Named the "City of Kings" by the Spanish conquerors, Lima is the capital of Peru and the main gateway to the rest of the country.  The present city was founded in 1535 by the Spaniards.  There is a large area in central Lima with pre-Inca ruins.

We visited the Archaeological Museum, the Mujica Gallo Gold Museum (a huge private collection), the "Plaza de Armas," the Museo de Oro, San Francisco Church and catacombs, the Cathedral, the US Embassy, the Government Place, and a few city parks.

Our last day in Lima we visited the Gold Museum.  I have no pictures since they were not allowed.  The private collection is huge – we were quite surprised at the variety and uniqueness of the pieces.  We were also told that it does not rain in Lima – ever.  This is surprising since the city is on the Pacific coast.

Population of Peru is about 24 million with 8 million living in Lima, the capital.  We stayed a total of three nights in Lima, the day of arrival, the night after we returned from the Amazon basin and a night after our return from Cusco and Machu Picchu. 

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