Capital of the Lima Viceroyalty in the Seventeenth Century

Timeline

1. 1651–1655Palacio de los Virreyes (Viceroy's Palace), Lima · Historic Center of LimaBetween 1651 and 1655, Lima was the seat of the highest administrative bodies of the Viceroyalty of Peru, housing the viceroy, the Royal Audiencia (Audiencia Real), the Tribunal de Cuentas, and the Inquisition. The city contained South America's first university — the University of San Marcos (founded 1551, over a century old by this period) — and the urban elite's educational and cultural activities were active. The port of Callao received fleets of goods from Spain each year and shipped out Andean silver; the merchants' guild (consulado) of Lima was the core institution regulating trade.
2. 1655–1657Urban area of Lima and the port of Callao · Callao DistrictOn October 28, 1655, a powerful earthquake struck Lima and Callao, severely damaging or toppling many unreinforced adobe buildings and some brick and stone churches, and also affecting port facilities. The then-viceroy, the Marqués de Mancera, oversaw post-disaster reconstruction; architects and craftsmen rebuilt important public buildings on their original sites with sturdier brick and stone structures, promoting the maturation and spread of the colonial Baroque architectural style in Lima.
3. 1657–1660The various neighborhoods (barrios) of Lima · Lima ProvinceThe rebuilt blocks of Lima were divided by race and occupation, with indigenous people, free and enslaved Africans, Chinese laborers (chinos), and mixed-race people living in separate areas, but daily markets and religious festivals broke down the strict physical segregation. During this period the Inquisition tried several heresy cases, and the monasteries of the Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans were pillars of the city's spiritual and educational life.