Hotels in Lima Peru
Hotels in Lima Peru are often required for tourists who require short term accommodation in the city. Some tourists may want to see the culture, the history the tourist attractions the society and scenery of the city. Some may want to see the historical regions of the city. Some may want to see the newer entertainment and sports venues. Some may go to the city to see a sports game or an entertainment event. Some tourists may want a hotel that is luxury or cheap. Some may want a hotel that has good views and good access to entertainment and to culture. Some may want a hotel that is large or small.
The city of Lima is the transportation, cultural, economic, social, political, and touristical hub of the nation.
The urban area of Lima covers about 800 km². It is located on mostly flat terrain in the Peruvian coastal plain, within the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers. The city slopes gently from the shores of the Pacific Ocean into valleys and mountain slopes located as high as 500 meters above mean sea level. Within the city exist isolated hills which are not connected to the surrounding hill chains, such as El Agustino, San Cosme, El Pino, La Milla, Muleria and Pro hills. The San Cristobal hill in the Rimac district, which faces directly north of the downtown area, is the local extreme of an Andean hill outgrowth.
Lima's architecture is characterized by a mix in styles as reflected from shifts between trends throughout various time periods of the city's history. Examples of early colonial architecture include such structures as the Monestary of San Francisco, the Cathedral of Lima and the Torre Tagle Palace. These constructions are generally influenced by the Spanish baroque, Spanish Neoclassicism, and Spanish Colonial styles.
Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.
Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as La Ciudad de los Reyes, or The City of Kings. It became the most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru and, after the Peruvian War of Independence, was made the capital of the Republic of Peru. Today around one-third of the Peruvian population lives in the metropolitan area.
Although Lima was not founded until 1535 by the Spanish, several pre-Incan settlements were established in the Rimac, Chillon and Lurin river valleys. Their inhabitants would later go on to build ceremonial centers, known as huacas, many of which are still preserved throughout the city. The Chavín culture which was based in Ancash, also had a strong influence over this region during that time period.
The Maranga Culture and the Lima culture also established themselves in this area. Many temples were built during this time period examples of this being Lati, and Pachacamac. These cultures were conquered by the Wari Empire, at it's greatest point of expansion. The ceremonial complex of Cajamarquilla was also constructed at this time. As the Wari Empire weakened, local tribes began to achieve autonomy and the Chancay culture developed. Shortly after, the area was annexed by the Inca Empire.
The city of Lima was founded by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535 as the Muy Noble, Muy Insigne y Muy Leal Ciudad De Los Reyes Del Perú or The Very Noble, Very Distinguished, Very Loyal City of Kings of Peru. In some of the earliest maps of Peru the city is jointly labeled Lima and the City of Kings.
Lima became
the capital of all Spanish possessions in South America, which were named New
Castile. In 1537, the King of Spain bestowed upon the city its coat of arms. Lima
the stronghold of Spanish military forces. Soon after foundation of the city,
a constant influx of European colonists ensued as well as a power struggle between
Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro which resulted in both of their deaths.
Almagro was ordered executed by Pizarro and Pizarro was assassinated by Almagro's
son. Pizarro and Almagro originally were associated in the conquest and colonization
of Peru but eventually turned against each other in a struggle for power.
A
typical street in the Historic Centre of Lima, the Osambela Mansion
In 1542, the Real Audiencia of Lima was created and the city was named the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Subsuquently, Blasco Núñez Vela, was named the first Viceroy of Peru and was given the responsibility to pacify Peru from indigenous rebellions. In 1545, Lima was granted a diocese which maintained religious authority over the entire Viceroyalty which at that time encompassed all of South America except for Brazil.
The
transferring of the wealth of the Incan Empire through Lima to the port Callao
transformed Lima into a prosperous and ostentatious city. The social caste system
in Lima was reflective of the social situation experienced throughout the entire
Viceroyalty. At the top of the social strata were the Spain-born Spanish known
as Peninsulares. Following the peninsulares were the offspring and descendants
of Peninsulares known as Criollos or creoles. Creoles were solely of Spanish ancestry
however born in Peru. Creoles did not have the right to hold public office or
participate in any sort of government as did the Peninsulares. Below the creoles
lied the mestizos, or Peruvians born of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry.
Amerindians and Africans lied at the bottom of the social strata with Africans
being under the condition of slavery and Amerindians who were treated similarly
to slaves for the duration of the colonial period. Immigration from other non-Spanish
European countries to Peru was prohibited during the
The Plaza Mayor of Lima,
the site where Francisco Pizarro, first founded Lima in 1535
On May 12, 1551, San Marcos University was created and classes began on January 2, 1553 in the Covenant of Santo Domingo. It was the first university to be opened in the Americas.
The first auto de fe of the Inquisition in Peru took place in Lima's Plaza de Armas on November 15, 1573. Of these, there were 27 in the history of the Viceroyalty, of which Lima was the principal headquarters. Lima was also the principal headquarters out of the three seats of the Spanish Inquisition in the Americas the other two being Mexico and Cartagena de Indias.
The
city, being located in a seismic area, has suffered from many earthquakes in its
long history. The first recorded earthquake in the city occurred in 1582, with
later earthquakes occurring in 1586, 1609, 1630, 1655, 1687, 1694, 1699, 1716,
1725, 1732, 1734, and 1743.
The city flourished during the 17th century as the center of an extensive trade network which extended as far as Europe and the Philippines. A constant danger to the city's commerce was the presence of pirates and privateers in the Pacific Ocean. To protect the city against them, Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull built a wall around it between 1684 and 1687. In the 18th century, Lima had to be rebuilt after being almost completely destroyed by an earthquake on October 28, 1746. This natural disaster led to the appearance of an intense devotion for the Lord of Miracles, which has endured until today.
It's urban development was characterized by the construction of churches, cathedrals, public buildings, and houses. The Plaza de Acho Bullring and the Avenue of Water were both constructed during the government of the Viceroy Manuel de Amat y Juniet and still exist to this day.
At the beginnings of the 19th century, despite the development of other Latin American cities, Lima still retained its place as South America's most important city and the city where the Spanish Empire maintained its strongest prescence.
Republican
era
Jose de San Martin declares Peruvian independence in the Plaza Mayor of
Lima.
Following the Peruvian War of Independence, in 1821, Jose de San Martin, entered Lima and proclaimed the independence of Peru, establishing Lima as the new capital of the nation. Lima was the seat of the First Contituent Congress of Peru formed in 1822.
The initial years of Peru's post-independence history were characterized by the constant struggle for power between military caudillos, who in attempts to assume power over the country, attempted to take Lima. Due to this, Lima was home to many military conflicts within its city limits.
From
1845-1950, Lima was the destination for thousands of immigrants from a wide variety
of countries. The Guano era in the early 1800's increased the influx of immigrants,
primarily from Europe, who settled in Lima. The Spanish Civil War in the 1930's
saw relatively large-scale immigration of political dissentients from Spain to
Lima. In the 1800's, Chinese immigrants arrived to haciendas south of Lima to
work in the fields. These immigrants eventually would all move to the city of
Lima, primarily settling in Capon, an section of downtown Lima. The first Japanese
immigrants arrived in Lima in 1892 and kept on arriving into the 1920's. In the
19th and 20th centuries thousands of Italians, Spaniards, Germans, Jews, British,
French, Central European, and Eastern European immigrants traveled from Europe
to the port of Callao to settle in Lima.
The Jiron de la Union was Lima's
most important street for the first half of the 20th century
From an urban point of view, the constant growth that the city experienced led to modernization. The process of changing the Nomenclature of the downtown area was initiated in 1862 and in 1868, on the orders of President Jose Balta, the Lima City Walls which surrounded the city were demolished giving way to large tree-lined avenues allowing for the expansion of the city past it's antiquated boundaries. The modernization was suspended during the War of the Pacific and resumed in the 20th century.
In 1881, during the War of the Pacific, the city was invaded by the Chilean Army. The invasion by the Chilean Army resulted in the sacking and destruction of various areas of the city such as the Chorrillos District.
After
the Chilean retreat from the city, Lima initiated a process of reconstruction,
which was again delayed by the conflict between Andrés Avelino Cáceres
and Nicolás de Piérola. In the final years of the 19th century,
with Pierola assuming power, and the beginning of the time period known as the
Aristocratic Republic, Lima began it's definitive and intense construction boom
which lasted until the presidency of Augusto B. Leguía who prepared the
nation for its centennial anniversary in 1921. Many of the main republican buildings
date from this era examples being, the Museum of Art, the Museum of Italian Art,
Colon Avenue, the Park of the Exposition and the Park of the Reserve.
At the beginning of the 20th Century Lima still had a small population and the nation's largest city was Trujillo. At this time suburbs began to develop along the city's Pacific coast such as Miraflores and Barranco. New avenues were built which eventually would become the main arteries of Lima's transportation network.
The 1930's brought large scale remodeling and construction projects with the remodeling of the Government Palace and the City Hall. This construction boom lasted until the 1950's with the construction of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Education, Superior Court of Lima, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Health, Worker Safety Hospitals, the National Stadium, and large-scale public housing.
Districts
of the city include or have included ; Ancón District, Ate District,B,
Barranco, Breña, Carabayllo, Chaclacayo, Chorrillos District, Cieneguilla,
Comas, El Agustino, Independencia District, Lima, Jesús María District,
La Molina, La Victoria District, Lima, Lima District, Lince, Los Olivos, Lurigancho,
Lurín District, Magdalena del Mar, Miraflores District, Pachacamac District,
Pucusana District, Pueblo Libre, Puente Piedra District, Punta Hermosa, Punta
Negra, Rímac District, San Bartolo District, San Borja, San Isidro District,
San Juan de Lurigancho, San Juan de Miraflores, San Luis District, Lima, San Martín
de Porres District, San Miguel District, Lima, Santa Anita District, Santa María
del Mar (Peru), Santa Rosa District, Lima, Santiago de Surco, Surquillo, Villa
El Salvador, Villa María del Triunfo
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