Walls of Lima
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Walls of Lima | |
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Remains of the walls | |
Type | Fortification ruins |
Location | Lima, Peru |
Coordinates | 12°2′49.56″S 77°0′38.52″W / 12.0471000°S 77.0107000°W |
Built | 1684–1687 |
Original use | Protection against pirate attacks |
Demolished | 1871 |
The Walls of Lima were a fortification consisting mainly of
The wall was located on the present streets of
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Plano_de_la_Ciudad_de_los_Reyes_del_Peru_en_1744_%28Detalle_Principal%29_-_AHG.jpg/250px-Plano_de_la_Ciudad_de_los_Reyes_del_Peru_en_1744_%28Detalle_Principal%29_-_AHG.jpg)
The old wall was built around the city to protect it from pirates attacks and other enemies of the Spanish crown in the 17th century. The wall had 10 exit and entry gates: Martinete, Maravillas, Barbones, Cocharcas, Santa Catalina, Guadalupe, Juan Simón, San Jacinto, Callao, Monserrate and the gate of la Guía in the Barrio de San Lázaro.[2]
As part of urban expansion programs and construction of new avenues, the wall was demolished in 1868 under José Balta's government. The wall never served the purpose for which it was built, to the point that Raúl Porras Barrenechea mentioned that "it died a virgin of gunpowder."
Current status
Part of the sea wall has been restored at the back of the Church of San Francisco, near the
Construction of an expressway on Grau Avenue uncovered some of the wall's remains.
In Barrios Altos, the remains of the walls near the Plazuela del Cercado is in good condition. The camal de Conchucos, which was the bastion of Santa Lucía, one of the surveillance points of the wall, is now a sports complex.
The wall was not a paragon of beauty. Except for the portals of Maravillas (1807) in the Barrios Altos and El Callao, the other gates, as told by the painter Juan Manuel Ugarte, "had no great artistic appeal. It is one of the most important tourist attractions, besides the houses, among others.[clarification needed]
See also
Notes
- ^ "The last wall of Lima: Santa Lucía" Marco Gamarra (2010), The Marquense Library
- ^ López Martínez, Héctor (2022-05-30). "Lima, su muralla y portadas". El Comercio.
Bibliography
- Hanke, Lewis (1980). Los virreyes españoles durante la casa de Austria (in Spanish). Vol. VII. Madrid: Ediciones Atlas.
- Basadre, Jorge (1983). Historia de la República del Perú (in Spanish). Vol. V (7th ed.). Lima: Editorial Universitaria.