Historic Centre of Lima (Centro Historico de Lima), Lima: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Lima’s Centro Histórico is a UNESCO World Heritage district centered on the Plaza Mayor, where Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535. The Cathedral of Lima, rebuilt multiple times after earthquakes, houses Pizarro’s remains in a mosaic-decorated chapel near the entrance. The Monastery of San Francisco, one block northeast, contains catacombs holding an estimated 25,000 sets of bones arranged in geometric patterns beneath the nave. The Plaza Mayor is ringed by the Government Palace, with a daily noon changing of the guard, and the Archbishop’s Palace, rebuilt in neo-colonial baroque style in 1924. is just one of many options in Lima. Major attractions worth considering include Barranco, Huaca Pucllana, and Sacred City of Caral-Supe.