Lima History

Pre 20th Century

The fertile valleys surrounding modern-day Lima supported agriculture-based settlements from around 5000 BC onwards, evidence of which has been found throughout the city. It is believed that a series of droughts and severe flooding destroyed these early communities. The most significant site from this period is the temple complex at Pachacmac which remained a place of pilgrimage and worship for peoples throughout pre-Columbian Peru, including the Wari and the Inca, until it was ransacked by the Spaniards.

The city of Lima began life in 1535 courtesy of Francisco Pizarro, who founded the city on January 6, the same day as the Catholic feast of Epiphany, or Day of the Kings - Lima is often referred to as the City of Kings. Subsequent disputes over jurisdictional powers broke out among the Spanish conquistadors and, in 1541, a member of a conflicting Spanish faction assassinated Pizarro in Lima. In 1569, the Spanish colonial administrator Francisco de Toledo arrived in Peru. Over the ensuing 14 years, he established a highly effective, although harshly repressive, system of government. Toledo's method of administration consisted of a government of Spanish officials ruling through lower-level Peruvian officials who dealt directly with the indigenous population. This system lasted for almost 200 years.

Lima continued to grow in importance and, in 1551, the University of San Marcos, the first in the New World, was founded here. In 1567, the Jesuits arrived, immediately founding schools and colleges - they also introduced the printing press. Owing to its harbor at nearby Callao, the town of Lima developed rapidly and was the center of the Spanish trade monopoly, which lasted until the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713.

Argentinian General José de San Martín proclaimed Peru's independence from Spain on July 28, 1821 in Lima. It was later, during the government of Mariscal Ramon Castilla, that a railway was built between the cities of Lima and Callao, the first railway in South America. During this time, gaslight and the telegraph were installed and slavery was abolished.

In 1881, Lima was attacked during a war with Chile. The national library was turned into a barrack, and many valuable books and manuscripts were destroyed or sold as waste paper. Works of art were carried away or broken by the victorious Chileans, who occupied the town for nearly three years. After the attack, Lima endured the political rivalries of Cáceres and Iglesias, and there was civil unrest until Nicolas de Piérola became president for a second time in 1895.

Modern

Life was more or less rosy in Lima until about 1920, when there was a sudden population growth. This was a result of the city's rapid urbanization and industrialization, which generated a wealth that was simply not trickling down to the rural areas. Rural Peruvians began flocking into Lima, putting enormous strains on the city's infrastructure. In 1919, the urban population stood at 173,000; within 20 years, it had trebled.

Recent

Lima's growth - and growing pains - have continued at an astonishing pace and the city has become too big to support itself. With only a few wealthy and middle class suburbs, the majority of people live in poverty with inadequate housing and a lack of food, and unemployment is rife. As the population continues to expand, it seems Lima will end up swelling beyond bursting point.

On March 20, 2002, a few days before a visit by US President Bush, a car bomb exploded near the US Embassy in Lima, killing 10 people. It was thought to have been detonated by the guerrilla group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), who had caused political instability throughout the 1980s. In May 2003, the government declared a state of emergency when teachers, farmers and government workers went on strike for a month. The recent re-emergence of the Shining Path rebels, and the concurrent growth in cocaine manufacturing and shipping activities in rural areas, are equally troubling.