Great Clock of Lima

Coordinates: 12°3′50.65″S 77°2′17.88″W / 12.0640694°S 77.0383000°W / -12.0640694; -77.0383000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Great Clock of Lima
1872 photograph by Eugenio Courret
Map
12°3′50.65″S 77°2′17.88″W / 12.0640694°S 77.0383000°W / -12.0640694; -77.0383000
LocationLima, Lima, Peru
DesignerPedro Ruiz Gallo
TypeClock
Opening dateDecember 6, 1870

The Great Clock of Lima (Spanish: Gran Reloj de Lima),[1] also known as the Pedro Ruiz Gallo clock (Spanish: Reloj de Pedro Ruiz Gallo) after its inventor, was a monumental clock created by Pedro Ruiz Gallo, and which was installed in the Parque de la Exposición in 1870 for the celebration of the Exhibition of 1872. The watch disappeared during the occupation of Lima by the Chilean Army in the War of the Pacific.[2]

History

The clock (far right) in the park.

After the Spanish-South American War, colonel and inventor Pedro Ruiz Gallo was able to dedicate himself entirely to the ambitious project of building a great clock for the Peruvian capital, which he achieved under the patronage of then-President José Balta, who appointed him attached to the General Staff and financed his work. To carry out the mechanism, he obtained a budget of S/.31,000 from the Peruvian State, to which he added some S/.10,000 from his own pocket.[1][3]

Despite the opposition and criticism that his work received, after 6 years of work he was able to inaugurate his mechanical work on December 6, 1870, at 00:00, a few days before the anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho was celebrated, before the admiration of the public gathered in the gardens in front of the Palacio de la Exposición.[3][4][5][6]

The clock was one of the main attractions of the

economic boom for the export of guano.[7] It remained at the Palace of the Exhibition, which served as its location for ten years, until the War of the Pacific led to the occupation of Lima
in 1881.

Theories about its destruction

The clock was exposed in the park for about 10 years. During the

Another theory suggests that the clock was not transferred to Chile, but that its machinery was destroyed by the victorious army and its structure used as a home for the officers of the troops stationed in the Parque de la Exposición. Once the troops withdrew, they reduced the invention to ashes.[1][3]

See also

References

  1. ^
    La República
    . 2019-04-24.
  2. ^ .
  3. ^ a b c Pino, David (2014-06-06). "El Reloj de la Exposición". Lima La Única.
  4. ^ Vértiz Cabrejos, Roberto; Telenta de Vértiz, Elizabeth (1994). Pedro Ruiz Gallo: una vida consagrada al servicio del Perú (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Lima: Concytec.
  5. ^ .
  6. ^ .
  7. ^ Contreras, Carlos; Cueto, Marcos (2016). "Era del guano. El estado caudillista y la intelectualidad liberal (1845-1879)". Historia del Perú republicano (in Spanish). Lima: Editorial Septiembre. p. 23.