Why go
Read the city in layers rather than starting its story with Francisco Pizarro. Archaeological collections and huacas speak to the pre-Hispanic coast; Plaza Mayor and its neighboring buildings show the Spanish capital; later streets and avenues reflect rebuilding and expansion. This context makes a visit to the old center more than a tour of facades.
The full story
Before Spanish rule, the area of present-day Lima was inhabited by groups under the Ychsma polity. It became part of the Inca Empire in the 15th century. Francisco Pizarro founded the Spanish city in the Rímac valley in 1535 and called it Ciudad de los Reyes. Lima became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and a center of government and trade. A major earthquake in 1746 damaged Lima and devastated Callao, prompting extensive rebuilding. After independence, Lima became the capital of the Peruvian republic. Expansion accelerated in the 19th century, though the War of the Pacific brought a Chilean occupation and damage to cultural institutions. New avenues later connected the center with neighboring towns. Another earthquake struck in 1940. During the following decades, migration and urban growth extended the city far beyond its earlier footprint. The contrasts visible today—from archaeological sites to colonial civic buildings and wider modern districts—belong to this long, uneven history.