The idea of progress
19th century Peruvian elites took advantage of the economic gains from guano (a valuable fertiliser derived from seabird and bat droppings) to renovate Lima.
The Guano Era
The Guano Era in Peru was a period of prosperity and stability in the mid-19th century, directly linked to the export of guano as a fertiliser.
Urban development
The city was meant to promote an orderly, healthy, and civilized lifestyle in the capital. This vision included urban development and the beautification of public spaces.
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Lima's Plaza Mayor today
In the meantime, take a look at what the Plaza de Lima looks like today. It is full of life and people passing by every day.
Politic and government
In the 19th century our country had buildings that housed the powers of the State, many were of colonial heritage, which began to be modernized, and others were built progressively. The neoclassical style, typical of the taste of the time, was expressed in these.
In the 19th century, in Peru, the Legislative Branch included the Chamber of Deputies and the Chamber of Senators, which usually met separately. The first met in the building previously occupied by the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, in its old chapel. This chapel was remodeled after the damage suffered in the War with Chile, in this space the activities of the Congress were inaugurated and closed.
In the 19th century, the “aestheticization” of the city was sought under a cosmopolitan ideal, thus streets and squares were remodeled following European taste.
Railings, benches and sculptures were placed in the squares, many of the latter were commissioned from European artists.
Sculpture of Simón Bolívar. Old Inquisition Square (1898) by Fernando GarreaudNational Library of Peru
The Plaza de la Inquisición was also renovated and in 1859 the monument to Simón Bolívar, work of the Italian artist Adamo Tadolini, was placed there.
The style that prevailed in works like this was neoclassical, contrary to the profusion of baroque and rococo elements of the viceroyalty.
Sanitation
In the second half of the 19th century, people thought about the importance of having a clean city to avoid diseases and as a necessary framework for a civilized life. Thus, specific buildings were built for activities that contributed to taking care of public health.
The Dos de Mayo hospital
It was opened in 1875 to provide better conditions for the treatment of patients. This hospital was built after the yellow fever epidemic and had to contribute to a future threat of such dimensions.
The religious centers
Hospitals were traditionally housed in religious centers, therefore it was crucial for this new hospital to have a modern architectural design that reflected the increasingly scientific nature of medical practice.
General slaughterhouse
Until 1855, animals were slaughtered in various places within the city (still walled), but bad odors and lack of hygiene led President Castilla to commission the construction of a general slaughterhouse on the outskirts.
Education
At the time there were important institutions dedicated to education, art and culture. Within them, institutions such as the National Library of Peru and the Concha Drawing Academy, created in the 19th century, accompanied the professionalization of citizens.
Reading room of the National Library (1898) by Fernando GarreaudNational Library of Peru
The creation of the National Library
It was one of the first actions of San Martín after the declaration of independence. This was installed in the old Colegio de los Caciques where the children of the indigenous nobility were educated during the viceroyalty.
During the War with Chile the library was looted
It was recovered thanks to Ricardo Palma and reopened in 1884. Middendorf (2015) noted that the reading room served 40 to 50 people daily.
Although there was a lot of writing happening in Lima, few books were published. Instead, writers published their work in newspapers and pamphlets.
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National Library of Peru today
Fíjate en cómo ha cambiado desde el siglo XIX.
The Academia de Dibujo Concha was inaugurated in 1895, on the first floor of the National Library, and operated there until 1913. This was to contribute to the training of visual artists in our country, since until then Peru did not have a national art school.
Inner courtyard of the Asylum (1898) by Fernando GarreaudNational Library of Peru
Control and surveillance
The ideal of order and modernity of the time led to the emergence of a disciplinary proposal from the State, expressed in the creation of the asylum and the penitentiary to control the population.
The Peruvian doctor Casimiro Ulloa traveled to France to learn about the psychiatric techniques of the time. Upon his return, he proposed the construction of a modern asylum that would replace the small clinics around the city.
In the asylum, inaugurated in 1959, the aim was to treat patients with therapy, which would replace punishments.
The penitentiary
Mariano Paz Soldán was one of the promoters of the construction of the penitentiary, which would allow the State greater control of the inmates, as well as humanitarian conditions for them.
He proposed the panopticon model after his trip to the US, where the entire complex can be monitored from one point. The imposing façade was to express that the building was impassable.
Inside there were spaces for “daytime association and nighttime separation,” that is, rooms where they were disciplined and worked during the day and individual rooms for rest at night.
Culture, sports and recreation
There were also changes in people's way of life. Even traditional recreational activities, such as cockfighting or bullfighting, were displaced because they were not "modern" and others such as sports were encouraged.
In 1850 the Coliseo de Comedias changed its name to Teatro Principal, which better reflected the modernizing desire of the time. It could hold more than 1,400 people and functioned until it burned down in 1883. There, opera and zarzuela shows were seen, as well as national works, among others.
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The Segura Theatre
Nowadays, the Manuel Ascencio Segura Theatre (formerly known as Teatro Principal and Teatro Municipal) is one of the main theaters in the city of Lima and one of the oldest in Latin America. It is located in the Plazuela del Teatro in the center of Lima.
Cycling Club Velodrome (1898) by Fernando GarreaudNational Library of Peru
Cycling Club Velodrome
At first, the use of bicycles was entertainment for wealthy families, but later it became popular.
Given the large number of cyclists, the Lima Cycling Club inaugurated a 400 m velodrome in 1897, one of the largest in the world, where races and competitions were held, although it soon fell into disuse.
Exhibition Garden. Palm kiosk (1898) by Fernando GarreaudNational Library of Peru
The Parque de la Exposición park and the Paseo Colón boulevard attracted the Lima elite, who began to live in the area at the beginning of the 20th century.
These new spaces were located on the opposite side of the Rímac River, since that sector was inhabited by the impoverished population, indigenous people and Afro-descendants. In the poor sector, no public works were inaugurated, this area was not included in the Lima modernization project.
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The Exhibition Park in the 21st century
Today's Parque de la Exposición is an important space for culture. Among others, it was part of the cultural programme of the Lima 2019 Games. It is a place that seeks to showcase the country's cultural, artistic and historical wealth internationally.
Bibliography
Gómez, Y. (2019). Lima in particular, a history in transformation. Public works, urban modernization and spatial segregation (1821-1968). Lima: UCAL.
Joffré, G. (1999). The wall and the alleys. Urban intervention and political project in Lima during the second half of the 19th century. Lima: SIDEA.
Middendorf, E. (2015). Peru I. Observations and studies of the country and its inhabitants during a 25-year stay. Volume II. Puno: National University of the Altiplano.
Pachas, S. (2005). Concha Academy (1890-1918). Thesis to opt for the Professional Title of Bachelor of Art, UNMSM. https://cybertesis.unmsm.edu.pe/bitstream/handle/20.500.12672/18737/Pachas_ms.pdf?sequence=1
Pacheco, J. (January 5, 2011). The old velodrome of Lima (1897-1920). Peruvian history corner.
http://historiadordelperu.blogspot.com/2011/01/el-antiguo-velodromo-de-lima-1897-1920.html
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