Plaza Mayor

What makes it special

Five landmark buildings face this square: the Government Palace, the cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Palacio de la Unión. José de San Martín proclaimed Peru's independence here in 1821.

Look up first. The wooden balconies on the buildings around the square are its signature, and they are what make it look so Spanish. Turn slowly from the fountain in the middle to see them all.

The cathedral's facade is Renaissance, dressed in Plateresque decoration, the dense carved ornament of Spanish building of the period. Inside, the crypt of Francisco Pizarro is covered entirely in mosaics of the Conquest.

Next door, the Archbishop's Palace looks colonial but is the first building in Lima in the neocolonial style. Its colonial look is a revival rather than a survivor.

Visiting

A lap of the paving is the way to start. Begin at the fountain, then walk the edges past the palace railings and read the facades one by one.

If you go inside one building, make it the cathedral and its mosaic crypt. Guided visits usually begin at the presbytery, around the high altar.

The changing of the guard draws a crowd to the Government Palace facade on Sundays at noon. Get to the railings early, because when the palace gates stay shut the ceremony is hard to see from the back.

Tips

Riot police with shields are sometimes posted on the square. Check the local news before you go, and walk round any line of them rather than through it.

Do not let a locked door put you off. Interiors around the square keep irregular hours and can be shut when you arrive, but the facades and the cathedral front are on view at any time.