Lima: a few fun facts, lots of pictures

Hola todos!


I'm only 4 days into the trip, but so much happens every day that I feel like I've been here for ages. My Spanish still has a long way to go, but I'm starting to remember/figure out the phrases they don't teach you in Spanish Literature class. I can now officially ask for everything without ice (two other girls have already gotten sick from the water) and successfully bargain with the taxi drivers. There are no meters here - you hail a cab, tell them where you're going, and haggle over a price for the ride. Sometimes, if he doesn't like your price or just doesn't feel like driving wherever you're going, the taxista will just drive away and you have to start all over again! Luckily, the streets are chock-full of cabs, and the fares are extremely cheap. My roommates and I take a cab from our home in Barranco to La Universidad Católica in Lima every day... people in Peru are CRAZY drivers, but I've discovered that if I just hold my breath and press my right foot onto an imaginary break pedal, everything is fine  =)

Ocean view on our cab-ride to the Católica!

Today, the girls on my program and I took a tour around historic Lima, so I figured I would share a couple of the more interesting thing I've learned, both during our tour and in my Peruvian literature class.


DID YOU KNOW THAT...?


- The port city of Lima was founded in 1532 by Francisco Pizarro and his conquistador buddies, and was built on top of an Inca city after the indigenous people "gave up" their right to the land. As such, modern Lima is sort of a city on top of a city on top of a city, since many of the colonial buildings have been covered and are only now being excavated by people like our wonderful tour guide, Carlos. I don't have a picture of him, but he's the man.

- Since colonial times, Peru has struggled with prejudice and discrimination among its citizens. My professor, Eduardo Hopkins, explained to us that there are three main Peruvian races: Blancos, the white descendants of the Spanish colonials; mestizos, who come from mixed marriages between Europeans and indigenous peoples; and indios, the "indians" who have lived in Peru for centuries. The social system set up by Pizarro, with the Spaniards at the top and native Peruvians at the bottom, has proven difficult to change, and even now there's often a connection between the economic status of a family and their race, as well as the language they use. Although the indigenous language, Quechua, is widely spoken, official state business and university classes use Spanish, "the language of the conquistador", and there's a lot of resistance to making Peru a bilingual country. For the 15 years or so, the government has been taking steps to try and break down these class barriers and racial prejudices.

Two of the dancers at today's parade!

- Despite this clash, a lot of Peru's festivals and cultural events are the product of the country's mixed background: many of the nation's holidays combine Christian traditions with ancient indigenous rituals in a really fascinating way. Today was the start of la Fiesta de la Vírgin del Carmen, a celebration in Cusco that seems a lot like Venice's Carnival, with people in masks making mischief and partying for four days straight. When we went to visit the Plaza de Armas, representatives from Cusco were outside of the president's mansion doing native dances in honor of the festival. The thing on that little kid's back is a fake baby llama... there was some story about carrying the llama up a mountain because it represents the soul of the Virgin Mary, and also that of a bear. I don't know. I'm sure it makes sense to them.


- Our tour guide Carlos showed us a lot of buildings from the 1700's, which clearly used to be gorgeous but have fallen into disrepair. A lot of them have huge wooden balconies with lattice covering  everything (it's hard to explain, look at the picture!). Carlos explained that if you were a woman in the 18th century, you basically weren't allowed to see the light of day. When you went out, you had to wear a veil that covered everything but one eye (creepy), and the only way that these women could talk to men was through the lattice balcony, so that their faces were never seen. I'm not exactly sure who would benefit from a system like that, but at least the buildings are pretty.

- Inka Kola is the number-one selling soda in Peru. It's florescent yellow and tastes like cotton candy. The jury's still out on whether or not I actually like it.


As I settle in and get a routine, these posts are bound to be less frequent, but for now so much is new and exciting that I want to write it down/remember it! Right now the girls and I are resting in our tiny room - our Peruvian amigos took us to discotecas both last night and the night before (more on that part of Peruvian culture later) and we're completely exhausted! Tomorrow we go to an archeological site called Pachacamac. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!