lima discovery: a journey of flavours and culture

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Engage with two iconic aspects of ancient Peruvian culture: textiles and archaeology, located conveniently close to one another in Lima’s Miraflores District. First, explore the world of textile arts with a visit to the fascinating Museo Amano. The recently remodeled Amano Museum boasts one of the world’s most extensive collections of pre-Columbian textiles, with over 600 textile creations displayed in four rooms, from the Chavín, Paracas, Moche, Nazca, Wari, Lambayeque, Chimu, and Inca cultures. In the Yoshitaro Amano room, available by reservation only, visitors can view some of the museum’s warehoused textiles not usually seen by the public, contained within dozens of pull-out drawers. Then, discover ancient architecture and mummified remains at the Huaca Pucllana pyramid, a pre-Inca site dating from around 500 CE and utilized by several successive cultures, including the Lima, Wari, and Ychsma people. The 82-foot Huaca Pucllana pyramid consists of thousands of methodically placed adobe bricks with spaces in between for stability, built using a technique known as the “library” method. Both activities are located within ten minutes by car of each other in the Miraflores district, one of Lima’s nicest neighborhoods. Ending with lunch at the Huaca Restaurant overlooking the ruins. Dinner on your own. (B / L)

We’ll enjoy a morning exploring Lima, the City of Kings, with its impressive colonial architecture dating from the early 16th century. First stop: The Main Plaza, where we’ll check out the Palacio de Gobierno and the colonial facades and balconies of the surrounding buildings. Next, entering the Lima Cathedral through the Portada de Perdón (the Door of Forgiveness) we’ll view the impressive gold – emblazoned interior, religious artifacts on display, and the tomb of Francisco Pizarro, as well as several bone displays in crypts located under the main altar.   Moving on to the San Francisco Church, we’ll explore its cloisters, library, and interior courtyards decorated with various religious artworks. Next, a journey into the macabre, as we descend to the Catacombs, whose ossuary comprises hundreds of creatively gruesome displays of skulls and bones, arranged in various artful formations and designs.  Visit the Larco Herrera Museum, in the district of Pueblo Libre, which houses the most extensive private collection of pre-Columbian art and artifacts on Earth! Its focus is on the Moche Dynasty, a pre- Inca civilization, whose fabulous and explicit ceramic depictions of people, animals, and fanciful creatures are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The museum contains an estimated 45,000 pieces of ceramics, jewelry, finely detailed textiles, and stonework from the Moche and other pre-Inca cultures!    After our visit to the Larco Museum, we’ll enjoy a sumptuous lunch in the Museo Larco Café-Restaurant. This restaurant offers Peruvian regional cuisine, including such intriguing offerings as Risotto Norteño, duck cooked in a capulín (wild cherry) sauce, accompanied by arborio rice cooked in chicha, (fermented corn drink); and traditional Andean dishes like Lomo Saltado (stir fried tenderloin of beef with potatoes, tomatoes, and onions), and Ají de Gallina, (shredded chicken in a creamy yellow pepper sauce). They also offer North American “home cooked” meals like traditional pot roast and grilled salmon. There are a number of delightful vegetarian dishes on the menu as well, including Vegetable Lasagna and Loche Squash Ravioli.     (B / L)

This is an activity for art lovers that combines an exploration of contemporary art in the house/workshop of one of the most famous sculptors of Peru, Victor Delfín, with a visit to the Liébana brothers’ studio to view the sculptures, paintings, and art collection of this talented family. Optionally, visit the amazing muralist Jade Rivera’s studio and marvel at his fanciful depictions of flora, fauna, and the natural world.  Victor Delfín is a renowned artist who is among the leading sculptors and painters in Peru. Many of Victor’s works are fanciful renditions that combine the artist’s imagination with images inspired by the ancient civilizations of Peru. His works are renowned for their lively geometry and vibrant colors.    We will have the fun and privilege of touring Mr. Delfin’s art-filled studio, which is inside his home overlooking the ocean. If we’re lucky, we might even have the chance to observe Victor at work on one of his pieces!  After this experience, we will walk two blocks and enter the wonderful world of the Liébana brothers, Mateo, a painter, and his brother, Joaquín a sculptor. Joaquín works with wood, fabric, and metal to create unique and eclectic sculptures. He also works with other artists to continue the legacy left by their father, Jaime, who created hand-crafted furniture. Mateo’s studio is filled with his colorful paintings and large murals depicting strange worlds of idiosyncratic characters engaged in colorful activities. Onward to view the collection of the late Jaime Liébana, a prolific art collector whose displays include large tapestries, traditional furnishings, ceremonial masks, and ceramic pieces.   Time permitting, we can optionally visit the Jade Rivera Museum to see the wild and fanciful murals of this artist, whose works grace the Bajada de los Baños in Barranco. His joyful depictions of flora, fauna, and the natural world are marvelous to behold.   Following this art-filled experience, lunch or dinner can be enjoyed at the popular Isolina eatery, followed by an opportunity to purchase souvenirs and gifts for the folks at home at the Café Dédalo.  (B / L)