Day 58 – Lima, Peru

Peru has a population of 33 million and is the third largest country in South America. It comprises arid desert on the coast, rising to the towering peaks of the Andes which extend from the north to the south-east, before descending to tropical rainforest (the Amazon) in the east.

Peru has one of the oldest histories of human civilisations in the world, dating back 10,000 years BCE, the most well known of which is probably the Inca empire. The region was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, and Peru ultimately gained independence in 1824.

The 20th century saw significant political and social conflict. The most recent period of unrest followed the ousting of President Pedro Castillo in December 2022 which led to widespread riots and brutal suppression of protesters by the new government.

Peru’s main economic activities are mining, manufacturing, agriculture, and fishing. Mining accounts for 61% of Peru‘s exports. It is one of the worlds largest producers of copper, zinc, gold, lead and tin. The Yanacocha gold mine is the second largest in the world. Peru is also the world’s largest producer of quinoa and one of the top five producers of avocado, blueberry, asparagus, coffee and cocoa.

An estimated 23% of the population lives in poverty and 9% in extreme poverty. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture organisation, 20% of Peru’s population is severely food insecure, which translates to people regularly going a day or more without any food at all. This presents an alarming paradox for a country that is one of the globe’s biggest food producers and is indicative of the dramatic and longstanding social inequality prevalent in Peruvian society.

Peru’s capital city, Lima, (population (10.5 million) has a serious problem with air pollution and approximately 33% of its solid waste ends up in landfill or the ocean. 1.5 million people have no access to clean drinking water. The mid-20th century saw the mass migration to Lima of approximately 1 million rural people, almost all of them desperately poor, who built shanty towns in the areas surrounding Lima. Urban planning was and continues to be virtually non-existent and in response to the uprising of the suburban poor the wealthy neighbourhoods built their own security fences which have become known collectively as the ‘Wall of Shame’. The wall of shame barriers cause considerable social tension, particularly as many inhabitants of the poor areas are required to cross through them every day in order to work as unskilled labour, often in the homes of those who have erected the barriers. As of 2023 some sections of the wall have been dismantled but the social tensions remain. Lima has very high rates of crime, both petty and organised and it also has high levels of government corruption and brutality.

Today, on an organised tour, we visited the historic centre of Lima, a World Heritage Site, which comprises Plaza Mayor, the cathedral, the Convent of Santo Domingo and the presidential palace, as well as numerous other historic and beautiful buildings. After this very interesting tour, we returned to the ship for lunch and we have to confess that we did not feel at all inclined to venture back out independently. The constant dire warnings about theft, bogus taxi drivers and muggings (and worse), and the lack of a shuttle bus into the city, do not make Lima a tempting proposition for middle aged cruise passengers like us. We therefore spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool!