The city life is very active and fervent, enriched by cultural initiatives and new premises. Lima has a role of primary importance in the cultural field:
there have seat in fact various universities, including the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos de Lima (the oldest of South America, founded in 1551) that comprises the humanistic faculties and scientific high level, and is associated with a foundation that is applied in the field of social studies and development aid.
The historic center of Lima was included by UNESCO in 1988 on the list of world heritage. Just a few kilometers from the city is the famous archeological center of Pachacamac.
Town planning The first urban center was founded in the hinterland of the coastline, on the left bank of the river, but the city developed as both toward W both toward S, incorporating the existing centers, for which today is practically linked to Callao (10 km W), its natural outlet on the Pacific and major port of the country.
The population, which exceeded 50,000 inhabitants already in 1775, has grown rather slowly in the XIX century (up to 120,000 ab.), and then explode in the twentieth century, and particularly in the second half of it: from 540,000 inhabitants in 1940 to 1,700,000 in 1960 and to 4 million in 1980, still doubled in the next twenty years.
The process of urbanization that has characterized the growth of the city has not happened without environmental imbalances and social: on the one hand, in fact, the peripheries include agglomerations precarious (barriadas), occupied by immigrants without often essential services; on the other, the construction, more or less unfair, have involved the old agricultural areas, on a surface of over 2000 km². Also the production locations, although mainly concentrated in the direction of Callao were carried untidily, sometimes in full of residential areas.
From everything they have resulted in serious problems of congestion of urban traffic, only partially resolved by the opening of some of the major roads with radial development (including the Paseo de la Republica, toward S) and by the existence of railways intraurbane: among these, the line for Callao, built in 1850, is the oldest of South America.
History The city was founded on 18 January 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, that the Baptized Ciudad de los Reyes in honor of the Spanish monarchs. The name of Lima seems to be due to a corruption of Rimac, river on the Riva is placed the city.
Lima was the richest and most beautiful capital of the Spanish colonies. Its decline began after the independence of Peru (1821). In the XX century, instead, especially after the opening of the Channel of Panama, the city was again developed.
Art The city retains the road system at regular chessboard, with large squares, porticos and fountains, tracks that intersect regularly and flanked by low houses. On the Royal square overlooking the cathedral of the Assumption (first phase 1540-64; second 1582-98, on a project by Francisco Becerra), in colonial style, seriously damaged and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1606, 1609, 1687, 1746; inside keeps the tomb of Pizarro. The Church and the convent of San Domenico (consecrated in 1547) are the oldest religious monument of Lima, in part still in late gothic style.
The church of San Francesco (1656-74), the architect Galician Constantino de Vasconcelos, presents inside a vaulted ceiling, dome, arches and decorations of Moorish type, and is part of a grandiose complex that also includes a convent. Notable examples of architecture churrigueresca are the church and the convent of the Mercede and the facade of the church of San Agostino.
The civil architecture is mostly back to the earthquake of 1746 (Only the House of Pilate, of the XVI century, reflects the first Spanish style), of baroque style Andalusian (Palazzo dei Marchesi di Torre Tagle; Villa de grip).
Very characteristic are the wooden balconies. The Museo de Arte conserves archaeological material (testimonies of sixteen pre-Columbian cultures) and works of art of the colonial and union from the sixteenth century to XX.
The Gold Museum of Peru collects especially precious jewels of pre-Columbian era, collected in collections which highlight the historic and symbolic value and;
there is also take temporary exhibitions of modern artists. Economy Lima is the most important industrial center, seat of complex foods, textiles (wool, cotton), chemical (nitrogenous fertilizers, synthetic fibers), pharmaceutical, locksmith, tanning, petrochemical, footwear, cement, tobacco and furniture.
A certain importance has the tourism, also favored by approximately 130 kilometers of beach and from the city are within easy reach. Important financial center, the city is the maximum commercial emporium of Peru, served by the international airport Jorge Chavez and located on the carretera panamericana, to convergence of road and railway line of large traffic, as the coastal line that joins to Huacho and those of the Andes from Cerro de Pasco and from Huancayo (initially the railway network was primarily intended to transport of mining products).
Add and sm. [by the name of Quechua]. Amerindia language, also called quichua or Norse rune-simi, even today spoken, that boasts a prestigious past having been before the official language of the Incas, then the lingua franca of which served the Spanish missionaries, after the conquest, in their work of evangelization (was considerably enlarged the area of diffusion of the Quechua).
In Bolivia the Quechua is official language together with Spanish and aymará, while from 1975 is also the official language of Peru to the equal of Spanish.
there is also take temporary exhibitions of modern artists. Economy Lima is the most important industrial center, seat of complex foods, textiles (wool, cotton), chemical (nitrogenous fertilizers, synthetic fibers), pharmaceutical, locksmith, tanning, petrochemical, footwear, cement, tobacco and furniture.
A certain importance has the tourism, also favored by approximately 130 kilometers of beach and from the city are within easy reach. Important financial center, the city is the maximum commercial emporium of Peru, served by the international airport Jorge Chavez and located on the carretera panamericana, to convergence of road and railway line of large traffic, as the coastal line that joins to Huacho and those of the Andes from Cerro de Pasco and from Huancayo (initially the railway network was primarily intended to transport of mining products).
Add and sm. [by the name of Quechua]. Amerindia language, also called quichua or Norse rune-simi, even today spoken, that boasts a prestigious past having been before the official language of the Incas, then the lingua franca of which served the Spanish missionaries, after the conquest, in their work of evangelization (was considerably enlarged the area of diffusion of the Quechua).
In Bolivia the Quechua is official language together with Spanish and aymará, while from 1975 is also the official language of Peru to the equal of Spanish.