Lima Historic Center

The historic heart of Lima was the center of the old colonial city. Around its edge are the Lima Cathedral, Government Palace and Provincial Municipal Authority of Lima. A highlight of the central part is a bronze fountain from the 17th century. The Cathedral occupies the site where the first major church in Lima once stood. It has an austere interior, although it is home to genuine historical treasures including the Baltasar Noguera choir stalls, several side altars and the remains of Francisco Pizarro. The Government Palace, the residence of Francisco Pizarro (1535), was built on the ground previously occupied by Taulichusco, chief of the Rímac valley. Since then, the site has been the center of political power in Peru. At a few blocks is the San Francisco Church and Convent, a 17th-century archaeological complex. It includes the church, convent, and plaza. The cloisters area, decorated with tiles, houses the Museum of Vice-Royalty Art. The catacombs (subterranean galleries), which served as a cemetery during the colonial era, can also be visited.