¡Hola amigas! Estoy aqui en Lima. And let me tell you, I need to brush up on my supposed "knowledge" of Spanish.
As previously posted, Sunday was a long day, and it wasn't until the 13th that I was able to see Lima beyond the heavily tinted glass of our car ride to the hotel. Our first day was really about the (re)presentation of Lima. That's right, guided tour, big bus, florescent visors. I jest, I jest, no visors, but we did scuttle about in a big group to see Plaza Mayor (seat of both government and religion - which is interesting in that the two share the same public space), the catacombs under the church of San Francisco, and Parque del Amor. As with any guided tour, it's definitely pick-and-choose, alluding to the curious combination of what (certain) locals think you want to see and what they want you to see. Not to delegitimize any of the aforementioned places - just interesting that other places weren't included. Guess that might come down to time and Lima traffic (chaotic).
La Catedral in Plaza Mayor was especially fascinating in its construction. Unlike the majority of cathedrals, which are built in masonry of some sort, this was actually built in wood. This is very unusual for a building this large and from this time period. The guide told it was to counter earthquakes, though I wonder if it was also due to the lack of knowledge of local material (on the European's part that is), as Andean civilizations had built extremely sturdy constructions out of stone.
I'm also crazy about local artisanship (from anywhere), and I was happy to find in the church the following. I'm really intrigued by the representation of saints, disciples, and such with long necks.
The day came to a close with dinner and multiple performances of Peruvian dances. Imagine a luau - it was a bit like that (tourists UNITE!), except we had a buffet rather than a roasted pig. The dancers were amazing, but having no prior knowledge of the traditional dances in Peru, one wonders how stylized, how exoticized, and how eroticized the dances were. For me, the Amazonian dance was especially hard to watch. It felt more interpretative than the others - interpretations dependent on how Amazonians are portrayed in society.
More could be said, but I'm exhausted, again, and we don't want that, again (see prior post). I'll leave you with this.
Plaza de San Francisco
As previously posted, Sunday was a long day, and it wasn't until the 13th that I was able to see Lima beyond the heavily tinted glass of our car ride to the hotel. Our first day was really about the (re)presentation of Lima. That's right, guided tour, big bus, florescent visors. I jest, I jest, no visors, but we did scuttle about in a big group to see Plaza Mayor (seat of both government and religion - which is interesting in that the two share the same public space), the catacombs under the church of San Francisco, and Parque del Amor. As with any guided tour, it's definitely pick-and-choose, alluding to the curious combination of what (certain) locals think you want to see and what they want you to see. Not to delegitimize any of the aforementioned places - just interesting that other places weren't included. Guess that might come down to time and Lima traffic (chaotic).
La Catedral in Plaza Mayor was especially fascinating in its construction. Unlike the majority of cathedrals, which are built in masonry of some sort, this was actually built in wood. This is very unusual for a building this large and from this time period. The guide told it was to counter earthquakes, though I wonder if it was also due to the lack of knowledge of local material (on the European's part that is), as Andean civilizations had built extremely sturdy constructions out of stone.
I'm also crazy about local artisanship (from anywhere), and I was happy to find in the church the following. I'm really intrigued by the representation of saints, disciples, and such with long necks.
The day came to a close with dinner and multiple performances of Peruvian dances. Imagine a luau - it was a bit like that (tourists UNITE!), except we had a buffet rather than a roasted pig. The dancers were amazing, but having no prior knowledge of the traditional dances in Peru, one wonders how stylized, how exoticized, and how eroticized the dances were. For me, the Amazonian dance was especially hard to watch. It felt more interpretative than the others - interpretations dependent on how Amazonians are portrayed in society.
More could be said, but I'm exhausted, again, and we don't want that, again (see prior post). I'll leave you with this.
Plaza de San Francisco
