On January 18, 1535, the City of the Kings was founded. Its initial distribution, arranged by the conqueror Francisco Pizarro, comprised a rectangle with 117 blocks each divided into four lots. A space was reserved for the seat of the government house, the town hall and the church in the Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas.
The intellectual Sebastián Salazar Bondy in his emblematic work “Lima la horrible” (1964) says: “… In the lots, and according to the hierarchy, those from Jauja, Pachacámac, Sangallán and Cusco settled. In total 69 residents, not counting, of course, the Indians entrusted to them or those of the hamlet that already existed there. The Spanish king gave three crowns to the new city, in whose shield they still appear today ”.
Its evolution reminds me of the words of the superb poet Abraham Valdelomar: "Peru is Lima, Lima is the Shred of the Union, the Shred of the Union is the Palais and the Palais Concert is me." The Palais Concert was a famous cafe-cinema-bar, inaugurated on February 29, 1913, and although there is no written source that supports the veracity of this expression, its meaning is clear: Centralism.
In this sense, the capital represents the pillar of political and economic power, the hope for survival of many, a constellation of consumer options, the extraordinary gastronomic diversity, the entrepreneur of the popular sectors, the chaos of public and private transport, etc.. It contains an infinity of metaphors, beliefs, contradictions and originalities.
It is a city full of migrant populations belonging to various regions, cultures and analogies that grow in the midst of confusion, the lack of basic services and in which new areas of development are emerging for emerging sectors. In which, in the name of progress, they have tried to eliminate the representative spaces of their ancestors and, therefore, of their social memory.
It is still difficult to achieve coexistence, collective tolerance and mutual acceptance. Feelings of mistrust, marginalization and opposite realities are experienced. There is still intense discrimination that we can see when a countrywoman wishes to walk through Larcomar and his appearance is perceived as dangerous or strange. We have been unable to display a solid sense of belonging that inspires fellowship with the environment and look to others as part of our community. We are immersed in modern and sectarian "chiefdoms" in the XXI century.
Historically the republic has been viewed disparagingly from its capital. To cite just one example, let us take into account the indolence with which the presence of the terrorist organization Sendero Luminoso was assumed in the 1980s. The limano (as they said in colonial times) reacted to the violence of this subversive group when his actions represented an urban threat.
By the way, the apathy towards the interior of the country has very ancient origins. A reading of the texts of the German male Alexander Von Humboldt -who, accompanied by his friend the French botanist Aimé Bonpland, arrived in our country on August 1, 1802- on the capital's indifference, are exposed in his letter to the governor of the province of Jaén from Bracamoros, José Ignacio Checa: “… In Lima I have not learned anything from Peru. There it is never a question of any object relative to the public happiness of the kingdom. Lima is more separated from Peru than London, and although no part of Spanish America is guilty of excessive patriotism, I know of no other city in which that sentiment is more subdued. A cold selfishness governs all people and what does not harm one does not harm anyone ”. Later in his travel diary he adds:“… It could be said that the god Rímac, who according to Garcilaso was called the 'talking god', still presides over all the social classes of Lima. There are few places where people talk more and do less ”.
The writer of "Lima the horrible" makes an explicit assertion of the sensibility of the metropolis: "… It is said that when he was mayor of the city, the humorist Federico Elguera was warned of the imminent appearance of an outbreak of yellow fever that was already ravaging the neighbor countries. Elguera replied: 'here the plague is stunned', resorting to a much more expressive expletive than the euphemism we use here. So it was". In my opinion, nothing more exact.
On the other hand, I am convinced that Lima's ambiguous, discordant, whimsical and unpredictable climate coincides with the temperament and obliquity of its natives. It is interesting to review the contribution of Hipólito Unanue - member of the Lovers of the Country Society and manager of the "Peruvian Mercury" (1791) - who in his important scientific work "Observations on the climate of Lima and its influences on organized beings, especially the man ”(1805) analyzes the connection of the climate in the physical and mental health and, in addition, defines what he calls“ illnesses of the mind ”. It relates its impact on respiratory illnesses, on the emotional strength and character of the inhabitant. It is the first publication of medicine published in the colony that acquires world prestige.
The emporium of "all the bloods", of the financial apogee, of the conspiracies, of the exodus, of the indifference, of the urban disorder and the cultural confluence. Where to pretend, flatter, please and exercise a weak and unsupportive attitude graphs a misunderstood identity. Happy anniversary to the metropolis of beautiful and admirable traditions, landscapes, characters, events and nostalgia.
(*) Teacher, environmentalist, consultant in event organization, protocol, image and social etiquette.
