November 15, 2016

Lima City, the capital of Peru, is a thriving metropolis located directly at the Pacific Coast of South America. It is surrounded by valleys and extremely arid desert, and is considered as the second driest capital in the world next to Cairo, Egypt. But despite Peru’s geographic challenge, the city continues to captivate foreign tourists around the world with its unique beauty that bears witness to the architecture and urban development of Spanish colonial times.

In 1535, Francisco Pizzaro, a Spanish conquistador, founded the Historic Centre of Lima known as the “Ciudad de los Reyes” or “The City of Kings.” It was chosen as a site to settle and build a harbor for trade links to Spain which later on gained prestige after being designated capital of the Viseroyal Peru and site of the Real Audiencia in 1543 — making Lima the seat of power in Spanish-ruled South America until its liberation from Spain in 1821.

With the preservation of the Spanish colonial architecture, the Historic Centre of Lima has been awarded the World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1988. Currently, Peru owns 12 World Heritage Sites that include the Lines and Geolyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana, and the historic sanctuary of Machu Picchu.

This year, Peru will take the world stage again as it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting that will be attended by various APEC leaders.

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