481 years ago, in 1535, Francisco Pizarro he founded Lima and subsequently made it the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Before that date, the territory made up of the valleys of the rivers Rímac, Chillón and Lurín They had nothing special, except for being the place where some pre-Inca cultures settled that would be conquered first, by the Wari Empire and then by the Incas themselves. Today, traces of these cultures have come to light and with the rise of certain campaigns to preserve the historical heritage of our country, they have become known. But what is celebrated on January 18 of each year is the Spanish foundation of Lima , a concept that, regardless of the fact that it can generate mixed feelings and diverse opinions, constitutes in itself a historical fact that deserves to be remembered and recognized in its real dimension.
Over the years, Lima has acquired its own personality, given the permanent flow of Spaniards, indigenous people and slaves from other parts of the world, becoming a melting pot of races that generated its own ethnic lineage:the mestizo. Despite the prejudices, misinformation and profound ignorance that permeates our societies, the Lima race is 100% mestizo, an inexhaustible combination of different racial types and today, almost five centuries later, that aspect is out of the question. As the famous popular saying goes, often attributed to Don Ricardo Palma, “he who does not have an Inga has a Mandingo” .
However, and as it happened in every corner of our diverse Peru, a series of traditions, customs and typical characters developed in Lima that gave it a special color, as special as the particularities that we can find in Ayacucho, Arequipa, Cusco or any other place.
Colonial constructions (balconies with latticework, monumental churches, little streets and lots with portals); the inhabitants that Pancho Fierro will register in an immortal way in his watercolors (the covered ones, the town criers, the night watchmen); the music of Lima (the waltz, the polka, the variants of black expressions); food; etc., make up the Lima idiosyncrasy, the one that today, 478 years later, is practically buried in front of the "new Lima", extolled for commercial and political purposes, through the fallacy of "inclusion" and convert the celebrations for the anniversary of Lima in a parade of mountebanks, typical of some farandulesco weekend program.
In this blog, called Lima, the only one, a group of historians and communicators present us with interesting articles and photographic archives about that “Creole, cheerful and reveler” Lima that Mr. Manuel Raygada Ballesteros in his waltz Creole watercolor . We want to share it with all of you. Click here.
Plaza de Armas of Lima in 360°:www.panorammer.com/panoramas/4_plazadearmaslima
(*) In this link, the history of the Coat of Arms of our capital:
www.boletindenewyork.com/escudolima.htm