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Lima · History

From the City of Kings to the Republic: Lima in six scenes

This route crosses the heart of Lima's Historic Centre, a World Heritage Site since 1991, following the thread of its history: the city Francisco Pizarro laid out in 1535, the viceregal capital grown rich on Andean silver, and the republic that celebrated its centenary with new squares and buildings. You'll walk along Jirón de la Unión, Lima's favourite promenade, all the way to the Rímac River.

  • 6 stops
  • 1.9 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Carved wooden balconies and stone portal of the Torre Tagle Palace

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Plaza San MartínThe square Lima gave itself for the centenary of independence, with the Liberator in bronze crossing the Andes.
  2. 2 Basilica of La MercedThe Mercedarian friars arrived before the city itself, and their church has a stone façade that crossed the sea as galleon ballast.
  3. 3 Plaza Mayor (Main Square)Here Pizarro planted the pillar of justice in 1535, and here independence was proclaimed in 1821.
  4. 4 Casa de AliagaA plot Pizarro handed to one of his captains, still lived in by the same family almost five centuries later.
  5. 5 Desamparados StationA 1912 railway station on the banks of the Rímac, where trains left for the Andes and books now live.
  6. 6 Torre Tagle PalaceAn 18th-century marquis's palace with the most famous wooden balconies in Lima.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From the City of Kings to the Republic: Lima in six scenes

Five centuries in two kilometres

The Spanish founding, viceregal splendour, independence and the modern Lima of the centenary, one after another.

Wooden balconies

Learn to read Lima's famous enclosed balconies, an Andalusian and Mudéjar legacy, at Casa de Aliaga and Torre Tagle Palace.

Stories with names

Pizarro, San Martín, the Marquis of Torre Tagle and railway builder Henry Meiggs: real people behind every façade.

Keep exploring

More routes in Lima

Back to Lima
Mysteries & legendsBones, saints and heretics: the Lima told in whispers EssentialsLima on the Pacific: Miraflores to Barranco along the clifftops