Plaza de Armas

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Lonely Planet review

In Incan times, the plaza, called Huacaypata or Aucaypata, was the heart of the Incan capital. Today it's the nerve center of the modern city. Two flags usually fly here - the red-and-white Peruvian flag and the rainbow-colored flag of Tahuantinsuyo, representing the four quarters of the Incan empire. Foreigners often mistake the latter for an international gay-pride banner, to which it bears a remarkable resemblance!

Colonial arcades surround the plaza, which in ancient times was twice as large as it is today, also encompassing the area now called Plaza Regocijo. On the plaza's northeastern side is the imposing cathedral, fronted by a large flight of stairs and flanked by the churches of Jesús María and El Triunfo. On the southeastern side is the strikingly ornate church of La Compañía de Jesús. The quiet pedestrian alleyway of Loreto, which has Incan walls, is a historic means of access to the plaza.