Lima was founded on January 18, 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on the banks of the Rimac river that forms a splendid and strategically located valley. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. Lima, a corruption of the Quechua name "Rimac" (speaker), grew rapidly around the ruins of millenary civilizations that had developed in the valley. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. It soon became the most important and powerful city of Spanish America, a position it held throughout the XVI and XVII centuries while it was the commercial and cultural capital of the vice royalty of Peru. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises.
By the XVIII century, the establishment of Vice royalty of La Plata comprising the legendary Potosi silver mines led to the gradual decline of the Peruvian metropolis. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. Intense political turmoil in Spanish America led to the declaration of independence in Peru in 1821 by General José de San Martin. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. With this, Peru entered into an uninterrupted period of republican government. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises.
A modern metropolis, Lima is now home to approximately a fifth of Peru's population. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. Over a total area of almost 34,000 square kilometers, the department (state) of Lima straddles the central portion of Peru with its coast facing the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Highland to the East. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises. At 133 meters above sea level on the banks of the Rimac river that flows into the Pacific Ocean, Lima enjoys mild yet humid weather with almost little or no rain. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises.
The city of Lima is one of South America's largest, and is Peru's center of political, cultural and economic life. Callao (Lima), Peru Gay Cruises.
