Rogger is our Gate 1 Guide and Jose… the guide for Lima

We will be seeing the before, during and after arrival of the Spanish

Pizarro came in 1532. They were here for 300 yrs until 1821.

5000 yrs of civilization pre Spanish.

Miraflores is high rent area.

The “Lima” people built pyramids …

20 pyramids at Pachacamac

First …. stop is San Francisco Monestery.

There are 90 universities in Lima. In San Isidro, near one we drive by, the houses are worth 3+ million$$$… diplomats mostly cuz no one can afford on $7000/ year the average income in Lima (outside Lima income is less).

There are no gutters in the streets, flat roofs. 1976 was last time they had a thunderstorm here.

43 districts so 43 mayors… so separate police. And we thought it bad in Victoria!!!

$13 million for water complex and laser light show that is the largest in world.

Lima was capital of all of Spanish South America…13 countries…. only Brazil was not under Spanish rule.

Independence Square (Mayor)… meeting place whenever demonstrations are held. While there around the corner, there was aa lot of yelling going on. They were protesting that a former president’ daughter should be released from prison…. (for accepting bribes). BTW the ex-president was also in jail for corruption.

Economic -stock market. and religious capital in S.A.

At the San Francisco monastery … 25,000 buried in crypts below. It cost more money to be buried there…. but you got to heaven sooner….lol!. No pictures in this monastery (post cards for sale though)… t’was a shame… amazing, more beautiful than any other monastery (tiles crafted and brought from Spain. It took a year travel over Atlantic then through malaria infested jungles of Panama, then sailed down the Pacific) ….. strange since they only belief in poverty but the doner was the sister of Pizarro who had great wealth.

Drove by Santo Domingo pink monastery as old as San Francisco but not as many crypts

Lots of moorish influenced buildings in the city.

Population in Lima-1.5 Italian, 1.3 Chinese, Venezuelan then Japanese.

60% of economy is in services, construction second biggest economy ….then textiles (Pima cotton).

For 4 decades they had poor economy…2000% inflation crisis, communist government, terrorism & dictatorship ….now they are thriving.

Mining biggest outside Lima.

Destruction came with arrival of conquistadors. Made of Adobe so not as durable as others I’ve seen.

Altar, burial site & government site. Is 2000 years old.

Going through an area of former squatters…. all are uncompleted on upper floors with rebar sticking out so they pay no taxes.

Ficus trees with pink blooms like in Buenos Aires

Surco… middle class area.

Only one elevated train 9% use it, 13% bus users, Rest privately owned vehicles (informal transportation). They are going to build a 2nd. Want to make 5 in total.

Homes (condos) in Miraflores 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms….$300,000. 150,000 in the middle class area. $200/year taxes. Cheap!

60% send children to private schools.

Gone from 4 to 10 million people in 40 million ….from migration to escape terrorism from “Shining Path”

Squatters buildings are made of wood. They have not yet received title. Cement … they have it.

Natural sand dunes used to make building materials.

3.5% economy increased last year …10% of it in construction.

In the afternoon I went to Pachacamac which is an archeological site.

It was an oasis…. a religious destination.

Pre-Spanish civilizations in Peru are :-Lima 200-700 AD, Wari 700-1100AD, Ishma 1100-1470AD, then Inca 1470- 1533

Inca site-

1st temple we saw was restored then partially destroyed by earthquake in 1940. It was dedicated to chosen women & fertility. The indents in temple are only niches … only one opens.

Pyramids made by Inca-3; 16 built by Ishma … have ramps. They were astronomers.

Regional temples

Inca temple to left.

Limas had human sacrifices … had to be woman, 12-24 & short

Inca Trail… all around South America……entrance to Pachacamac.

Next site is cemetery for priest… took all organs, broke tendons in elbows and knee… to bury in fetal position, mummified then pillow was placed on top with drawing of a face.

Temple to sun…huge number human sacrifices.

Another mummy found last year unusually well preserved at Pachacamac. Another was found with blue eyes.

Not unusual to find mummies…. one place they found 1000 and still digging… amongst the squatters. …15 years ago it was started.

50% of petroleum produced in Peru is in the rain Forrest so they have halted a lot because of environmental concerns.

In the greater Lima area there are only 7.8/100,000 murders per year… no organized crime… just burglaries and the like. More people die by car than murder.