Huaca Pucllana

Today, I took a Cultural Lima Tour. I was the only one on the tour but I didn’t have to pay extra. Our first stop 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, making it a pre–Inca culture. Going inside the gate to Huaca Pucllana was not part of the tour, rather just a view of it from the outside. However, I asked to go inside and I paid a small admission price to do so.

Huaca Pucllana

The pyramid was the ceremonial part of the complex, while the administrative area of the complex included small buildings, squares, ramps, patios, and storage rooms.

Huaca Pucllana

The site had a very interesting museum of artifacts unearthed here. One was this large jar with a snake and sea lions on it.

Alpacas

One of the highlights for me was seeing these and some other alpacas.

Plaza San Martin

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. It is a beautiful plaza.

Plaza San Martin

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

Church of Santo Domingo

Our next stop was at the Church of Santo Domingo, which is located in Lima’s Historical Center.

Church of Santo Domingo

Inside the beautiful church.

Convent of Santo Domingo

After visiting the church, we went to the Convent of Santo Domingo next door to the church. At the convent was a display of paintings of Santa Rosa of Lima. The church and convent are dedicated to three three Dominican Peruvian saints: San Martin de Porras, Santa Rosa de Lima, and San Juan Masias. Santa Rosa of Lima was the first South American saint.

Convent of Santo Domingo

The convent was quite beautiful and had walls, etc., of 17th–century Spanish tiles.

Convent of Santo Domingo

A colonnade and walls of tiles.

Government Palace

Our last stop was at the Government Palace at Plaza Mayor in the Lima Historical District. Here we would watch the Changing of Guards. The photo shows that we weren’t allowed very close to the fencing. It was somewhat hard to see the procession.

Changing of the Guards–MOVIE

I took a movie of the Changing of the Guards.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/RvmJhJbK36M

I have put my photos of my Lima Cultural Tour on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/cultural–tour/
(Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Lima, “Cultural Tour”).

A Church

A brightly colored church seen on my way back to my hotel.

Larcomar

Before I left this morning on my tour, I met two of my tour mates, Paula and Mats, while sitting in the lobby, who would be on my Gate 1 tour that started tomorrow. We arranged to have dinner together and we went to Larcomar, an outdoor mall in the Miraflores District overlooking the Bay of Lima.

Larcomar

This was a great mall––modern with shops and many restaurants.

Larcomar

We ate at the Tanta restaurant, recommended by one of my tour guides. Here is a partial menu.

Larcomar

My dinner, I believe the Tacu Tacu a lo Porbre. It was interesting. We all had pisco sours to go with our meals.

View of Morro Solar

From Larcomar, you get a faraway view of the hills of Morro Solar and can just make out the cross on the hill and the lit–up Christ of the Pacific statue.

Larcomar

If I ever was in Lima again, I would stay at the Marriott across the street from Larcomar as you have a place to eat and to shop right across the street.