Casa de Aliaga

Take a look at this discreet façade, a stone's throw from the Government Palace. Behind it lies something almost unique in the Americas: a house that has belonged to the same family since the city was founded.

1One of Pizarro's captains

Jerónimo de Aliaga was one of the Spaniards who followed Francisco Pizarro in the conquest of Peru, and he was at Cajamarca when the Inca Atahualpa was captured in 1532. When Lima was founded in 1535 he received this plot, next door to Pizarro's own house. Sources place the start of building between 1535 and 1536.

According to family tradition and several accounts, the house was built on top of an old huaca, a pre-Hispanic sacred site linked to Taulichusco, lord of the Rímac Valley when the Spaniards arrived. It's a reminder that Lima was not founded on empty ground.

2Rebuilt after the great earthquake

The earthquake of 1746 destroyed much of Lima, this house included. Juan José de Aliaga y Sotomayor rebuilt it. Later alterations gave it its eclectic look, with rooms from different periods and the family's own furniture. The descendants still own it, and part of the house can be visited as a house museum.

Sources disagree on the exact number of generations, but they agree on the essentials: the house has never left Aliaga hands.

3What to look for

• The enclosed wooden balcony, typical of the Lima townhouse.
• The gateway, which led into the entrance hall and the courtyard.
• How close it is to the Government Palace: Pizarro's neighbours were his trusted men.