Bridge of Sighs

The Puente de los Suspiros was built in 1876 across the ravine that carries the Bajada de Baños, the old path down to the sea from Barranco, when the district was a bathing resort for wealthy Limeños. It is small - a wooden span of a few dozen metres - and its fame is cultural rather than structural: the local custom is that a first-time visitor who crosses it in one go without breathing gets a wish, and it has been written about and sung about repeatedly, most famously by Chabuca Granda, whose song fixed it in the national imagination. Around it are the pastel houses, bars and murals that make Barranco the bohemian district of Lima, with the Ermita church at one end, the ravine path leading down to the boardwalk and the sea below. It is busiest in the evening, when the surrounding bars fill.

History

The bridge was inaugurated on 14 February 1876, under Mayor Francisco García Monterroso. In 1960 the composer Chabuca Granda dedicated the waltz "El puente de los suspiros" to it, and a monument to her now stands beside it; the bridge reopened in December 2014 after six months of restoration (Wikipedia, Bridge of Sighs (Lima)).

What to look for

• The bridge - a short wooden span of 1876 over the Bajada de Baños ravine.
• The custom - crossing in one held breath for a wish, if it is your first time.
• The Chabuca Granda song - the reason the bridge is known nationally.
• The setting - Barranco's pastel houses, murals and the path down to the sea.

When to go

Year-round; Lima is grey from June to October. Evening is liveliest, daytime quieter for photographs. Twenty to forty minutes, or longer with the walk to the sea.

Good to know

It is a small footbridge, and visitors expecting something substantial are surprised. Crowded in the evenings and at weekends with photographers and buskers. Standard city precautions apply after dark. The ravine below has litter in places.

Nearby

The Barranco square and the Ermita are adjacent; the boardwalk and sea are down the ravine path.

Key facts