I absolutely loved the first sentence for the readings in the Lima Reader this week. “Lima must be—in my opinion—one of the ugliest capital cities in the world.” What an opening. Personally I didn’t find Lima an ugly city and I think this description is a bit harsh. I wonder what was it that made Lima seem so ugly? Lima is in some ways a paradox with opposites colliding with each other. You have the old and the new, the indigenous and the settler, the foreigners and the Peruvians. Everything blends together to create what is Lima. And the past is still very present in the current times with constant reminders like all the museums that are full of pictures and information. There are also very strong echos from the past that contribute to the problems of today in not just Lima but the whole of Peru.
One part of the Lima Reader that I found very thought provoking was the section that talked about Lima in the 80s when there was a lot of upheaval. “In 1984, Lima is a city of outsiders. The provincial masses, having overwhelmed the city, impose profound changes in the lifestyle of the capital and give it a new face.” It is interesting that the people coming in to Lima are described as outsiders. They are Peruvians too they just did not live in Lima before and likely have deep family roots in Peru. Yet they are described as outsiders coming in. They are othered and made into outsiders in their own country. And these new comers meant that things were changing which is something that many people do not like and actively try to avoid. I would imagine that many of the previous Lima residents were not happy about all the new people and the changes they brought with them. I wonder what was the city was like back then and the divides that would have been created? Would this have increased anti indigenous sentiments? But change is not always a bad thing and cultures and cities and people cannot stay the same forever. They are constantly evolving and changing and adapting.
At the LUM during the tour Edith always called the Shining Path terrorists and focused on describing their brutal acts. But the readings paint a different picture of brutality and abuses on both sides. In the part where an ex Shining Path member talks about her experiences she talks about how both sides ruined her life. Once apart of the Shining Path she was stuck and risked being killed if she tried to leave. On the other side the police came after her and put her in jail. She even said that it can be hard to decide whether to speak up or not because you got sent to jail if you did so it was a bit of a catch 22. There is often no clear right and wrong sides but different levels of violence and evil. Here the different sides do not seem very different from each other, they just go by different names and fight under different banners.
Hi Anja, this is a great post. I like how you emphasized the duality that we’ve seen in almost every aspect of Peru since arriving. Especially with regard to the indigenous and settler duality, it feels like Peru offers so much more than we can find in Vancouver. It feels as if the indigenous population in Vancouver has been made more invisible that it has been here despite both being post-colonial areas.
Hi Anja, I enjoyed reading your post and I too agree that Lima isn’t as ugly as people make it out to be! It’s interesting to me because I had the opportunity to talk with 2 different Limeños about this exact question and they both had very opposed perspectives. One, a middle age surfer dude, wasn’t bothered at all by the grey sky and told me that he saw Lima as an extension of the ocean itself – complex, constantly changing and moving, and that one only sees in it what they are looking for. The other perspective was a college-age girl who repeated to me multiple times that she thought it was inconceivable that I found Lima beautiful. We sat on the Miraflores Malecón overlooking the sea smashing into the rocks below and I marveled at how the lights of barranco light up the curved coastline. I just couldn’t agree it was ugly.
I think the grey area you point out in both the questions of change and violence highlight how perception and knowledge can vastly inform point of view. Sometimes the more we know the harder it is to have a clear idea of the problem or the solution.
“I wonder what was the city was like back then and the divides that would have been created?” Ah, the ancient nineteenth-century city that was Lima prided itself on being “white” and cultured, an exception in Peru that was more Indigenous than mestizo. But that dream was interrupted by the nightmare of misery. And it’s OK. The contradictions reached not only the outskirts of the city but also its very center (you surely remember seeing them). What will you think of Lima after all these weeks?
Hi Anja, I loved reading your post! Many parts resonate with me, I like how you touch on the duality of Lima, Peruvians made to feel like outsiders in their own land, and your sentences “And the past is still very present…” and “Here the different sides do not seem very different from each other, they just go by different names and fight under different banners.” especially stood out to me. I think you’ve done such a wonderful job highlighting the layers and complexities that exist…thanks for your post! 🙂