Discover Lima

Art and urban history in Lima

A guided tour of MALI’s permanent exhibition spans more than 3,000 years of Peruvian art history. MALI is located in Parque de la Exposición in central Lima. The tour’s broad timeframe makes the long history of Peruvian art its own focus and offers a different perspective from looking at individual historical events.

Lima’s Plaza Mayor connects two landmark dates: it witnessed the founding of Lima in 1535; in 1821, Peru’s independence was proclaimed there. The two events belong to different periods of history and give the square a political dimension that goes beyond its role as a named place.

The Palacio Torre Tagle draws attention to 18th-century residential architecture. With its stone-carved portal and carved balconies made of cedar and mahogany, it is considered one of the outstanding examples of Lima’s residential architecture of that period. Access is limited to the courtyard. Visiting hours are listed as Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; check the hours before your visit.

More facets of the broader Lima destination

The broader Lima destination also encompasses themes beyond art history and residential architecture. Lima’s historic center bears witness to the architecture and urban development of a Spanish colonial city that held great political, economic and cultural significance in Latin America. The monumental complex of the Monastery of San Francisco is part of this historic center.

The Circuito Mágico del Agua in Parque de la Reserva offers a different kind of experience. The complex opened on July 26, 2007, and includes 13 computer-controlled fountains, where music, sound and laser light come together in shows. In the same year, it received a Guinness World Record as the largest fountain complex in a public park. The Fuente de la Fantasía adds its own distinctive feature: its 25-minute audiovisual show transforms the water into a 95-meter-long projection surface. The number of fountains and the dimensions of this projection can therefore be understood as two different aspects of the complex.

Parque de La Muralla is home to the Museo de Sitio del Parque La Muralla. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; check the hours before your trip. You can ride bicycles and non-motorized vehicles on the park’s signposted circuits. Wearing a helmet is mandatory. The museum and circuits thus represent different focuses within Parque de La Muralla: a museum visit and an activity on designated routes.

Archaeological themes are also part of the broader Lima destination. Huaca Huallamarca is a pre-Hispanic pyramidal temple, with successive phases of occupation associated with the Lima, Wari and Inca cultures. This sequence sets the site apart chronologically from the city’s later historical and architectural themes. When planning your trip, you can therefore first decide whether art history, political events, architecture or archaeological sites are your main focus.

To the broader travel overview: Lima.