Visit to Barranco

Yesterday was a national holiday (hence all the people just hanging out). It is also the day in which children take their first communion. In this photo, in a park across the street from a church near our apartment, a young girl poses in a kneeling position so her family can take photos.

Today we went to Barranco.

Barranco is one of the nicest parts of Lima from my point of view. It is of human dimensions. It's center has more space for people than for cars unlike San Isidro or Miraflores.

People live back

off the street and everyone is getting ready for Christmas.


This is a beautiful old house. It is just in the wrong part of town as far as its owners are concerned. it is not for sale but not maintained either. The owners probably live in Miraflores, a few miles away.

 Our friend and godmother  to Andres, Angela,  lives on the right at the end of this passage.

She is caring for her mother who is 99.

 Their house is as old as Angela's mother and the some of the photos on the walls are hand coloured.

The pictures are of what are known in Lima as "Las Tapadas". These are 19th century women who covered their faces with black shawls. Today this would probably mean they belong to a male-dominated household that keeps women in a metaphorical closet but these women covered their faces so they could go out in public and check out the guapos. Notice the ankle in the lower right photo.

This is a photo of  the plaza in Barranco. In the background you see some life-size posters. They for a trans woman exhibition

Barranco is often referred to as bohemian. Hence the bum of the statue  in the foreground.

This is the introductory poster

"I am a trans woman and I have faced these situations"

The rest of the posters are of various trans women with comments underneath the photos. There  were people looking at the posters but when one blew down many people came forward to help put it back up

There were many nice posters I took pictures of but this one showed such joy I chose to show it.

The most important tourist attraction in Barranco is called "The Bridge of Sighs".

This bridge crosses over a ravine that goes down to the beach (Lima is on a bluff). It is now a very interesting place to walk and shop, I suppose.

The most famous native of Barrano is Chabuca Granda, a singer from the mis 20th century. One of her signature songs was "Fina Estampa". You can listen to it here

I don't know how to easily translate that phrase into English. It is all of presence , class, morality, integrity, etc.  In Peru these personal traits are symbolized by the horseman on top of a Peruvian paso fino horse.

Beside the Puente de los Suspiros there is a church whose roof has been abandoned to vultures. The roof has been abandoned but the ceiling is still in place, although rotting away.