Life in Colonial Lima

When Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima in 1535 it was with the intention of making it the capital city of the territory he had conquered. On November 3, 1536, the king of Spain gave his official approval to this action (1), and with the arrival of the viceroys, Lima became the center of government for the whole viceroyalty of Peru, which extended twelve hundred leagues north and south and three hundred leagues east and west. In fact, the territory was so large that viceroy Francisco de Toledo took nearly five years to travel through it on a tour of inspection (2). The city of Lima, the center of government and trade for the viceroyalty of Peru, was a true and brilliant capital, and the way of life of its people, who lived in continuous fiesta, was colorful and exciting. Ricardo Palma's Tradiciones peruanas are filled with stories of this life with

Archaeology · Art · Colonialism · Historical Studies in Latin America · History · Latin American history and culture

• The People and Politics of Latin America

  L L Bernard, Mary Wilhelmine Williams•American Sociological Review•1939

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