Lima
christina
Our first stop in Peru was Lima, the capital. Having just traveled and learned firsthand of the Maya and Aztec civilizations in Mexico, we were excited to travel into South America and discover the famed Inca civilization and of course Machu Picchu. I have long dreamed of returning to the Andes region having visited the mountains of Ecuador in 1999 on a university international agriculture trip. This mountain range spans almost the entire length of South America – approximately 4,300 miles (7,000km). Modern Peru, the Incas and the relationship to the mountains has a very long history – here’s a quick (and very abbreviated) summary…
Before the Incas took power, there were a multitude of Andean Civilizations that represented various peoples and cultures throughout the region. Interesting to note, is that though these people did not have a written language, they used both the oral tradition and this very interesting knot-tying system called Quipu to convey information. This system of recording has been dated by some scholars as early as the third millennium BCE and the rare ones that still exist are still considered indecipherable. Actually, some researchers believe that Incan myths of this time were recorded on Quipus (in addition to being transmitted orally), until the Spanish recorded them in writing.
About a century before the Spanish conquistadors arrived, around the early 13th century, the Incas united all of these societies and formed the Incan Empire (except for 2 civilizations: the Muisca of Colombia and the Timoto Cuica of Venezuela). The empire stretched across all of the Andes and their official language was Quechua. Today, you can hear Quechua spoken throughout this region – it is very much a living language still spoken by approximately 8-10 million people. The united civilization lasted until 1572 when they were conquered by Francisco Pizarro and the Spanish conquest.
The Inca Empire is considered to be the last of the Andean civilizations as it was pre-contact with colonization and developed without influence from other places. Once the Spanish arrived however, the culture was forever changed with particular impact on agriculture systems, religion, architecture and of course health. The series of epidemics to strike the Incas after contact was disastrous and included smallpox, typhus, influenza, diphtheria and measles all within a generation. Death estimates are not known but some scholars point to this onslaught of deadly disease as the reason the Incas were unable to defend themselves against their conquest. After this decimation, the Spanish were notorious in their brutal enslavement, destruction, treatment of women and ultimate “re-education” and forceful conversion into Catholicism by missionaries. Being here, and understanding this history is a pre-cursor for me to truly understand a place – even if it is 400+ years later. If there’s one thing that we keep learning as we travel, it’s that cultural suffering doesn’t die with those that endured it physically in that moment but is rather passed down both to the ancestors through narratives and in the systemic oppression of systems that were developed as a result of that power dynamic. PS: There’s actually scientific research that says that trauma can be hereditary.
Today’s Lima is a huge diverse city of nearly 10 million people and is considered the 2nd largest in South America after Sao Paolo in Brazil. The city was founded by Pizarro in the 1530s and used as the administrative capital of the Spanish colonialists. The name Lima, however, derives from an oracle here that was known as Limaq (meaning “speaker” in Quechua). The Spanish tried to change the name of the city to Ciudad de los Reyes (City of Kings) but it didn’t stick; they did however manage to “wipe out the oracle and replace it with a church” – as they did in most of South America.
Being in this city, and taking in this history as a primer for modern Peru I’m not surprised at the uneasy energy I feel. I can’t quite put my finger on it so it’s difficult to explain. What I will say is that the people are lovely, the city is quite beautiful (especially along the ocean) and the food has been amazing (Lima is having a huge culinary moment right now) but there’s just something that feels off to me. Perhaps it’s the tumultuous political history that over the last 100 years has included many leadership turns, elections, military coups and scandals? Or, maybe it’s the remnants of colonization that have not been addressed? I don’t want to sound like I didn’t enjoy it, because I did, and like I said I would recommend coming here but I think it’s seeing the city and the country through it’s historical lens that is giving me pause. I’m hoping once we head into the mountains things will feel different.
The traffic officers had very stylish uniforms.
Parasailing is a big activity along the coast due to the right kind of winds
Such a beautiful shoreline, why not build a highway on it?
The affluent tourist area of Miraflores right on the famous surfing beaches called Makaha and Waikiki. No joke. The statue is at the famous Lovers park.
So many exotic potatoes
We waited in line at this market for almost half an hour. Julio has had it with Lima
There are many women in indigenous costume selling coca, candy and cigarettes in the street
Yes, this was the best part of Lima. The ceviche. Simpy to die for. Also not vegan, but again, only God could create something so delicious. One is traditional style, one is Nikkei or Japanese style.
FOOD FACTS: Ceviche might have originated among the Moche, a coastal civilization that began to flourish in the area of current-day northern Peru nearly 2000 years ago. The Moche apparently used the fermented juice from the local passionfruit to season their fish. Recent investigations further show, during the Inca Empire, fish were marinated with the use of chicha, an Andean fermented beverage made from corn. Once Europeans brought citrus to Peru thus began the modern version of ceviche.