Located off Benavides Avenue and just behind the Ricardo Palma University you will find a place called “Parque de La Amistad”which can be translated to the “Friendship Park”. This park spans a 30,000 m2 area and the first thing you will see even before you enter this park is the large arch but I will mention more about this a little later in the article.

Well you all will be happy that the park is free to enter (open from Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 9 pm) and as soon as you enter you will see the park is laid out in a circuit, there are also ATM’s close to the entrance just in case you need to take out some money and near these is a children’s play area with swings and slides. 

Beyond that you will find a building called “Centro Cultural Augusto B Leguia” which is the cultural centre in which art is displayed and other events take place here. The building is in the style of the old “Casas Haciendas” and the wood that makes up the columns and the roof are from the port of Callao which were once used in an old structure that was built in 1929.  

Now continuing on your circuit you will eventually arrive to the artificial lagoon here you can watch the ducks and the swans, there is also a paddle boat that you may take to check around the lagoon. I did not take it but the website says that it will cost 5 soles. 

Next to the lagoon is a small passage way this will lead you to many food carts that are selling traditional food and desserts that you can tuck into, you can also buy coffee and ice cream all depending on the weather or on your choosing.

Another popular attraction is the steam train and like most of the items or attractions in the park have a historical context to them. First of all the train will cost you 4 soles and you take it in a small train station located next to a restaurant inside the park. The train station is decorated with accessories of Peru’s locomotive history. The train itself is from 1926 and has 3 wagons that you can sit in and it will take you around the park passing the main attractions.  

Also remember to read the post that is around the park, it will give you an insight of the historical importance of the attractions, I was surprised with some of the history behind some of the attractions.

Now the main attraction is the large arch standing at 29 meters, you cannot simply miss it. 

The arch is in the style similar to that used by the Moors but this is not the originally but a replica so what happened to the originally?

The originally one was never in the same place but was located on Leguía Avenue now known as Arequipa Avenue and was a gift from Spain and was inaugurated  in 1924 but due to modernization of Lima it was demolished in 1939 under the government of Oscar R. Benavides. He claimed that it would cause problems with the traffic. The construction of the new arch started in 2000 and was finished by 2001 and inaugurated by the King of Spain, Juan Carlos and his wife Sofia. 

After walking around this nice park you can take the weight off your feet and just take in the surroundings and let time pass, in my opinion it is nice to see a little greenery among the concrete. There is a pizza place also located in the park and a restaurant however, these can be a little pricy and I would recommend that you go to one of many restaurants that can be found just outside the park. 

By: GringoPeru

On January 20, 1839 the battle of Yungay was fought between the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and the United Chilean-Peruvian Restoration Army. The results of the battle led to the immediate end of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. So what was the Peru-Bolivian Confederation and how did it come about?

The roots of Peru-Bolivian Confederation go back to the Viceroyalty of Peru, when the region that we now know as Bolivia was once known as Alto Perú (Upper Peru) however, when the Bolivian War of Independence (1809-1825) came to an end the region of Upper Peru became an independent country and was renamed Bolivia in honour of the liberator Simón Bolívar. 

Simón Bolívar, who became the first president of Bolivia, did not agree with the reunification of the region to Peru and this would cause turmoil and political unrest which forced him out of the country and back to Colombia. Bolívar then left Antonio José de Sucre in charge who became the 2nd president of Bolivia in 1826 however; due to political pressure and the turmoil left behind from the independence hindered his attempt to create a new state. The following year an armed uprising in Chuquisaca gave Peru the opportunity to invade Bolivia. An army of 5000 Peruvians under the leadership of General Agustín Gamarra entered Bolivia with two aims one was to remove the Colombian army and to gain political influence and on May 28, 1828 the Peruvian army entered La Paz, Bolivia which led to the resignation of Sucre. In 1829, Marshal Andres de Santa Cruz became the 7th president of Bolivia also in the same year General Agustín Gamarra became the 13th president of Peru. 

Both Gamarra and Santa Cruz shared the same ideals of a confederation of Peru and Bolivia however; they disagreed on which side should have more political influence. Simón Bolívar was angered by the situation in Bolivia and was already working on a confederation of his own; this confederation consisted of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western Guyana and northwest Brazil known as Gran-Colombia. Bolívar on June 3rd, 1828 declared war against Peru appointing Antonio José de Sucre as the commander of the Colombian army. The Gran-Colombia Peru War (1828–1829) ended quickly and unsuccessfully for Bolivar and shortly after Sucre was assassinated in Berruecos in February, 1830 and Simón Bolívar died in December, 1830 from tuberculosis. 

After the war Peru was once again in political turmoil, this was caused by the formation of a new parliament in 1833 which was hostile towards Agustín Gamarra and at this moment Gamarra’s term as president was over and power was then handed to Luis José de Orbegoso. Gamarra refused to recognize the new government and wanted to challenge it however, popular opinion and the army did not side with Gamarra. 

In 1835, Orbegoso was overthrown in a rebellion led by General Felipe Salaverry who became the self-proclaimed "Supreme Chief of the Republic” however; Orbegoso then asked the Bolivian president Andres de Santa Cruz for help. Santa Cruz invaded Peru in June 1835 and Salaverry went on the run to Arequipa until he finally surrendered to William Miller who handed him over to Santa Cruz. Salaverry was executed along with some other officers in the main square in Arequipa on the 18th of February 1839. 

As a reward for Santa Cruz’s help Orbegoso agreed to the formation of the new Peru–Bolivian Confederation and that Santa Cruz would become the “Supreme Protector of the Confederation”. The confederation was not only for historical, cultural and ethnic reasons but mainly for economic reasons. 

On March 17, 1836 a congress of the southern departments (Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cuzco and Puno) declared the establishment of the Republic of South Peru and on August 11, 1836 another proclamation came forming the Republic of North Peru (Amazonas, Junín, La Libertad and Lima). 

In the end the confederation consisted of the Republic of South Peru with its capital Tacna (also capital of the confederation), Republic of North Peru with its capital Lima and Bolivia. 

Santa Cruz being the “Supreme Protector” and president of Bolivia appointed a president for each state of the confederation, the first president of South Peru was General Ramón Herrera Rodado and the first president of North Peru was General Luis Orbegoso. The confederation was officially formed after some unrest on October 28, 1836. Santa Cruz imposed an authoritarian order; he issued a civil code, a penal code, a trade regulation, a customs regulation and reorganized tax collection procedures allowing an increase in state revenues while restraining expenditures. This was all well received especially by the South due to the new economic freedoms that were provided however, some elites especially in Lima grew annoyed and started to resent the confederation. 

There were many arguments against the confederation some people on both sides (Bolivia and Peru) did not like the idea that their identities had been “diluted” and those such as the Peruvian politicians who resented the confederation fled to Chile. It was not only Peruvians and Bolivians that began to resist neighboring countries such as Argentina and Chile were alarmed by the size and economic strength of the confederation. Diego Portales was an important Chilean statesman and was the real power behind the Chilean president José Joaquín Prieto who became worried that the new confederation would break the regional balance of power also at this time competition for trade routes were high so Chile began to see Peru as its enemy. 

Hostilities began when former Chilean president General Ramón Freire managed to gain help from the confederation to equip a frigate to take power from Prieto’s administration however, it failed leading Chile to become openly hostile towards the confederation. 

On August 21, 1836, Diego Portales ordered a silent attack on a confederate fleet stationed at the port of Callao, Peru capturing several ships “Santa Cruz, Arequipeño and Peruviana”. This was seen as a warning Peru to stop interfering with Chilean politics. Santa Cruz did not go immediately to war instead he tried to negotiate, Chile demanded commercial agreements, debt repayments, compensation for the incident with Freire and the dissolution of the confederation. Santa Cruz agreed to everything but the dissolution, Chile responded by declaring war December 28, 1836 (War of the Confederation). 

Internationally the war was frowned upon as Santa Cruz was diplomatically recognized by countries such as Great Britain, France and the United States who had interest in the region while on the other hand Chile’s allies (Ecuador and Argentina) remained neutral. Argentina eventually felt compelled to declare war on the confederation on May 9, 1837 due to the political interference from Santa Cruz. Even though Chile and Argentina were allies they both acted alone throughout the war. Argentina suffered a heavy defeat in 1837 at the hands of one of Santa Cruz’s top generals Felipe Braun and the public of Chile were unhappy with the decision of war and started opposing it. 

To quell the unhappy population the Chilean government enacted Martial Law in 1837 however; this caused more heavy criticism of Prieto’s administration especially towards Portales. The Martial Law began affecting the army and on June 4, 1837, Colonel José Antonio Vidaurre, a commander captured and imprisoned Portales while he was reviewing troops at the army barracks in Quillota. Believing that the public would support him Vidaurre attacked the port of Valparaíso, Chile however; Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada defeated Vidaurre outside the port. When news spread of the defeat Captain Santiago Florín, who was in charge of Portales, had him shot on June 6, 1837. The assassination of Portales was a turning point as many perceived that it was orchestrated by Santa Cruz, making Portales into a martyr and changing the public opinion of the war. 

The first military expedition led by Vice Admiral Manuel Blanco Encalada, against the confederation failed which lead to the signing of the Treaty of Paucarpata on the November 17, 1837 however, on the January 20, 1839 the second military expedition took place known as the Battle of Yungay in which Santa Cruz was defeated. On August 25, 1839, General Agustín Gamarra became president and officially declared the dissolution of the confederation bringing South and North Peru together as one country (Peru) separate from Bolivia. The dissolution of the confederation meant that Santa Cruz was exiled first to Guayaquil, in Ecuador, then to Chile, and finally to Europe where he lived until his death in 1865. 

The Battle of Yungay is remembered in Chile with the "Hymn of Yungay" and following the defeat of the confederation the department of Ancash, Peru was created.

Written by GringoPeru

On the 18th of January 1535, the Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded “The City of Kings” (Ciudad de los Reyes) that eventually became known as Lima.  The location in which Lima was founded was never the first option in 1533 Jauja was the one of the first areas chosen by the Conquistadors however, due to the cold climate and distance from the sea made them look elsewhere. 

Francisco baptized the city “The City of Kings” it is thought the name comes from the festival that is celebrated in Spain called “Los Tres Reyes Magos” (The Three Kings) this festival now is widely celebrated across South America however, María Rostworowsk an historian suggests the city was named after the King of Spain Carlos V and his mother Juana I, Queen of Castile.

Before this, the area where Lima can be located was occupied and had been occupied for many years, when Pizarro came the area was home to the Cuismanco people and governed by Taulichusco. Some chroniclers wrote that Taulichusco received the Spanish in a friendly and courteous way and that he had already heard of their presence in Tahuantinsuyo.

Pizarro built Lima in a similar fashion to the cities in Spain, the city starting with a large plaza (square) and expands outwards. It is thought that The Presidential Palace was built on top of the home of Taulichusco and the Cathedral of Lima was built on top of a religious temple.  The construction of the new city came at the cost of indigenous people had been converted to slaves.

In 1536, Lima was attacked under the orders of Manco Inca; this was led by Inca general Quizo Yupanqui. Fierce fighting broke out on the outskirts of the city however, the outcome was unfavorable for Manco as the Spanish and their indigenous allies defeated Manco’s resistance force and the evidence of this battle can still be seen today at the archaeological site of Puruchuco in Ate.

Lima continued to grow after the rebellion was crushed however, on 26th of June 1541 the founder of Lima was assassinated in the Presidential Palace by the son of his old friend who became enemies Diego de Almagro. Cristóbal Vaca de Castro became the next colonial administrator in Peru.

In 1542 Spain designated Lima as capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the site of a Real Audiencia, the high court, in 1543. From here the Spaniards ruled over vast areas in South America.  In 1551, Peru being heavily influenced by the Catholic Church became the place where the Spanish Inquisition headquarters for South America would be opened.

Due to Lima´s growing wealth and influenced it made it a target for pirates and in 1579 the British pirate Francis Drake raided Callao and in 1615 and 1624 Callao was once again raided by the Dutch pirate Jacques L'Hermite.  To prevent further raids on the important port a fort was built under the orders of Viceroy José Manso de Velasco and in 1770 the fort Real Felipe was finished. The fort has now been converted into a museum and can still be visited today.

Another major event that occurred in Peru and in Lima was the occupation of Lima by the Chileans who took the city on January 17 1881 during the War of the Pacific, Lima was not liberated until 1883 when Peru surrendered.

Lima today is a bustling city with a population of 8 million people and although that the capital is struggling with many major issues there is always the good parts that we can find. So for the anniversary of Lima go check out the city centre as they are events and also check out the museums to find out some more interesting information of not just Lima but of Peru in general.

New Year is coming up fast and Peru is full of traditions and superstitions, here are some you may or may not have heard of. Tell me if I have missed some:

1. Placing lentils into your pockets at midnight, and wishing for money whilst doing so.

2. Dressing up a large doll or effigy (sometimes stuffed with fireworks) with old clothes and burning it on the street. This signifies getting rid of the old, and making a new start.

Lighting colored candles.

3.Wearing new clothes—typically underwear. This typically goes hand-in-hand with wearing specific colors that represent something you desire in the upcoming year: Yellow for luck and happiness, green for money, red for love, and white for health or fertility.

4. Eating 12 grape as the clock strikes 12 to bring luck to every month of the year.

5. If you want to travel in the upcoming year, you should take a suitcase or briefcase and carry it around the block on New Year's Eve.

By: GringoPerú

Throughout history it is easy to forget those that made a change to society as many others take the limelight, so for this article I shall write about Hermilio Valdizán who specialized in the areas of psychiatry and neurology and helped bring awareness to these subjects in a time where in Peru these subjects were not well explored.

Hermilio Valdizán Medrano was born on the 20th of November 1885 in Huánuco,Peru to Mr. Hermilio Valdizán and Mrs. Juana Medrano and in 1894 they moved to Lima. At the age of 18, Valdizan entered Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (National University of San Marcos) after six years of studying he graduated from Medicine with his thesis “La delincuencia en el Perú” (Crime in Peru,1909) which he documented various factors of crime in social groups in Peru. 

After he was awarded a scholarship he then travelled to Bolonia, Italy in 1911 where he studied and he continued to travel to places like France and Switzerland and this where he specialized in psychiatry however, the outbreak of First World War made him return to Peru in 1914. 

A year after his return to Peru on the 27th of November 1915 he graduated as a doctor with his thesis “Los factores etiológicos de la alienación mental “(The etiological factors of mental alienation). 

With this he created the first outpatient clinic of Nervous and Mental Illness in the Hospital Dos de Mayo and also became the first professor of Neuropathology and Psychiatry in Peru, teaching not only psychiatry but about the methods of treatment.

It was well known that Valdizán opposed the treatment used for patients at that time for example the use of straitjackets and stocks which he deemed inhumane. He proposed and used more scientific methods in treating his patients believing that fair treatment of the patient would help them in the long run. 

Valdizán was also well informed about the treatment methods of the towns and communities of the highlands and the jungle, he also studied the damaging effects of the “Peruvian Wart”or Carrion’s Disease. Valdizán even studied the history of medicine and in 1913 published his work called “La facultad de Medicina de Lima” (The faculty of Medicine) in which he describes how the study of medicine changed during different eras of Peru the conquest, the colonial times and the republic. He continued to work in the field of psychiatry and neurology occasionally writing for a newspaper. 

Hermilio Valdizán died on the 25th of December 1929 due to heart issues; he is known as “The Father of Peruvian Psychiatry” and on the 20th of November in Peru is known as Día de la Psiquiatría (Day of Psychiatry) and is day to remember the work of Hermilio Valdizán Medrano however, this day is commonly forgotten.

By: GringoPerú