Our first stop on my Cultural Tour of Lima was at Huaca Pucllana, an adobe and clay pyramid complex located in the city's Miraflores District.

The pyramid, dating back to about 500 AD, was built from several staggered platforms. Huaca Pucllana was the ceremonial and adminstration center of the Lima Culture, a society on the Peruvian Central Coast between 200 and 700 AD.

In the museum at Huaca Pucllana are items unearthed at the complex. Here is a large jar with a fish on it.

This one has shark teeth.

And this one has a snake and sea lions.

More artifacts.

More artifacts.

The Wari Culture (500-900 AD) had a direct influence on the Lima Culture. The Wari buried their elite in a sitting position covered with cloth and leaves. Then the corpse was tightly tied up and a mask was put on. The elite were interred at the top levels of the pyramid.

A burial shroud.

The Wari Culture, like other early cultures in Peru, believed in human sacrifice, even of children.

Another view of the pyramid, the ceremonial part of the complex. The Lima Culture was ruled by priests.

Early earthquake prevention: spaces were left between bricks so that they could move during an earthquake without damaging the rest of the structure.

The administrative area of the complex included small buildings, squares, ramps, patios, and storage rooms.

Huaca Pucllana had a large food supply, one of them being alpacas. How can you tell an alpaca from a llama? Llamas are twice the size of alpacas, they have a longer face, and long banana-shaped ears. Alpacas have shorter pear-shaped ears.

A very cute alpaca.

Alpacas.

Yes, you are also cute.

Alpaca posing.

Somewhat cute.

Guinea pigs were also eaten as they still are in Peru.

Many vegetables and different kinds of fruit were grown.

Mannequins illustrating how their buildings were built.

Mannequin.

Mannequin. You can climb up to the top of the pyramid on a path--see top of photo.

Our next stop was at Plaza San Martin in Lima's Historic Center. The plaza was built to commemorate 100 years of independence from Spain. It opened in 1921. The buildings are in the neocolonial style.

More of Plaza San Martin.

Another building surrounding the plaza.

The Hotel Bolivar opened in 1921.

The building on the right is the Colon Theatre, built in 1914. The building on the left is the old opera house.

In the middle of the square is the Monument of Jose de San Martin, the liberator of Peru.

Under the equestrian statue is a statue of Madre Patria, the symbolic mother of the country. She has a llama on her head.

The llama. It is believed that the sculptor misunderstood instructions as to what to put on her head. It should have been a "llama," meaning a crown of flames rather "llama," the animal.

The monument from the side.

Close-up of the statue of San Martin crossing the Andes on horseback.

Closer-up.

The back of the monument.

A lamppost on the plaza.

Our next stop was at the Church of Santo Domingo. Construction of it began in 1540 but it has been rebuilt many times because of earthquake damage. It is now a minor basilica.

At the top of its steeple is a figure holding a trumpet representing the angel who announces the final judgment.

At the entrance to the church was a nun in tennis shoes selling religious pictures and pastel-colored rosary beads. I bought some pink ones from her and was able to take this photo of her and my tour guide, who told me that nuns in Lima often are vendors making money for their churches.

Inside the beautiful church.

Close-up.

A chapel.

Baby Jesus.

Baby Jesus.

The Virgin Mary as a young girl.

Pope John Paul II. He visited Lima both in 1985 and 1988. Both times, the Maoist Shining Path conducted terrorist attacks while the pope was in Peru.

Pope Benedict.

A chapel.

Close-up.

A chapel.

Close-up.

A chapel.

Close-up.

Close-up.

The pulpit.

A vendor carrying a baby on her back outside the church.

The vendor and her very cute baby.

The entrance to the Santo Domingo Convent.

Inside a book on Pope Francis was being sold. He visited Lima in 2018.

Santo Domingo is dedicated to three Dominican Peruvian saints. From the left, San Martin de Porras (1579-1639), Santa Rosa de Lima (1586-1617), and San Juan Masias (1585-1645). Santa Rosa de Lima was the first South American saint.

At the entrance of the convent was an art gallery of paintings of Santa Rosa de Lima. I think it was a contest.

Santa Rosa de Lima. She was very pretty but she rubbed hot peppers on her cheeks to hide her beauty. She was so devote that she slept on a bed of broken glass, wore a spiked metal crown covered with roses, and wore an iron chain around her waist. She worked to help the poor and for the rights of the indigenous people.

Another painting.

Another painting.

Another painting.

Caring for the sick.

The cloisters of the convent are quite beautiful.

Another view.

There are many 17th-century Spanish tiles throughout the convent, here on a wall.

Tiles in the colonnade.

A wall of tiles.

A painting above the tiles.

Another painting.

Some of the tiles.

Close-up.

Close-up.

Close-up.

Stained-glass window of the three saints.

A room in the convent. Santa Rosa de Lima is buried in a crypt in convent's cellar.

Our last stop was at Plaza Mayor in front of the Government Palace.

We would be watching the Changing of the Guard at the palace. This was as close as we were allowed.

The Changing of the Guard. A movie of the ceremony is in Albums, South America, Peru, "Day 6, Lima Cultural Tour."