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Founded
in 1535 by the most ruthless of all conquistadors, Francisco Pizarro, Lima's
history is one of conquest, trickery, piety and imperial grandeur. Today this
colonial capital is gateway to some of Perú's premier archaeological treasures. |
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HISTORY
The Spanish adventurer, Francisco Pizarro founded Lima
on January 18, 1535. He
was killed in 1541 by a rival group of conquistadors. Around 1542, the city became the capital of
Perú and
established itself as an important and powerful city of South America. Three
centuries later,
due
to political instability in Spain's South American empire,
General San Martín declared Perú's independence in 1821.
The city of Lima is one of South America's largest with a population of
approximately 7 million.
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Inca
Gold Museum
We know now that
the Incas were not the first, and possibly not even the most advanced, early
civilization in South America. Archaeologists are still accumulating evidence
to
describe all of the many ancient cultures of Perú, their relationships to each
other and the reasons for their decline from power. The Gold Museum contains the
private collection of Miguel Mujica Gallo.
This extensive display of gold attests to the incredible riches of the
Inca world. You can even find a sword believed to have belonged to
Francisco Pizarro, Lima's founder.
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Inca
Erotic Art
The
Rafael Larco Herrera Museum
presents an immense and valuable collection of pottery
which
has been assembled from all the known Peruvian cultures. Reconstructed
gravesites show burial techniques. There is a small cactus garden and a separate
room with an extensive collection of erotic art on pottery. An exhibit of
textiles made from feathers and a Paracas weaving, which contains 398 threads to
the linear inch, rounds out this unique and valuable collection.
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Machu
Picchu: The Lost City of the Incas
With an altitude of over 8,000 feet,
Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 when the American explorer Hiram Bingham
led a small expedition into the Andes. Archaeologists are still puzzled as to what techniques were
employed to lift and fit the mammoth stones used to build the walls of the city.
They were constructed without mortar and fit so precisely that a knife blade
cannot penetrate between the joints. |
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In
Cuzco you will take a train ride through the Urubamba Valley, a major highlight
because of its breathtaking scenery, and upon arrival at Machu Picchu, you will take
a minibus ride to the "Lost City of the Incas". Take some time for yourself, listen to the wind, place a
hand on the stone walls, and perhaps you too will hear the footsteps of the
ancient people and the ethereal sound of the Inca wind pipes. After all, this
was the center of the ancient world.
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ACTIVITY |
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Make
questions corresponding to the highlighted sentences. Real answers have
been highlighted IN PINK. |
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