CALLAO/LIMA, PERU

Callao is the port for Lima, Peru, and is now part of the city of Lima. In the 16^th to 18^th centuries it was the most important seaport in the world, because it was the only port that was allowed to trade with Europe.

Lima's population is 9 million, and it is divided into 43 districts, each of which is independent. This means that there are 43 different mayors, and each district sets it own prices and taxes. There is one main mayor, and this year for the first time, it is a woman. Interestingly there are 1 million Chinese people here, and 400,000 Japanese. We saw a tent city erected in one of the large squares, which was a group of people from the north protesting a proposed tax hike, and who had been there for over a month.

It is a very busy, smoggy, congested city that gets very little rain. Its water supply comes from 3 major rivers in the Andes, along with many other smaller rivers. It is foggy in the mornings so the buildings are painted in bright colors to counteract the grayness. The old historical center is called the Centro, and this is where the Presidential palace is located. Once the richest city in the Spanish colonies, it is now a UNESCO protected site and many examples of the old colonial architecture remain. The styles of the balconies are interesting to observe. Today the more affluent citizens have moved to the modern upscale communities like the beach district of Miraflores.

Lima experiences many earthquakes, and many of their buildings have been badly damaged and restored several times. We visited La Catedral in the Plaza de Armas and admired the beautiful alter, paintings and carvings. In a chapel near the entrance is a chapel where Francisco Pizzaro's remains are buried, along with the box that his severed head was originally buried in!

A few blocks away, in the Church of San Francisco Ancash, there are 50,000 skeletons in its crypt, and a Franciscan monastery that still houses 40 friars. Inside are beautiful Sevillian tiled walls and carved tongue in groove wooden tile ceilings. When some huge paintings were removed for renovations, damaged frescoes were discovered under them -- probably why they were covered with the paintings. Although it also suffered earthquake damage, it was not as bad because the crypt was built over 5 wells, which absorbed some of the shock.

We passed by the famous Bolivar Hotel where Hemingway, Ava Gardner and other celebrities have stayed, as well as the Bar Cordano, also frequented by the rich and famous. On the return drive to the ship we passed by an unusual mausoleum, a huge building covering an entire block, with the identifications easily visible from the street. I would have liked to have time to visit the modern area, but appreciated the opportunity to visit the historic center.