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Show Neighbor OTTOFlllBKlXaS .-the noble, distinguished Lim9'.,oval city of the Kings,' ve0 ,-es the name thus con-richiy con-richiy dfn its foUndors. To-""Cl To-""Cl of the Republic of dJ5' Cf-as for nearly three hun-?eru hun-?eru ,, the center of Spanish dred 'f8r th America, the seat foment for all the territory frC n Lent except the Portu-ofth Portu-ofth 'S ng colony of Brazil eSefvfnezuela. The head of snd ment was the Viceroy the Fern ti,e personal represen-ViCe':of represen-ViCe':of the king of Spain him-"SLnd him-"SLnd his court possessed all fir, the glamor and the pan-:pl pan-:pl of royalty itself. PBut Lima was more than a po-! po-! capital. It was also the in-"U in-"U li and commercial center S's empire in South Ameri-ofSCewas Ameri-ofSCewas established the first iver sity on the Continent,- the University of San Marcos, 'a in 1551 a hundred years ggL Here the nobil- ' i .V lumc llielr palaces, with larger initios, and ornately carved balconies balco-nies overlooking the streets. Here also woro erected some of the earliest ear-liest and most famous cathedrals and churches, among thorn the Cathedral Ca-thedral of Lima, the corner-stone of which was laid by the conqueror himself, Francisco Tizarro in 1035, the very year in which the city itself it-self was founded; and all of them richly decorated in gold and silver ornaments, religious paintings and intricate wood carvings. Through Lima passed the wealth of the colonies on its way to Spain. Hugo trading houses developed, and from every section of the' Continent came gold and silver and other products of the soil destined des-tined for the mother country. So powerful was the influence of Lima Li-ma that for many years after the development of Buenos Aires and other ports on the Atlantic, the trade of Argentina had to go, by way of Peru, the Pacific and the isthmus of Panama, instead of directly di-rectly across the Atlantic to Cadiz. Many of the vestiges of the co-lonia co-lonia era are still in evidence in the Lima of today There are still the narrow streets typical of every ev-ery Spanish-designed town. Some of the palaces built by the coloni-ial coloni-ial nobility are still standing, a few of them occupied by govern- ment offices. Most famous of theses is the Torre-Tagle Palace, with its colorful tiles and beautifully carved beamed ceilings of heavy dark wood, which today houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Likewise, the Palace of the Inquisition, Inqui-sition, where in colonial days the inquisitor held his tribunal and sought to root out heresy, is now the chamber of the Peruvian Senate. Sen-ate. How many readers of Thornton Wilder's "Bridge of San Luis Rey" have walked in fancy from the famous Plaza de Armas of Lima across the bridge spanning the river Rimac, to the home of "La Perricholi," principal character in this best sellers of a few years ago. The house occupied by this famous actress, a favorite of the viceroy of her time, still stands in that part of Lima which was the center of colonial life. The Lima of today by no means lives in the past. Tradition is present pres-ent and the picturesque is to be encountered on every hand. But today they must be sought after; they are not as evident as they were a few years ago. Modern Lima has far outgrown its colonial colo-nial limits; from a restricted area situated originally seven miles inland in-land from the port of Callao, the metropolitan district now extends to and runs along the coast for many miles. In striking contrast to the narrow streets of the older section of the town, which are today to-day given over largely to business, are the broader avenues that extend ex-tend in every direction. These suburban sub-urban districts, lined with spacious, spa-cious, colorful houses and tall, stately trees, have become the residental section of the Peruvian capital. Lime today represents an admirable blending of a glorius . past, a prosperous present, and an even more brilliant future. |