President and Dictator Augusto B. Leguía embarked on a mission to completely transform a capital city that had faded from the world scene. His achievements were remarkable and lasted decades, find out what they were…
Category: "Modern Peru"
Peru’s hard-hitting Oscar film hope divides opinion [Featured]
As Oscar fever hits Peru for perhaps the first time ever, Dan Collyns describes the building excitement, the controversy and the history behind the Peruvian contender for Best Foreign Language Film.
Oechsle – Peru’s original department store
The Oechsle chain of department stores has an almost legendary status among Limeños old enough to remember it. Long before the arrival of the Chilean chains Ripley and Saga, back when Lima was a developed and modern city, Oechsle was regarded as one of the most successful and important department stores in South America.
Un lunes cualquiera…
The latest Movistar TV commercial in beautiful indigenous Quechua, it’s message from the telecommunications company: “Connected, we can do more”.
Video: Glimpses of Peru, 1937
Allow your eyes to pop out at 1930’s Lima, Huancayo, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca in full motion colour!
New Year Traditions: Die!…Muñeco…Die!
Tom Filipowicz in Chiclayo recounts the tradition of burning mannequins as part of New Year celebrations in Peru, as well as other customs.
Chaupiguaranga: the greatness of simplicity
The only thing not simple about this marvellous place is pronouncing the name it has been given: the Chaupiguaranga Ravine. Everything else promises and delivers a rustic experience in a time when even the travels of seasoned travellers are being influenced by all things “fashionable”.
A tale of colonial ships and Peruvian gold
In May 2007, US company Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered $500,000,000 of Peruvian gold and silver coins from the sunken colonial ship Nuestra Señora del las Mercedes. Spain immediately claimed the bounty as property of the Spanish crown, as did Peru. The saga begins more than 200 years ago, and is one that is only now coming to an end.
Chiclayo: The Preservation of Tradition
In November, Tom Filipowicz visited the event held for the Mochica Identity Week and discusses what he feels is a strong local connection and respect for traditions and customs. Participating were school groups, each choosing and important local custom to present to visitors.
Colonial jewel in Peru’s capital to be restored with UN help
As part of a United Nations-backed plan to restore historical architectural gems that have deteriorated into slums, residents of Rimac, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Peru’s capital, Lima, will start registering property titles as of 2010 in an effort to restore the priceless landmarks.
Re-enactment in Ayacucho – The battle that liberated a continent
On the 10th of December of this year, 185 years passed since Peru won a battle that decisively ended any hope for a Spanish presence in South America. At 3,500 above sea level, on the field of battle of the Pampa de Quinua, thousands gathered to take part in a huge recreation in honour of this occasion.
Lima pays homage to the delicious anticucho
On the banks of the river Rímac, on the beautiful and historic Alameda de Chabuca Granda with its ageing wooden balconies, in a space often occupied by fairs and special events, Lima today paid homage to the delicious anticucho.
