nothing required restoration. The museum is located in a mansion surrounded by beautiful gardens. Notice the bougainvillea:
According to our local guide, the Moche made offerings of pottery and it was a sign of the giver’s status. Many of the pieces were decorated with images of animals that had special meaning in pre-Columbian cultures. Birds, such as the owl and the condor, represented the power of the skies. Felines, such as the puma, represented the power of the earth, and serpents represented the power of the underworld. In some pieces, features of the three animals are merged together into a single figure.
There’s an ancestral Moche figure with a two-headed snake.
Moche pieces influenced by the Wari culture feature more colors.
Other artifacts portrayed ritual combat and sacrifice, as practiced by the Moche, who believed that human sacrifice was necessary to prevent the disastrous effects of natural phenomena, such as El Niño. The sons of the wealthy class would engage in hand-to-hand ritual combat with the goal of knocking off the opponent's headdress. The loser would become the sacrificial victim.
There was a Wari art mummy from the 8th century as well as gold ornaments from the Chimu culture (1300 - 1532 CE).
A special building was devoted to an extensive collection of erotic art. In the ancient Peruvian cultures, sexuality was understood as a potent regenerative force. The pieces of pottery in this part of the collection were extremely explicit. You’ll have to use your imagination because I didn’t take any photos – my grandchildren love to get hold of my electronic devices and scroll through the pictures. If you’re ever in Lima, I strongly encourage you to visit to Larco Museum.
Of course, we also took a look at downtown Lima, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The modern city and its harbor were founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535 on a site in the Rimac River valley previously used by the Lima culture. The city became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
The Spanish arrived looking for gold and silver. For the Incas, gold was considered the sweat of the sun and had a religious, rather than economic, value. The conquistadores seized as much Inca gold as they could and melted it down. A certain percentage was sent back to the Spanish monarchs.
By the late 1500s, Lima was the target of frequent attacks by pirates and corsairs (mostly English and French) who wanted to steal the gold and silver stored in the city. The Spanish eventually built defensive walls that were 15 feet high and 15 feet wide and included ten gates. Most of the city walls were demolished in the late 1800s as Lima’s population grew.
The colonial architecture of downtown Lima shows the influence not only of Spain, but also of the Moors (North African Muslims) due to their presence on the Iberian peninsula for several centuries. The French also exerted an influence on colonial Lima’s architectural style during the 18th and 19th centuries. As Spain’s military power waned, France’s power, and cultural influence, grew.
I had already made an earlier visit to Lima’s main square, the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza Mayor. This immense open space attracts local people and tourists alike. The plaza is where the Lima’s cathedral and several other important buildings are located.
The Metropolitan Cathedral dates back to the early 1600s. Directly to the left of cathedral is the Archbishop’s Palace. Although the latter building looks old, it was actually built in the 1920s in neo-Colonial style.
During colonial times, the buildings facing the square were occupied by wealthy families. The distinctive wooden balconies allowed the women to enjoy the fresh air without being observed. Other buildings on the square include the Presidential Palace from 1930s, built on site of early Lima structure. In the center of the square is an impressive bronze fountain dating back to 1651.
We encountered a lot of traffic on our way to the downtown area but the slow pace gave us a chance to notice the variety of architectural styles in the city center. There were very few “modern” looking buildings, i.e. skyscrapers, perhaps because of the earthquake danger. Actually, the tallest building in Lima has 35 stories. There were, however, large buildings in the Beaux Arts, Brutalist, and neo-colonial styles. Most of these buildings were gray, matching the gray of the overcast sky.
Barranco is a more bohemian area of modern-day Lima. In the 1850s, rich European residents of Lima built summer vacation houses here as an escape from downtown. Their beach houses, called “ranchos,” are beautiful big houses in different architectural styles. Nowadays, Barranco is a desirable neighborhood filled with art galleries, museums, coffee houses, restaurants, and clubs. It has a certain charm, especially if you can manage to ignore the Starbucks, Papa John’s, and Dunkin’ Donuts on the main plaza. It was very quiet when we visited early on a weekday morning but our guide assured us that it gets extremely crowded in the evenings and on weekends.
The most interesting aspect of our visit to Barranco was a walk through a park decorated with murals created by local artists. The artists were commissioned by the government to create works to empower women and to raise public awareness of domestic abuse, which continues to be a big problem in Peru.
We made a stop at a small fish market in the Chorrillos area of Lima. The fishing colony in this location goes back to colonial times. On the beach, there was a cluster of fishing boats and nets in need of repair. Sea lions are responsible for most of the torn nets. We noticed black crown herons, which Walter described as thieves who steal the fish right out of the nets. Pelicans perched on overhangs, observing the activities on shore as well as on the water.
In the covered market area, a fisherman named Joaquin shared his experiences and noted that the people who make their living from fishing suffered greatly during the first years of the pandemic. He pointed out different varieties of fish and shellfish that were taken from the year-round chilly waters (thanks to the Humboldt Current) off the coast.
I noticed a row of open-air restaurants on the beach but, unfortunately, it was too early for lunch.
Speaking of food, our two group lunches in Lima gave me a chance to try some new Peruvian specialties as well as enjoy some more familiar dishes. At a restaurant in Miraflores, I tried a delicious appetizer called taqueños, which is fried dough stuffed with cheese and served with guacamole on the side. After a main course of grilled fish (accompanied by a boiled potato the size of a tennis ball), I had one of my favorite Latin American desserts, tres leches cake.
At La Muralla, a downtown restaurant adjacent to the Rimac River and the remains of the city walls, I started off the meal with my first ever Pisco sour. The appetizer was causa jardiniera (golden mashed potatoes stuffed with cooked vegetables mixed with mayonnaise). The highlight of the meal was probably the main course, arroz con mariscos, a rice and seafood dish similar to paella.
Although the skies were gray throughout our time in Lima, there was never any rain. It’s certainly a shame that we never saw a blue sky, but Walter promised us that all would be different once we got to the mountains. After four days of gloom, I was definitely ready for sunshine, so vamanos – let’s go!
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