Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
by numbers on the map and some important landmarks such as the Main Square,
The Viceroy Palace, the National University of San Marcos (the oldest in the
Americas) and the Stone Bridge of Lima, which is still standing and which con-
nected Lima with the suburb of Malambo (now known as Rimac).
Catholicism was an important component of Lima's society at the time, and
Church representatives powerfully infl uenced politics and social behavior (Perez-
Mallaina
2001
). For the residents of Lima, the most important building was the
Cathedral, a three-nave edifi ce with great towers. Except for the few homes closest
to the Main Square, most houses in Lima at the time were built with only one story
due to the belief that earthquake damage would affect larger homes much more than
smaller ones. Perhaps paradoxically, the construction of large churches was still
very much encouraged.
Construction materials consisted largely of stone, timber, cane (quincha), adobe
or brick, the latter of which was baked for use in large structures and unbaked for
the construction of small houses (Command of Viceroy
1748
). Because it rarely
rained in the city, the majority of houses lacked roofs—to help prevent a dangerous
collapse during an earthquake—and were instead shaded with a single mat.
It is important to note how the houses were built, especially the walls: two
outward-facing layers of bricks were placed approximately 1.5 m apart, and the
interior space was fi lled with soil. This resulted in a width of nearly 2 m, creating a
massive structure that could ultimately be deadly in the event of an earthquake.
7.2.2
The Town and Port of Callao
The port of Callao is located south of the mouth of the Rimac River and north of the
peninsula today known as La Punta, approximately 8 km southwest of Lima. The
port faces two islands, San Lorenzo and Callao (also known then as Isla del Muerto
and today known as Isla Fronton). The port was one of the most important points of
connection to Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Chile, Spain, France and all the coastal
regions of Peru and was therefore of particular interest to the Spanish Crown (Garcia
Acosta
1997
). Callao was also a strategic location for commerce and the military
protection of Lima from pirates or other threats. Due to its close proximity to the
sea, Callao was sometimes fl ooded (notably in 1713) by strong ocean surges
(Command of Viceroy
1748
).
At the time of the 1746 earthquake, Callao was characterized by wide streets and
mostly one-story homes. The streets were not perfectly aligned at their corners but
for the most part were straight. In contrast to the streets of Lima, the dusty paths of
Callao would not have allowed for a pleasant walk. The port and town were sur-
rounded by protective walls, as shown in Fig.
7.2
, and two small suburbs—
Old
PitiPiti
and
New PitiPiti
—sat outside the southern and northern edges of the enclo-
sure, respectively. Among the important buildings in town were the Governor's resi-
dence and the Royal Palace, where the Viceroy lodged when visiting from Lima.
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