Lima - Peru - page 134

but fog). A huge cross , built in 1928 and illuminated at night, is a Lima landmark and the
object of pilgrimages during Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the first Sunday in May.
There is a small museum (admission S1) . From the Plaza de Armas, taxis can take you to
the summit (from S16) or you can wait for the Urbanito bus ( 428-5841;
www.urbanito.com.pe ; Jr Manoa 391, Breña; per person S5; 10am-7pm) , on the
southwest corner of the plaza, which does a one-hour round-trip tour to the summit. Buses
run every 30 minutes .

MUSEUM

Convento de los Descalzos
Offline map
( 481-0441; Alameda de los Descalzos s/n; admission S6; 10am-1pm & 3-6pm,
closed Tue) At the end of the attractive Alameda de los Descalzos, forgotten, is this 16th-
century convent and museum, run by the Descalzos ('the Barefooted,' a reference to Fran-
ciscan friars). Visitors can see old winemaking equipment in the kitchen, a refectory, an
infirmary and the monastic cells. There are also some 300 colonial paintings, including
noteworthy canvases by renowned Cuzco School artist Diego Quispe Tito. Spanish-speak-
ing guides give 45-minute tours. Taxis from the Plaza de Armas start at about S10.

EAST LIMA
The city begins to rise into the foothills of the Andes as you turn east, an area carpeted
with government buildings and teeming residential districts.

MUSEUM

Museo de la Nación
(Museum of the Nation; 476-9878; Av Javier Prado Este 2466, San Borja; admission
S7; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun) A brutalist concrete tower houses the catch-all Museo de la
Nación, which provides a cursory overview of Peru's civilizations, from Chavín stone
carvings and the knotted-rope quipus (used for record-keeping) of the Incas to artifacts
from the colony. Large traveling international exhibits are also shown here (often for an
extra fee), but if there is a single reason to visit this museum, it is to view a permanent in-
stallation on the 6th floor called Yuyanapaq ( www.pnud.org.pe/yuyanapaq/
yuyanapaq.html ) . The exhibit, named after the Quechua word meaning 'to remember,' is
a moving and beautifully installed photographic tribute to the Internal Conflict
(1980-2000) created by Peru's Truth & Reconciliation Commission in 2003. For students
of contemporary Latin American history it's an absolute must-see. (For more on the Com-
mission, see the boxed text, Click here . )
From San Isidro, you can catch one of the many buses or combis (minivans) heading
east along Av Javier Prado Este toward La Molina.