Peru Tours, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu

Lima is not the most attractive of Peruvian cities, and arriving at the airport to the sight of crowds of people outside offering a taxi & hotel services can be a shock to most tourists who are expecting pretty little Andean villages & Inca ruins. The climate doesn't help either, with Lima being covered in a blanket of low gray clouds except for the months of January & February when the sun shines and people flock to the beaches.

However Lima does have some redeeming features, notably its many interesting museums  and excellent restaurants & cafes. Lima also has a good selection of accommodation at prices to suit most budgets.

Lima has evolved into a fast-paced Peruvian metropolis and although this is very much a 21st-century city, you won't have to travel far to find flamboyant colonial buildings, pre-Inca pyramids, historical churches and other tourism offerings. For excitement, the bravest tourists may like to try their hand at paragliding from the Miraflores cliffs, or surfing next to the beachfronts of the Costa Verde & Barranco. Tourist information in Lima comes in the form of an iPeru outlet at the Jorge Chávez International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez).

Brief History of
Pre-Columbian Period:
In the very ancient times, there was a fishermen village in the area, whose inhabitants were essentially religious. Later on, the Proto-Lima culture appeared comprising two expressions: the Maranga and the Aramburu.
The cultures in the Lima valley were developed by 3 peoples: the Collas coming from Canta & Huarochiri, the Huanchos who came following the course of the Rimac river, and the Huallas who entered the valley through Carabayllo.
When the Incas arrived, they respected their buildings, their way of living & religion, allowing them to worship the new God Pachacamac along with their own god, the Sun.
The Hispanic Period:
The city of Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535; reaching its greatest splendor in the 17th & 18th centuries, during which it came to be the seat of the political and military power represented by the viceroy.
During the reign of the Austrians & Borbon dynasties, a succession of 40 viceroys occupied the Government house.
During this period of 282 years, religious life flourished. This being the time of Santa Rosa de Lima, Patron Saint of Peru, America & the Philippines, the world-known San Martin de Porres, Patron Saint of barbers & hairdressers, and also San Juan Masias.
The Republican Period:
General Jose de San Martin, proclaimed the independence of Peru in Lima on July 28, 1821.
It was later, during the government of Mariscal Ramon Castilla, that Lima took an advanced step over the cities of the American continent by implementing a railroad for the first time in South America between the cities of Lima and Callao. It was also during this period that the gas light system and the telegraph were installed, and black slavery was abolished.