Gate 1 Tour Map

My Gate 1 tour, 12–Day Kaleidoscope of Peru, began this morning in Lima. We would be also going to Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Colco Canyon, and Arequipa before returning to Lima. We had 28 on our tour, all Americans except for a couple from Canada. We also had a great tour manager, Julio.

Plaza San Martin

We went on a city tour of Lima’s Historic Center this morning with our tour manager and a local guide. Our first stop was at the Plaza San Martin where I was yesterday on another tour. Photo: Monument of San Martin, the liberator of Peru.

Church la Merced

Our next stop was at the Church la Merced built in the Spanish Baroque Churrigueresque style in 1535.

Zumba Sunday–MOVIE

Our next stop was at Plaza Mayor with all the beautiful Spanish buildings surrounding the plaza. However, a stage was set for zumba dancing and the plaza was anything but quiet and my tour group was not seeing the plaza as a quiet, very pretty place as I had seen it before on two other tours. I took a movie of the zumba dancers––my camera microphone didn’t pick all the loud music.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/O–rudIPhwtg

Basilica & Convent of San Francisco

Our next and last stop was at the Basilica & Convent of San Francisco where I had been two days ago. My tour group went to take a tour of the convent, which I had already done, so I was going to sit in the lobby to wait for them when I heard music outside in the plaza. It was a Virgen del Carmen procession––see next entry.

Virgen del Carmen Procession–MOVIE

The Virgen del Carmen processions and festivals, many in Latin America and in Spain, are usually held on July 16, but this was near the end of August. I don’t know why it was held this day. The Virgen del Carmen refers to the Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Carmelites. In this procession, the costumes represent different periods of history and professions in Peru, though I couldn’t find explanations for many of them. The characters with the long noses either represent the Spanish or an unjust judge of the ruling class during the Republic. The characters in the white masks are the shepherds who travel with llamas and mules. Black masks represent freed African slaves. Gray masks represent the brutality inflicted on natives during the colonial era. The females represent different maidens. Seeing the procession was an unexpected treat. Again, my camera’s microphone didn’t pick up much of the music.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/ygilm_Pr7Uw

Basilica of San Francisco

We were given time to go inside the Basilica of San Francisco, which I had not done beforehand. This was the end of our city tour.

Lunch

Julio suggested a restaurant near our hotel for lunch: a cevicheria, the Lobo de Mar Otani. I think most of my tour group ate here. Other than ceviche, the restaurant was known for its fried rice.

Lunch

I had fried shrimp, served a bit differently than usual. An absolutely delicious lime dipping sauce was served with and it was the best fried shrimp that I have ever had.

Afternoon Tour

An afternoon optional tour was offered to the Pachacamaca pre–Inca and Inca ruins outside Lima. I went on the tour. We passed the romantic statue in a Chorrillos park on the way to Pachacamaca. This time when we passed it the statue was overlooking the Bay of Lima.

Amusement Park

We also passed this large children’s amusement park. We saw many of these on our trip around Peru.

Modern Lima

Then we drove past modern Lima.

Houses on a Hill

We also passed these houses on a hill, mostly showing a non–modern Lima.

Shantytown

We also passed this shantytown.

Pachacamac

We are now in Pachacamac, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Lima in the Valley of the Lurin River. Pachacamac covers about 1,483 acres (600 hectares). It was first settled around 200 AD and was named after Pacha Kamaq, the “Earth Maker” creator god. It was the seat of the Oracle Pachacamac and a place of pilgrimage from other cultures such as the Wari and Nazca.

Pachacamac

The site lasted for about 1,300 years. The Incas took it over in the late 1400s and the Spanish invaders destroyed much of it as well as did looters and weather. Some of the ruins are in better shape than are others and some have been restored. Photo: a pyramid with a ramp. Some of the pyramids here were sacred and for religious purposes and others were secular.

Pachacamac

Another of the ruins.

Pachacamac

My tour group is in the photo walking up to the Temple of the Sun. I was far behind, walking very slowly with a sore foot.

Temple of the Sun

On top of the hill, at the Temple of the Sun. It is believed that the Incas built the Temple of the Sun and housed a wooden statue of Pachacamac in it. The Spanish are said to have destroyed the statue.

Mamacones Enclosure

The Mamacones Enclosure, which was the nunnery, has been reconstructed. There is also a museum at Pachacamas though we didn’t visit it.

Julio

Early evening we had a tour meeting where we introduced ourselves and learned more about our tour. Our tour manager, Julio, in this photo, looks very pensive.

Larco Museum

This evening we had another optional tour which I went on––dinner and a visit to the Larco Herrera Museum in Lima. Photo: one of the creative dishes in my dinner.

Larco Museum

The Larco Herrera Museum in Lima is housed in an 18th–century building. It is privately owned and has the world’s largest collection of pre–Columbian artifacts, giving an overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre–Columbian history.

Larco Museum

There is one room devoted to erotic sculptures in the museum and other rooms of pottery, sculptures, and other artifacts.

Larco Museum

In one room there were numerous shelves holding numerous masks, pottery, and sculptures.

Larco Museum

There were a number of ancient headdresses.

Larco Museum

And also ancient jewelry.

I have put my photos of our Lima city tour, our trip to Pachacamac, and our visit to the Larco Museum on a slideshow. Go to http://www.peggysphotos.com/city–tour–pachacamac–larco–museum/ (Slide Shows, South America, Peru, Lima, “City Tour/Pachacamac/Larco Museum”).