Major Cities in Peru

By | July 9, 2022

Lima (Peru)

According to SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES, Lima is the capital of Peru. The city was founded in 1535 by the conquistadors and became the capital of the Spanish possessions in America.

It cannot be said that this is the most beautiful city in the country – it is quite noisy and crowded with locals and tourists. However, the Old City has been declared by UNESCO as one of the World Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Armas Square is located in its central part. This is the place where Francisco Pizarro made the first settlement. In the center of it stands a large stone fountain. In the northern part of the square is the Government Palace with the residence of the President of the country. Every morning at 11:45 there is a changing of the guard of honor. In the eastern part of the square rises the Cathedral of Santo Domingo . Its construction began in 1564 and was completed in 1622. In 1746, during an earthquake, the building was destroyed and was rebuilt in 1755. Here, in a small chapel, the remains of Francisco Pizarro are buried.

Five minutes from the square is the San Francisco Nunnery. This building was built at the end of the 17th century and was practically the only one (of similar large buildings) that survived the earthquakes in 1687 and 1746. The monastery is made in baroque style in yellow and white and is considered the most beautiful in the city. The main attractions of the monastery are its dungeons. Before the first cemetery was organized in Lima, about 75 thousand bodies were buried here. Also of interest is the old library of the 17th century.

In Lima many museums telling about the history and culture of Peru. Among the most popular are the National Museum, which occupies 3 floors. Here are exhibited collections of finds from the pre-Columbian era, national costumes, ceramics and mummies. Tourists are advised to visit the museum before visiting the ancient Inca cities of the country, because there is an exposition with reduced copies of the sights of these places. The Rafael Larco Herrera Museum of Ceramics has the largest private collection of pre-Columbian pottery. The National Museum of Archeology and Anthropology has one of the largest collections of archaeological finds relating to ancient civilizations of the pre-colonial period.

Also noteworthy in Lima is the Miraflores shopping area, the center of the nightlife of the capital – the Barranco quarter, as well as the Mercado Indio market.

Despite the fact that Lima is located on the Pacific coast, tourists are not recommended to relax on local beaches. The water here is dirty, and many locals gather here during the summer months. There is also the possibility of theft. South of Lima along the coast, you can recommend the beaches of El Silencio, Signoritas, Caballeros, Punto Hermosa, Punto Negra, San Bartolo, Santa Maria, Naplo and Pukusana. These beaches are desert type, with sparse vegetation in the area.

At 80 km from Lima, at an altitude of about 3900 m, is the plateau of Marcahuasi with a huge number of ancient sculptures and rock paintings. On a rocky cliff 29 km south of Lima lies the most important religious center of the pre-Inca period – Pachacamac. This is a place of worship for the Divine Creator of the Earth, where the temple of the Sun was built during the heyday of the Inca Empire. Also of interest are the ruins of the city of Karala, which have been recently restored. This place is located 150 km north of Lima. The city was founded more than 5,000 years ago, now you can see pyramids, temples and squares similar to the buildings of Machu Picchu.

Nazca (Peru)

Nazca is located in the department of Ica in southwestern Peru. 22 km north of the city, on a desert plain, there are mysterious drawings carved in stone, which are visible only from a height. Their sizes are impressive – they vary from 40 m to 8 km. These drawings are tentatively dated to the 8th-4th centuries BC. e. It depicts geometric shapes, animals, birds and people. The drawings were first discovered during an airplane flight in 1939. There are many hypotheses about the purpose of Nazca ornaments. One of them is that the ornaments are part of a huge astronomical calendar, the other is that they were applied by aliens from outer space. In order to view the Nazca ornaments, tourists are offered hour-long excursions by plane.

Tumbes (Peru)

Tumbes is located on the northern coast of Peru near the border with Ecuador. The entire coastal part of the city is occupied by white sand beaches. There are mangroves, a dry equatorial forest in the Cerros de Amotape National Park, and a tropical rainforest in the city’s conservation area. About 30% of the area of Tumbes has been declared a protected area, so beach holidays here are complemented by clean air and colorful vegetation. Puerto Pizzaro Beach (13 km from the city) is the most popular among tourists.

South of Tumbes are the seaside resorts of Mancora and Punta Sal. These are quiet resorts with small hotels. and numerous restaurants.

In addition to a beach holiday, you can surf in the northern part of the costa, because in these places the longest waves in the world were recorded. In Trujillo, Mancora and Punta Sal, diving has recently become popular. Although there are not many dive centers here yet, divers still come here to look at the inhabitants of coastal waters, especially sea lions.

Tumbes (Peru)