Historic Center of Lima: Patrimony in Danger

Lima was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, the largest and richest city in the Spanish colonies of Latin America. Since remote antiquity, its territory witnessed cultures of great importance, many of whose historical and architectural remains are still visible. The group of buildings and spaces of the viceroyal, republican, and contemporary periods is a historical and artistic heritage of great importance but, unfortunately, it is now threatened by a progressive state of decay and neglect. The exhibition presents the changes happening in the historic center of Lima through the presentation of case-studies of individual buildings significant for their historic and artistic value and notable for their states of conservation. The aim of the exhibition is to promote a process of recognizing (or to promote awareness to recognize) the value of these important structures and to support adequate conservation measures in modern Lima.

Curators: Rodrigo Córdova Alemán, Judith Soria, Angela Lombardi, Patrizia Montuori

Book Launch

Thursday, June 28, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Lima, The Historic Center: Analysis and Restoration
(Lima – Centro storico. Conoscenza e restauro)

Editors: Giancarlo Palmerio, Angela Lombardi, Patrizia Montuori

Welcome speech by Amedeo Schiattarella, President of the Ordine degli Architetti PPC of Rome

The book will be presented by:
Manuel Roberto Guido, MiBAC – Direzione Generale per la Valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale
Alessandra Peruzzetto, Program Specialist for Archaeology and the Middle East – World Monuments Fund
Donatella Fiorani, Sapienza Università di Roma – Facoltà di Architettura

The volume presents examples of a methodology for the preservation of the architectural values in the historic center of Lima, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988. This work intends, with the greatest possible efficiency, to bring to the attention of the institutions responsible for the conservation the cultural and monumental values of the architectural heritage of the city of Lima. Through the values showed in the case-studies, the editors want to point the way of recovery and conservation, including as an example the restoration works funded by WMF at the Casa de las Columnas. With the statement that every architectural restoration is a special case, and cannot be considered as replicable, the study, the design, and the implementation of a project should be engaged with this in mind, and remembering also that if a work of architecture is studied in its individuality, the better the restoration will be able to keep its authenticity.