Lima: A Cultural History (Cityscapes) - Softcover

Higgins, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195178904 ISBN 13: 9780195178906

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2005

Synopsis

Formerly the viceregal capital of Spain's vast South American empire, Lima is today a sprawling metropolis struggling to cope with a population of eight million. Located on the coast between the Andean foothills and the Pacific Ocean, it is many cities in one, with an indigenous past, an old colonial heart, and turn-of-the-century quarters modeled on Paris. Leafy suburbs like San Isidro and tranquil seaside communities such as Barranco contrast with ever-expanding shantytowns. Lima has always dominated national life, as the center of political and economic power. Long a stronghold of the European elite, the city is now home to millions of Peruvians from the Andean region as well as the descendants of African slaves and migrants from Europe, China and Japan. As a popular saying puts it, the whole of Peru is now in Lima. James Higgins explores the city's history and evolving identity as reflected in its architecture, literature, painting and music. Tracing its trajectory from colonial enclave to modern metropolis, he reveals how the capital now embodies the diversity and dynamism of Peru itself. -- CITY OF HISTORY: ceremonial sites and museums of pre-Hispanic antiquities; colonial churches and mansions; the Museum of the Inquisition; monuments to the heroes of Independence. -- CITY OF CULTURE: pre-Columbian textiles, pottery and goldwork; Baroque architecture and art; writers such as Mario Vargas Llosa and Alfredo Bryce Echenique; painters and sculptors; a vibrant popular culture. -- CITY OF MULTICULTURAL EXCHANGE: the indigenous legacy; the imposition of Spanish culture; African slaves; European and Asian immigrants; mass migration from the provinces.

About this title

About the Author

James Higgins Professor at Liverpool University, specializes in Peruvian literature. A regular visitor to Lima since the 1960s, he is an honorary professor of the city's University of San Marcos and a corresponding fellow of the Peruvian Academy.

From Booklist

Lima boasts a Nobel Prize-winning author (Mario Vargas Llosa) and a wealth of lesser known poets and novelists, who have created its rich literary history. Higgins, an academic specialist in Peruvian literature, quotes extensively from these writers as he chronicles Lima's history from its founding by conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535 to the political gyrations of recent decades. Most of all, Higgins encourages readers to linger in Lima instead of rushing through en route to Machu Picchu. Both works will reward the traveler in search of a city's character. Gilbert Taylor
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About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0195178904
• ISBN 13: 9780195178906
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264