History of Lima

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Jirón de la Unión was the main street of Lima in the early 20th century.

The history of Lima, the capital of

Real Audiencia in 1543. In the 17th century, the city prospered as the center of an extensive trade network despite damage from earthquakes and the threat of pirates. However, prosperity came to an end in the 18th century due to an economic downturn and the Bourbon Reforms
.

The population of Lima played an ambivalent role in the 1821–1824 Peruvian War of Independence; the city suffered exactions from Royalist and Patriot armies alike. After independence, Lima became the capital of the Republic of Peru. It enjoyed a short period of prosperity in the mid-19th century until the 1879–1883 War of the Pacific when it was looted and occupied by Chilean troops. After the war, the city went through a period of demographic expansion and urban renewal. Population growth accelerated in the 1940s spurred by immigration from the Andean regions of Peru. This gave rise to the proliferation of shanty towns as public services failed to keep up with the city expansion.

Foundation

Pachacamac was an important religious center in pre-Columbian times.

In the

Ichma polity.[1] Their presence left a mark in the form of some 40 pyramids associated to the irrigation system of the valleys.[2]

In 1532, a group of Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro ambushed the Inca ruler Atahualpa and searched for a suitable place to establish his capital. His first choice was the city of Jauja, located amid the Andes, however this location was regarded as inconvenient for its high altitude and being far from the sea.[3] Spanish scouts reported a better site in the valley of the Rímac, which was close to the Pacific Ocean, had ample water and wood provisions, extensive fields and fair weather. Pizarro thus founded the city of Lima in Peru's central coast on January 18, 1535.[4] Carlos Huerta writes in his Chronology of the conquest of the kingdoms of Peru – Cronología de la conquista de los Reinos del Perú:

Foundation of Lima. The city capital of Peru was founded on 18 January and was called Ciudad de los Reyes (City of Kings) in honor of the feast of the holy kings who was celebrated. Began in the church, the foundation and the plane of the city, where Pizarro put the first stone.[4]

In August 1536, the new city was besieged by the troops of Manco Inca, the leader of an Inca rebellion against Spanish rule. The Spaniards and their native allies, headed by Pizarro himself, defeated the rebels after heavy fighting in the city streets and its surroundings.[5] On November 3, 1536, the Spanish Crown confirmed the founding and, on December 7, 1537, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor granted a coat of arms to the city.[citation needed]

Colonial period

Guamán Poma de Ayala
ca. 1615, it reads: The City of the Kings of Lima, real audiencia and court, main head of all the kingdom of the Indies, where its Majesty and its viceroy and from the Holy Mother Church, archbishop its honourable inquisitor, its honourable from the Holy Crusade and the reverend commissioners and prelates reside.

Over the next few years, Lima shared the turmoil caused by struggles between different factions of Spaniards. At the same time it gained prestige as it was designated capital of the

Real Audiencia in 1543.[6] Latin America and Lima's first university, the National University of San Marcos was established in 1551 and its first printing press in 1584. Lima also became an important religious center, a Roman Catholic diocese was established in 1541 and converted to an archdiocese five years later.[7] In 1609, the city held celebrations for the beatification of Ignatius of Loyola.[8]

Lima flourished during the 17th century as the center of an extensive trade network which integrated the Viceroyalty of Peru with the Americas, Europe and the Far East.

Portobelo in modern-day Panama.[10] This practice was sanctioned by law as all trade from the Viceroyalty was required to go through Callao on its way to and from overseas markets. The resulting economic prosperity of the city was reflected in its rapid growth, population expanded from about 25,000 in 1619 to an estimated 80,000 in 1687.[11]

However, Lima was not free from dangers. On

Lima City Walls between 1684 and 1687.[16]

The

José Antonio Manso de Velasco.[18] This disaster led to an intense devotion for an image of Christ called The Lord of the Miracles, which has been taken out in procession every October since 1746.[19]

During the late colonial period, under the rule of the

cockfighting coliseum and a bullring, the Plaza de toros de Acho, as well as the General Cemetery. The first two were built to regulate these popular activities by centralizing them at a single venue, while the cemetery put an end to the practice of burials at churches which public authorities had come to realize were unhealthy.[20]

Independence

José de San Martín proclaimed independence in Lima on July 28, 1821. Painting by Juan Lepiani

During the second half of the 18th century, Lima was adversely affected by the

South American wars of independence led by a strong viceroy, José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa.[citation needed
]

A combined expedition of Argentinian and Chilean patriots under General

José de la Serna was forced to evacuate the city in July 1821 to save the Royalist army.[23] Fearing a popular uprising and lacking any means to impose order, the city council invited San Martín to enter Lima and signed a Declaration of Independence at his request.[24] However, the war was not over; in the next two years the city changed hands several times and suffered exactions from both sides. By the time the war was decided, at the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, Lima was considerably impoverished.[citation needed
]

Republican period

The Palacio de la Exposición was built to house an International Exposition in 1872.

After the war of independence, Lima became the capital of the Republic of Peru but economic stagnation and political turmoil brought its urban development to a halt. This hiatus ended in the 1850s, when increased public and private revenues from guano exports led to a rapid expansion of the city.[25] In the next two decades, the State funded the construction of large size public buildings to replace colonial establishments; these included the Central Market, the General Slaughterhouse, the Mental Asylum, the Penitentiary, and the Dos de Mayo Hospital.[26] There were also improvements in communications; a railroad line between Lima and Callao was completed in 1850 and an iron bridge across the Rímac River, the Balta Bridge, was opened in 1870.[27] The city walls were torn down in 1872 as further urban growth was expected.[28] However, the export-led economic expansion also widened the gap between rich and poor, fostering social unrest.[29]

During the 1879–1883 War of the Pacific, Chilean troops occupied Lima after defeating Peruvian resistance in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores. The city suffered the depredations of the invaders, who looted public museums, libraries and educational institutions.[30] At the same time, angry mobs attacked wealthy citizens and the Asian population, sacking their properties and businesses.[31]

Hotel Bolívar
was part of an urban renewal process carried out in the early 20th century.

After the war, the city underwent a process of urban renewal and expansion from the 1890s up to the 1920s. As downtown Lima had become overcrowded, the

Government Palace and the Municipal Palace.[citation needed
]

On

1993 census, the city population had reached 6.4 million, 28.4% of the total population of Peru compared to just 9.4% in 1940.[33]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Conlee et al., Late Prehispanic sociopolitical complexity, p. 218.
  2. ^ Conlee et al., Late Prehispanic sociopolitical complexity, pp. 220–221.
  3. ^ Hemming, The conquest, pp. 140, 145.
  4. ^ a b Huerta, p. 37.
  5. ^ Hemming, The conquest, p. 203–206.
  6. ^ Klarén, Peru, p. 87.
  7. ^ Klarén, Peru, p. 56.
  8. ^ Report of the Feasts Held in the City of Lima for the Beatification of the Blessed Father Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus. World Digital Library, 1610.
  9. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, pp. 11–13.
  10. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, p. 16.
  11. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, p. 30.
  12. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, p. 26.
  13. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, p. 27.
  14. ^ Clayton, Local initiative and finance, p. 288–290.
  15. ^ Clayton, Local initiative and finance, p. 294–299.
  16. ^ Higgings, Lima, p. 45.
  17. ^ Andrien, Crisis and decline, p. 28.
  18. ^ Walker, The upper classes, pp. 53–55.
  19. ^ Higgings, Lima, p. 75.
  20. ^ a b Ramón, The script, pp. 173–174.
  21. ^ Anna, Fall of the royal government, pp. 4–5.
  22. ^ Anna, Fall of the royal government, pp. 23–24.
  23. ^ Anna, Fall of the royal government, pp. 176–177.
  24. ^ Anna, Fall of the royal government, pp. 178–180.
  25. ^ Klarén, Peru, p. 169.
  26. ^ Ramón, The script, pp. 174–176.
  27. ^ Higgings, Lima, pp. 83, 111.
  28. ^ Ramón, The script, p. 177.
  29. ^ Klarén, Peru, p. 170.
  30. ^ Higgings, Lima, p. 107.
  31. ^ Klarén, Peru, p. 192.
  32. ^ a b Ramón, The script, p. 180–182.
  33. ^ a b Murillo, Lima Metropolitana perfil socio-demográfico, ch. 1.1.
  34. ^ Dietz, Poverty and problem-solving, p. 35.
  35. ^ Dietz, Poverty and problem-solving, p. 36.
  36. ^ Higgings, Lima, p. 181.

References

See also: Timeline of Lima § Bibliography

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