Barranco

Barranco was a seaside resort for wealthy Limeños in the late nineteenth century, and the houses date from that period - wooden republican mansions with balconies and coloured facades, many now restored as restaurants, galleries and boutique hotels, some still derelict. Since the 1980s it has been the district associated with musicians, writers and artists in Lima, and it still carries that: the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, the Pedro de Osma collection of colonial art, small galleries, street murals across whole walls, peñas where criollo music is played, and a dense concentration of bars around the square. The Puente de los Suspiros crosses the ravine that leads down to the boardwalk and the sea. It is also gentrifying fast, with prices well above the rest of Lima and long-standing residents priced out, which is the district's live argument with itself.

History

An 18th-century legend tells of two lost fishermen guided ashore by a light from a cross where the Hermitage of Barranco now stands. The district was founded on 26 October 1874 as San José de Surco, with the Hermitage as its capital, became a fashionable beach resort for Lima's upper class in the 19th century, and was renamed Barranco by Law Decree No. 19001 of 19 October 1971 (Wikipedia, Barranco District).

The main sights

• The mansions - late nineteenth-century wooden houses in various states of repair.
• The murals - large-scale street art across walls throughout the district.
• The museums - MAC and the Pedro de Osma colonial collection.
• The nightlife - peñas, bars and music around the main square.

When to go

Year-round; Lima is grey and damp from June to October. Evenings and weekends are liveliest. Half a day to walk it, longer with museums.

What to expect

Loud at night around the square, and the bar scene dominates at weekends. Prices are high by Lima standards. Standard city caution after dark, particularly on the ravine path. Grey skies for half the year flatten the colours.

Nearby

Miraflores is north along the coast; the Pedro de Osma and MAC museums are in the district.

Key facts