Plaza San Martín is defined by its rectangular layout and the harmonious, uniform facades of the surrounding European-style buildings. Inaugurated on July twenty-seventh, nineteen twenty-one, the square was constructed to commemorate the…
Jirón de la Unión Walk
We walk the historic pedestrian backbone of central Lima, connecting the grand Republican-era Plaza San Martín to the colonial heart of Plaza Mayor with stops at historic churches, Art Nouveau landmarks, and classic taverns along the way.
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1. San Martin Square
2. Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima
The Gran Hotel Bolivar is recognizable by its grand neoclassical façade and stately, high-ceilinged balconies overlooking Plaza San Martin. Inaugurated on December sixth, nineteen twenty-four, it was the first large, modern hotel built in…
3. Palais Concert
The Palais Concert stands on the corner of Jirón de la Unión and Avenida Emancipación. You can identify the building by the initials G and B, representing the owner Genaro Barragán, etched into a monogram near the top of the structure.…
4. Church of La Merced
The Church of La Merced is defined by its ornate, gray and pink stone façade, which features dense carvings and Solomonic columns decorated with plant motifs. Built under the supervision of Friar Miguel de Orenes starting in fifteen…
5. Casa O'Higgins - PUCP
The Casa O'Higgins stands at number five hundred fifty-four on the Jirón de la Unión. This colonial-era mansion is recognizable by its historic facade in the heart of Lima’s center, near the Plaza de Armas. It takes its name from Bernardo…
6. Casa Courret
Casa Courret stands out on Jirón de la Unión with its curved, ornate balconies and a facade that leans into the Art Nouveau style. Designed by architect Enrique Ronderas, the building features stuccowork with plant motifs and a mermaid…
7. Union Club
The Club de la Unión occupies a prominent, multi-story building overlooking the Plaza Mayor of Lima, easily identified by the traditional, intricate wooden balconies that line its facade. Founded on October tenth, eighteen sixty-eight,…
8. Lima Main Square
The Plaza Mayor, or Plaza de Armas, is marked by a bronze fountain at its center that has stood in the square since sixteen fifty-one. Francisco Pizarro founded the city of Lima on this exact site on January eighteen, fifteen thirty-five,…
9. RESTAURANTE CORDANO
Restaurante Cordano is identifiable by its saloon-style swinging doors that open into a dining room furnished with small, round tables topped with red and white checkered tablecloths. Located at the corner of Ancash and Carabaya streets,…