We wandered through central Lima, to the central market and to Street Capon in Chinatown. I've mentioned that there is a large Asian population in Lima, here's a bit more background. From about 1950 - 1975, 80,000 to 100,000 (I've heard both numbers) Chinese migrated to Peru to work on plantations and in railway construction, etc. The population stayed and integrated, and there is still a strong Chinese (and other Asian) population, a large portion of which has been here for a few generations. Street Capon is the center of 'Chinatown' in Lima.
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Street Capon was surprisingly short, and after we wandered through it and back, we kept wandering until we arrived at the Church of Saint Francis (Iglesia de San Francisco). What a beautiful building!
The Church is still a functioning 'church', and a service was taking place inside. However, people were still wandering in and around the sides and taking pictures and watching, so we stepped inside. We didn't go too far in, as it seemed rather strange to be intruding as tourists on someone's Church service. The Church was originally built in 1674. Underneath the church are the catacombs.
Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed in the catacombs, and I abided by the rule. The catacombs is an extensive network of stone and mudbrick tunnels right underneath the main sanctuary of the church. There were several spots where you could look up through a grate and see people standing in the church service. One of the grated holes was an entrance point, as it had stairs leading down into the catacombs. They are unsure how deep the catacombs actually run, as it has not been fully excavated. There is also stories of hidden tunnels and pathways leading to other catacombs and under other churches. The catacombs were discovered in the 1950's and much of it was excavated, but it remains unhidden. I believe they stopped excavation for fear of causing the building to collapse if too much of the foundation was removed. They've confirmed that at least 25,000 people were buried under the church. In one area were deep pits (at least 5m deep), built of mud bricks and approximately the size of the coffin. Persons belonging to the church were buried in this area, one on top of another. When the area filled up, older bodies were removed, the bones thrown in a 10m deep well, and new people were buried. When we passed through, we could look down a few feet into the pits - the bones were sorted by type in each pit; archeologists used this sorting to determine the number of people.
It was fascinating to see the old structures, and to think of the number of people who passed through there, or who were left there as their final resting place. As always, I wish I could take a step back in time and observe the daily comings and goings of people there. What were they like? What did they wear? What did this place mean to them, and how far down into the earth does it really go? Are there secret tunnels? Did people hide here as well?
The tour also included half of the second floor of the church. On the other half, monks still live and work at the church. The second floor tour included the choir room, with a view down into the sanctuary, and the library. The choir room had dozens of fold down chairs, each with carvings on the head part of the chair, and on the front of the fold down, which would face the floor when folded down. Around the room were artful depictions of saints. In the center of the room was a massive and ornate stand. The guide told us that they put larger-than-life choir books on ledge of each side the stand, so the choir members could read the words from their seats. Following the choir room, we went to the library. It was incredible! We were only allowed about 10 feet in, the remainder was cordoned off and a guard was present. The library is world-famous, and if you have a specific reason and the right credentials, you can still access it. In the front were displayed the choir books, about two feet high and five feet wide (opened). They were clearly old and tattered, but large! The remainder of the shelves were covered in books. Latin books, Spanish books, English books; history books, philosophy books, religious books, language books. I think I could have sat right down and stared at it all for hours. Some of the books were centuries old. The furniture in the room was newer, but still decades old. The ceiling contained a large amount of glass in the center, allowing the room to be brightly, but indirectly lit. As the guide explained, electricity was unavailable, and with all the books - candles were not allowed. The amount of history and knowledge and culture that was contained in the room was incredible. Again, I wondered how much of their day they spent reading. Did they know all three languages and more? Was it part of their education? What knowledge they must have had of those before them and the ideas and thoughts and thinking of all the authors and contributors to those hundreds of books. The room was beautiful, both in decor and in its richness of history. The library was my favorite part.
After the tour, we wandered around downtown Lima for a bit, but Giovanna had to go meet some family. So we jumped in a cab and went back to Miraflores. I had a quick swim in the pool, and read a book for a relaxing evening.
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