Historic Center of Lima, Lima, Peru

My preferences for multi-leg travel itineraries dictated having two overnight bookends in Lima for the Peruvian trip, giving me two and a half days in the capital in total. The city objectively does not have a destination profile high enough for such time allocation, even though its historic center, known as the City of Kings, is a World Heritage site. As I had plenty of time, I explored it quite thoroughly.

The main city plaza is the unmissable focal point of the historic district, a wide public space with the cathedral complex on one side, the presidential palace on another, and the municipal buildings on two others. Here are different perspectives.

I chanced upon the changing of the guard at the presidential palace. It took place in the front courtyard behind the fence, so no photos turned out well. A seemingly slow and tedious ceremony eventually broke into a 15-minute routine of military choreography, performed to the medley of popular songs anchored by El Cóndor Pasa (which I never knew was written by a Peruvian composer). If you are nearby around noon on a given day, stick around. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).