Architecture sights in Peru
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La Catedral
A squatter on the site of Viracocha Inca’s palace, the cathedral was built using blocks pilfered from the nearby Inca site of Sacsaywamán. Its construction started in 1559 and took almost a century. It is joined by Iglesia del Triunfo (1536) to its right and Iglesia de Jesús María (1733) to the left.
El Triunfo, Cuzco’s oldest church, houses a vault containing the remains of the famous Inca chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, who was born in Cuzco in 1539 and died in Córdoba, Spain, in 1616. His remains were returned in 1978 by King Juan Carlos of Spain.
The cathedral is one of the city’s greatest repositories of colonial art, especially for works from the escuela…
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Templo y Convento de la Merced
Cuzco’s third most important colonial church, La Merced was destroyed in the 1650 earthquake, but was quickly rebuilt. To the left of the church, at the back of a small courtyard, is the entrance to the monastery and museum. Paintings based on the life of San Pedro Nolasco, who founded the order of La Merced in Barcelona in 1218, hang on the walls of the beautiful colonial cloister.
The church on the far side of the cloister (8-11am) contains the tombs of two of the most famous conquistadors: Diego de Almagro and Gonzalo Pizarro (brother of Francisco). Also on the far side of the cloister is a small religious museum that houses vestments rumored to have belonged to…
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Iglesia de Santo Domingo
One of Lima’s most storied religious sites, the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and its expansive monastery are built on land granted to the Dominican Friar Vicente de Valverde, who accompanied Pizarro throughout the conquest and was instrumental in persuading him to execute the captured Inca Atahualpa. Originally completed in the 16th century, this impressive pink church has been rebuilt and remodeled at various points since. It is most renowned as the final resting place for three important Peruvian saints: San Juan Macías, Santa Rosa de Lima and San Martín de Porres (the continent’s first black saint). The convent – a sprawling courtyard-studded complex lined with baroque…
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Iglesia de Las Nazarenas
Iglesia de las Nazarenas is one of Lima’s most storied churches. In the 17th century, the area was a shantytown inhabited by former slaves, and it was here that one of them painted an image of the Crucifixion on a wall that survived the devastating earthquake of 1655. In the 1700s, a church was built around this wall (which serves as the centerpiece of the main altar), and has been rebuilt many times since. But the wall endures, and on October 18 each year a representation of the mural, known as El Señor de los Milagros (Christ of Miracles), is carried around in a tens-of-thousands-strong procession that lasts for days.
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Iglesia de la Merced
The first Latin mass in Lima was held in 1534, on a small patch of land now marked by the Iglesia de la Merced. It was originally built in 1541 and then rebuilt several times over the course of the next two centuries. Most of today’s structure dates to the 18th century, with its most striking feature being the imposing granite facade, carved in the churrigueresque manner (a highly ornate style popular during the late Spanish baroque). Inside, the nave is lined by more than two-dozen jaw-droppingly magnificent baroque and Renaissance-style altars, some of which are carved entirely out of mahogany.
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Iglesia de San Agustín
Iglesia de San Agustín has an elaborate churrigueresque facade (completed in 1720), replete with stone carvings of angels, flowers, fruit (and, of course, Saint Augustine). Limited operating hours can make it a challenge to visit. The interiors are drab, but the church is home to a curious woodcarving called La Muerte (Death) by 18th-century sculptor Baltazar Gavilán. As one (probably fictional) story goes, Gavilán died in a state of madness after viewing his own chilling sculpture in the middle of the night. The piece sometimes travels, so call ahead.
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Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara
This 16th-century church, part of a strict convent, is difficult to visit but it's worth making the effort to go for morning services, because this is one of the more bizarre churches in Cuzco. Mirrors cover almost the entire interior; apparently, the colonial clergy used them to entice curious indigenous peoples into the church for worship.
The nuns provide the choir during Mass, sitting at the very back of the church and separated from both the priest and the rest of the congregation by an ominous grille of heavy metal bars stretching from floor to ceiling.
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La Catedral
The history of La Catedral, the cathedral that dominates Arequipa’s main plaza, is filled with doggedness. The original structure, dating from 1656, was gutted by fire in 1844. Consequently rebuilt, it was then promptly flattened by the earthquake of 1868. Most of what you see now has been rebuilt since then. An earthquake in 2001 toppled one enormous tower, and made the other slump precariously, yet by the end of the next year the cathedral looked as good as new once again.
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Plaza de Armas
Tacna's main plaza, Plaza de Armas, which is studded with palm trees and large pergolas topped by bizarre mushroom-like bushes, is a popular meeting place and has a patriotic flag-raising ceremony every Sunday morning. The plaza, famously pictured on the front of Peru's S/100 note, features a huge arch - a monument to the heroes of the War of the Pacific. It is flanked by larger-than-life bronze statues of Admiral Grau and Colonel Bolognesi.
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Casa Aliaga
Innocuously tucked on a side street by the post office is Casa Aliaga, which stands on land given in 1535 to Jerónimo de Aliaga, one of Pizarro’s followers, and which has been occupied by 16 generations of his descendants. It may not look like much from the outside, but the interiors are lovely, with vintage furnishings and tilework. It can only be visited via organized excursions with Lima Tours.
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Iglesia de San Pedro
Iglesia de San Pedro is a small 17th-century church considered to be one of the finest examples of baroque colonial-era architecture in Lima. It was consecrated by the Jesuits in 1638 and has changed little since. The interior is sumptuously decorated with gilded altars, Moorish-style carvings and an abundance of glazed tile.
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Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima
Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima honors the first saint of the Americas in a plain, terra-cotta-hued church on a congested avenue located roughly at the site of her birth. You can find a modest adobe sanctuary in the gardens, built in the 17th century for Santa Rosa’s prayers and meditation.
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Plaza de Armas
The Plaza de Armas showcases the city's sillar architecture and the cathedral. The colonnaded balconies overlooking the plaza are a great place to relax over a snack or a coffee, though it's the views you're be paying for, not the bland, overpriced café fare.
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Casa de la Riva
One historic (if less pristine) casona is the Casa de la Riva, a handsome, 18th-century mansion with beautiful wooden balconies, an elegant patio and period furnishings.
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Casa Pilatos
The easiest mansion to visit is Casa Pilatos , which houses the National Culture Institute; simply knock on the door and a guard will usually let you in for a look around.
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Cathedral
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) designed the cathedral, noted for its fine stained-glass windows and onyx high altar.
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Iglesia de San Agustín
Iglesia de San Agustín has a finely gilded high altar and dates from 1558. Further southwest is Iglesia de Belén.
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Consejo Municipal
Worth a look is the Salon de Actas in the Consejo Municipal, next to the cathedral, with its excellent view of the plaza.
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