Centro de Lima
Wednesday, January 10
Lima is Peru’s capital and has around 10 million inhabitants living in the city’s 43 districts. The different districts are very different in terms of architecture, infrastructure and security. While some parts of the historic city centre should be avoided due to high crime rates, however, some of the most beautiful historical buildings can be found in the historic center of the city.
Lima, like many other Latin American cities, also has a central square in the center of the city called "Plaza de Armas". The Plaza de Armas in the center of Lima is surrounded by historic buildings in the Spanish colonial architecture, which is characterized, for example, by its wooden structures outside the windows or wooden balconies. Buildings like these made Lima's old town become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most important building of the old town of Lima, however, is the huge, white Cathedral. The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1538, but the cathedral at that time was much smaller and simpler than the current building. Over the centuries, the cathedral has been repeatedly rebuilt, expanded and renovated. The characteristic, neoclassical church towers were only added in 1797. Today, many Peruvians particularly use the forecourt of the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, which serves as a central meeting point in the historic center of Lima.
