History

In the pre-Columbian era, the fertile valley of Lima was inhabited by several Amer-Indian groups who have left us the remains of mud and clay pyramids scattered around the city. But the modern city of Lima was not founded until 1535, when Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish Conquistador of Peru, chose the valley as the site for his newly conquered territories. The first 20 years of Lima’s history were turbulent times, as the Spanish conquerors fought Inca rebels and amongst themselves for control of their new lands. In 1569 the Spanish government grew tired of the anarchy and sought to put order to the distant colony by sending the viceroy Francisco de Toledo. During the ensuing 14 years he established a highly effective and harshly repressive regime. The citys wealth and world importance grew thanks to the exploitation of its natural resources and the treasures plundered from the defeated Inca Empire. In 1551 the University of San Marcos was the first such university in the New World. Due to a convenient harbor at Callao, just 15km (9miles) to the north of the city, the town of Lima developed rapidly and was the center of the Spanish trade monopoly in South America for over two hundred years. But Spanish colonial dominance of South America could not last forever and in the early 19th Century, a passionate independence movement swept across the continent. After a bloody war for freedom, General Jose de San Martin proclaimed the independence of Peru in Lima on 28 July 1821. The city continued to thrive and it was during this early republican period, from 1821 until the war of the Pacific in 1880 that Lima had its golden age. During the government of Mariscal Ramon Castilla, they built a railway between the Lima and the port of Callao, the first railway in South America. Also, gaslight and the telegraph were installed, black slavery was abolished; all innovative steps for the time. But Limas' great years were coming to an end. It was attacked in 1881 during the Pacific war with Chile, who briefly occupied the city and looted its treasures before torching its buildings. After the war, the city had to be rebuilt and wide avenues were constructed which crossed the city and reached neighboring villages; these avenues are still the basis of the city’s transport system today. In the 1940´s, Lima started a period of rapid growth as Andean migrant workers came to the city looking for work and opportunities. The population of the city doubled every 15 years and poor shanty towns appeared around its outskirts. By the late 20th century, Lima had developed into a sprawling metropolis, but serious problems of overcrowding, rampant crime & poor public transport got increasingly worse. After a period of domestic terrorism in the late 20th Century, the city recovered quickly after the millenium and is now an increasingly important business hub.