Malecón Tarapacá

The malecón runs along the bluff above the water in central Iquitos, and its buildings are the physical record of the rubber boom of roughly 1880 to 1912: mansions faced in azulejos - glazed tiles imported from Portugal, Spain and Italy - with wrought-iron balconies and tall shuttered windows, built by traders who grew rich on latex and spent the money on materials shipped up the Amazon. Several now house restaurants, bars, a museum of Amazonian cultures and the former Palace Hotel. The wealth came from a system of debt bondage and violence against indigenous peoples of the Putumayo and elsewhere, documented at the time by Roger Casement's investigation, and that history sits directly under the architecture. In the evening the promenade fills with people, stalls and music, and the view is over the Itaya and the floodplain, though the Amazon channel itself has shifted away from the city over the decades.

The main sights

• The tiled mansions - azulejo facades imported from Portugal, Spain and Italy.
• The boom architecture - iron balconies and shuttered windows from 1880 to 1912.
• The riverfront - the promenade above the Itaya and the floodplain.
• The history beneath - wealth built on debt bondage and violence in the rubber trade.

When to go

Year-round; evenings are the busiest and most pleasant. One to two hours walking the length with stops. Hot and humid at any time of day.

Before you go

Several buildings are in poor repair and some are closed. The Amazon main channel has moved away from the city, so the view is of the Itaya and floodplain, not the great river. Heat and humidity are constant. Normal city precautions after dark.

Nearby

The Casa de Fierro is on the Plaza de Armas; Belén market is south.

Key facts