Barranco, the bohemian and alternative neighborhood par excellence of Lima

The small Lima district of Barranco is one of the coastal neighborhoods in which the Peruvian capital is shelled along its coastline, between natural ravines that descend to the beaches of the Green Coast of the Pacific.

An urban island dominated by low houses with a relaxed and neighborhood atmosphere, which was originally a fishermen's neighborhood perched on top of the ravine on the outskirts of the city, hence its name.

A place where wealthy families and the flourishing middle class of Lima were building their ranches and summer houses attracted by greater vegetation and freshness.

This holiday heritage is preserved in much of this area and determines its identity.

Its irregular urban layout invites you to stroll through colorful houses and neighborhood stores interspersed with those of new national brands, art galleries, cafes and European-influenced mansions that house embassies and museums, among squares and boardwalks next to the cliff that plunges into the ocean.

Mural in the neighborhood of Barranco, in the city of Lima (Peru).

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Barranco has been and is the alternative and bohemian neighborhood par excellence of the Peruvian capital, with a large neighborhood of artists, intellectuals and personalities, such as the writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who had his residence here until recently.

All this makes it one of the most seductive and lively areas of Lima.

Here are the essentials so as not to miss anything.

Cultural and landscape complex

Its origin is associated with the hermitage of Barranco and its creek, emblem of the neighborhood and one of the icons of the capital.

Tradition says that the temple was built at the point where a light appeared that guided some fishermen adrift and disoriented by the mist towards the coast.

They verified that it came from a cross, and around the venerated place the fishing village was formed.

The Bajada de Baños street runs through

the natural ravine through which fishermen used to go down to fish, today flanked by houses.

The photogenic scenery is completed by the bridge of Los Suspiros, which joins the two slopes and leads to

Plaza de Barranco, epicenter of local activity.

folk craft

The Plaza de San Francisco, with the homonymous church in the center, surrounded by the typical ranches with barred windows and gardens, is one of the places that best maintains its old flavor.

And also the surrounding streets such as Cajamarca, with paved sidewalks in front of the great Sousa palace,

inspired by the Italian villas of Palladio and that contains elements of Eiffel invoice, nothing less.

Almost adjoining is the craft and popular art shop Las Pallas (Cajamarca, 212), owned by the Welsh anthropologist Mari Solari, who arrived in Peru in 1986.

Galleries and artist workshops

Given the creative activity in the neighborhood, the Barranco Open Studios conference has been held since 2016, in which various museums and art galleries from Lima participate.

Among

The emerging ones include 80m2 Livia Benavides, focused on Latin American conceptual art;

Wu Gallery, specialized in contemporary Peruvian art, and the Yvonne Sanguineti, more traditional.

There is also Dédalo, a famous crafts and author design shop where the work of local artists is exhibited.

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A post shared by Wynwood Art Gallery at Museum of Graffiti (@wynwoodartgallery)

As in all of Lima, in Barranco street art bursts into force with murals that fill it with color and meaning, converted into a tourist attraction.

The Descent of Oroya

It concentrates many interventions by the artists Fania and Elliot Túpac, and among the best known and most photographed murals is the one titled

, by the artist Entes, or

by Jade Rivera.

Great museums of the district (and of Lima)

Pedro de Osma Museum of colonial art, in the district of Barranco.

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On Pedro de Osma Avenue is the Pedro de Osma Museum, a benchmark in Latin America for its collections of colonial art and its French-style mansion surrounded by gardens;

the MATE / Mario Testino Museum,

of the renowned fashion and portrait photographer, who exhibits his work and that of other Peruvian authors;

and the MAC Lima contemporary art museum, opened in the middle of an urban regeneration zone next to the Armendáriz ravine.

Nearby stands the campus of the UTEC/University of Engineering and Technology, a project by the Grafton Architects studio, chosen as the best building in the world at the 2016 RIBA awards.

'barranquino' flavor

Wake Up Cafeteria, in the Lima neighborhood of Barranco.

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It is said that Barranco is enjoyed and tasted, for something Lima is considered by many as one of the gastronomic capitals of the world.

Among famous establishments such as the Tostaduría Bisetti (Calle Pedro de Osma, 116), which boasts of selecting the best organic Peruvian coffee beans and fair trade, or the El Cacaotal chocolate shop, there are other small and pampered ones such as Wake Up Coffee.

Among the wide range of cevicherías and chifas (Chinese and Peruvian fusion restaurants)

El Mérito stands out (Avenida 28 de Julio, 206), which lives up to its name for its impeccable menu and design space.

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A post shared by Juanito de Barranco (@juanitodebarranco)

Also legendary are the Piselli-Barranco bar (July 28, 297), which looks like a café, and the Juanito de Barranco family winery, with a domino game atmosphere.

At nightfall, a good part of its parishioners make a stopover there from Boulevard Barranco, the pedestrian street and meeting point of the Barranco

.

The limeña scene also allows you to enter the unique mansions such as Ayahuasca, an eclectic

that combines classic design with an extensive menu of pisco-based cocktails, or the Victoria Bar,

wave

.

Like Alberto, the protagonist of

, by Mario Vargas Llosa, the neighborhood invites you to walk “through the serene streets of Barranco, among faded mansions from the turn of the century, separated from the street by deep gardens.

The tall, leafy trees cast shadows on the pavement that look like spiders.”

All this persists, although the houses today are no longer so faded.

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