Torre Tagle Palace

Look at the two wooden balconies in front of you. They are probably the most photographed in Lima, and they sum up the luxury of the viceregal city better than anything else.

1The marquis and his house

The palace was completed in 1735 for José Bernardo de Tagle y Bracho, a wealthy gentleman from northern Spain who held high military and financial posts in the service of the Crown. In 1730 King Philip V made him Marquis of Torre Tagle. His house had to prove it.

2Andalusia on the Pacific

The style is Baroque, with strong Andalusian and Mudéjar echoes. The stone portal opens onto an entrance hall lined with Sevillian tiles and a courtyard with arches. Upstairs, the two enclosed balconies, carved in cedar and mahogany, allowed the household to watch the street without being seen, like Moorish latticework. Many materials came from Spain, Panama and elsewhere in Central America.

A descendant of the first marquis, José Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero, became president of Peru in 1823, in the turbulent years of independence.

In 1918 the Peruvian state bought the palace from the family's heirs. Since then it has been the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is why it looks so well kept and is almost always closed.

3What to look for

• The two balconies: count their bays; one has three and the other seven.
• The stone portal, with its Baroque crest above the door.
• The great wooden door, studded with bronze nails and fitted with two knockers.