Today’s The World Around Us will be presented in Spanish, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Welcome to today’s The World Around Us on Supreme Master Television. In this program we will visit the oldest public space in Peru, located in its capital city: The Historic Center of the City of Lima.

During their second journey to the Americas in 1528, the Spanish explorer Francisco Pizarro and his crew arrived for the very first time to what is now known as Peru. The word “Lima” comes from the indigenous Quechua word Rímac, which literally means “talker”. The city has been known by its new name Lima since January 18, 1535.

On November 20, 1542, during the reign of King Carlos I of Spain, the first Viceroy of Peru was appointed through the Royal Decree of Barcelona. The viceroy’s responsibility covered a vast area. Initially, the boundaries extended from Panama to the River Plate in Argentina, reaching the limits of the Amazon Rainforest. Lima was the capital of this vast area and was also called by many as “The City of Kings.”

This was perhaps as a tribute to the Kings of Spain, or maybe, according to popular storytelling, because Lima was discovered on January 6, the day of celebration in Spain for the three Wise men. The city was first designed by the explorer Francisco Pizarro in 1535. He sketched a small area of 13 squares long and 9 squares wide, constructing only 36 edifices.

Such a simple city had a central plaza, and the main buildings of government were located around this area. However, the port city grew very fast and became the first metropolis of South America. The burgeoning economic growth of the city allowed aristocrats to build splendid edifices and luxurious houses.

In addition, Lima came to house the Royal Audiencia, the busiest court in the New World. Lima also housed the main ecclesiastic center with a complex of new churches, convents and monasteries. Furthermore, the arrival of numerous Christian monastic orders gave birth to the renewal of spirituality in Lima.

Let’s now make a stop at some of the most notable sites here. La Plaza Mayor, also known as La Plaza de Armas de Lima, is the main public space in the whole city. Nowadays, La Plaza Mayor is surrounded by important edifices.

We are currently looking at a beautiful fountain in the middle of the Plaza de Armas, and this pool was built by the Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, which opened on October 21, 1578. It consisted of a baluster, an upper basin, and in it eight masks and their pipes through which water fell into the main basin; above the basin on a ball that distributed all the water to fall on the basin.

On the ball there was a figure with a shield on one side with the arms of the city and in his hand he held a flag on which the arms of the Viceroy Toledo were sculpted. This pool was replaced by another ordered by the Viceroy García Sarmiento de Sotomayor, Count of Salvatierra, and inaugurated on September 8, 1651, which with some repairs is maintained today.

La Plaza de Armas is the oldest public area in Peru, and is visited by thousands of tourists every day from all over the world.

Very good afternoon sir, it’s a pleasure madam, very good afternoon for Supreme Master Television from Lima, Peru in the city, the same square, where we walked a bit, enjoying the weather. What is your name sir?

Armando Silva.

Armando Silva, are you from Peru?

Born in Peru, but now based in Boston, Massachusetts (USA).

Good. The lady, is your mother from the city?

My mother is, yes. She was born in Argentina but has lived here for 80 years.

What do you think of the Plaza de Armas, ma'am?

Oh, it’s charming. It has changed a lot and looks more beautiful at night with its lights, no? It’s visited a lot.

It’s more than that. Here when we visit the Plaza de Armas, we really have four places to visit – the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop's Palace, City Hall and even the House of the Judge, right?

When we return, we’ll tour the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop’s Palace, and more, all here at the Historic Center of the City of Lima, Peru. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. Welcome back to The World Around Us.

The city of Lima has been always open to the world’s architectural trends. When the cathedral was initially built in 1625, the baroque style was in fashion. By the end of 1797, when it was fully finished, the trend in vogue was rococo. However, the bell towers fell in the eighteenth century, and when they decided to rebuild it in the 19th century, the new style of fashion, the Neoclassical style had arrived in Peru.

The holy edifice still remains on the east side of the Plaza. The Cathedral of Lima contains vast amounts of colonial art, sacred imagery, altars covered in gold, and an impressive Choir. The benches of the Choir and of the cathedral itself are made with beautiful wood of the finest quality. Many rooms also contain exquisite pieces of metal crafts, apparel, oil paintings, and art works from around the 17th century.

The Palace of the Government of Peru, which we are focusing on right now, is the headquarters of the Peruvian executive branch, and the residence of the President of the Republic of Peru. It measures 19,200 square meters and about 200 people work there.

To the left of the building, overlooking Fish Street, designed by the Polish architect Ricardo de Jaxa Malachowski in 1926, was occupied by the Ministry of Justice until the second government of the architect Fernando Belaunde Terry. The present building which certainly is not what Pizarro imagined, dates back to 1938, but in one of its courtyards a fig tree has sprouted up that according to legend is more than four and a half centuries old.

The palace is considered an historical monument and in its different architectural versions has hosted certainly distinguished guests from Francisco Pizarro, their founder, and liberator Simon Bolivar to the King of Spain Juan Carlos I de Borbón on his official visit to Peru in November 1978, not counting the 40 viceroys, 53 leaders and presidents.

Beautifully made in the 17th century, this harmonious ensemble contains the Church and Convent of San Francisco and the Chapels of El Milagro (The Miracle) and La Soledad (Solitude). Any visitor can enter the inside of the convent, which is currently the Museum of Religious Art and of the Sala Zurbarán with its paintings of the Apostles.

The church that we see before us dates back to 1672, built in the baroque style. Now beneath this church is the main attraction of the city, the Catacombs, which were used as a public cemetery in colonial Lima.

On the side is the Monastery of San Francisco that is older than the church, dating back to 1560 or so. San Francisco, Santo Domingo, Las Mercedarias and the Jesuits were the main orders that arrived in Peru, and this Monastery is one of the oldest.

For Supreme Master Television, at this time we are in the Convent of San Francisco, in the city of Lima. It’s a castle of God in the City of Kings. Along with the church of La Merced, this vast sacred building offers the most spectacular and magnificent facade of Lima.

The two bright yellow massive towers that rise up in the monumental area of the capital of Peru, evoke the idea of a bastion of faith and frame the entry to a dark stone-carved altar, in the center of which is a beautiful sculpture of the Immaculate. This main entrance is surmounted by a medallion filigree representing the sign of Christ surrounded by a circle of rays.

Next, let’s go to the Archbishop’s Palace.

The Archbishop's Palace of Lima is also found in the Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor. At this point we face the Archbishop's Palace and the residence of the Archbishop of Lima and the administrative headquarters of the Archdiocese of Lima. It’s located in the Plaza de Armas in the corner made by Junin and Carabaya. Also, this institution houses the offices of the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima, currently Bishop Juan Luis Cipriani.

There are many other important buildings which are part of the historic center of the city, among those are: The Church of Nazarenes, the Tagle Tower, the Aliaga House, the Church of St Agustin, the Basílica of Our Lady of Merced, and many, many other handsome buildings, as well as important public spaces such as the University Park with an old clock tower.

On December 12, 1991, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Historic Center of Lima as a World Heritage Site. This is owing to its vital role as a main capital city for two centuries during the colony, and for having a group of 608 historic monuments of the Hispanic era. It was this recognition that made the municipal government of Lima move towards the protection and renovation of this historic area.

This included the enhancement and preservation of nearby residential areas in addition to the main historic buildings. The city of Lima has been the venue of many important events and a meeting place for the artistic and literary trends of the South American continent and the rest of the world.

The streets of Lima host attractive centers of traditional art and crafts of Peru and the rest of South America. The shops of well-made silver items, tranquil residential areas, and the beautiful gardens are very well taken care of.

It is not only the main historic area that receives care but the whole capital is very well looked after and constantly renewed. Anyone who comes to Lima, Peru will surely find themselves walking with a smile, enjoying the beauty, warmth, spirituality, and history imbued in the city and its residents.

Thank you for being with us on today’s The World Around Us. Now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News. May the Providence bless you and your cherished ones.