Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Barranco, a place of tranquility and inspiration for artists and intellectuals, a cultural and entertainment center for thousands of visitors, preserves its identity throughout the centuries, perhaps, due to the fact that it has achieved to combine -without  mixing them- modernity and tradition.

By: Gabriel Espinoza Suárez

Barranco is a magical district that lives around two rhythms. In the mornings, you smell recently baked bread, warm milk, cologne, and, a recently ironed shirt. It is a nostalgic, familiar rhythm. On the other hand, by night, specially on weekends, it becomes an extroverted and vibrating city.

Thousands of persons invade the streets and parks. People come from everywhere, and, in spite of the traffic, they always find the ideal place to enjoy a concert or to attend a cultural event (an art opening, a classic film, a poetry recital, a theater art performance), or, to have a drink, chat, dance, and, dine.

That is Barranco's charm, to give each and everyone what he likes. Paradoxically, next morning, nostalgia comes back. The ocean breeze brings the ancient air of the Republican resort, and, the timid sun yawns around the streets. Attention: you hear bells ringing.

Beautiful by day

In Barranco there are two main avenues: Bolognesi and Grau, that go along parallel to the Coast, and, neatly divide the district in two areas. The side nearest to the ocean (to the right if you come from the center of Lima) is the one that has the largest number and variety of mansions of notable urbane value, considered as monumental patrimony.

A good example is the Osma-Gildemeister family Versaillesque style Palace, the scenery of the most magnificent Carnival parties of the Limeña high society in the decade of the twenties last century. Today, the property is the headquarters of the Osma Museum and contains an important collection of religious Vice Royal art.

Other notable mansions are those of the Rossel Ríos family (with beautiful art nouveau vitrals, situated at Grau Avenue, in front of the Municipal Market); the Soyer family mansion (Ayacucho Street and Melgar Street), the Herrera mansion (on the corner of Domeyer and Junín Streets), the San Miguel family mansion (located at San Martín Avenue), and, the Razetto family mansion (situated at Jirón Tweddle).

But, if you wish an integral sight of the aristocratic comfort, head towards Paseo Sáenz Peña, with more than twenty imposing and luxurious buildings. Precisely,  in one of them, at the Checa family mansion, you find the diplomatic representative of Spain.


Capricious Liberty

Four cultural centers are located in Paseo Sáenz Peña: Lucía de la Puente's Art Gallery, that permanently exhibits modern art, and, Dédalo Gallery, that offers excellent handcrafts. Likewise, the Mocha Graña Hall also situated here favors experimental art groups, and, the Dasso Mansion, the headquarters of Iguana Films, the cinema and television production company.

It is difficult to give a name to the architectonic style commanding the monumental area of Barranco. There is such a proliferation of styles, that, as a whole, they offer a picturesque painting, half pretentious and exotic, openly animated by a liberty that is almost a caprice. You will find neoclassic or eclectic styles (Osma-Gildemeister Palace) that live together with European characters, such as  the villa and the English chalet. Furthermore, there are Moorish style mansions, with romantic miradores, and, gothic buildings; there are others, such as the Herrera Mansion, with a Nordic style or rustic European style.

Artistic seduction

"He who goes to Barranco looses his seat", repeated the boys in ancient times in their word games. That is not so for artists and intellectuals who fell in love with the district and stayed there to live and to create.

That was the case of poet José María Eguren (1874-1942), who lived for more than thirty years at a solar situated on one of the corners of Plaza de San Francisco. The renowned circle "Los Duendes" gathered at his home, and, of course, he  was the major magician. Besides being a poet -or, perhaps because of it- Eguren was also a photographer, a painter, and, a miniature builder. Certainly, everyone in Barranco remembers him: a government school takes after him, and, a private school has adopted the title of one of his most beautiful poems: Los Reyes Rojos.

Likewise, Martín Adán (1908-1985), another genius poet, lived here. His book La casa de cartón starts like this: "Winter has already began in Barranco...." The pages that follow give an account from the perspective of an adolescent artist, of the daily life at the small town of Barranco, that had a tram at the beginning of the XX century.

Likewise, writers Abraham Valdelomar, Emilio Adolfo Westphalen, César Moro, Manuel Beingolea, Julio Ramón Ribeyro, and, César Calvo, also loved Barranco dawns. Laurete novelist Mario Vargas Llosa is the owner of an ocean-front house at Malecón Harris. Also musicians and composers such as Chabuca Granda, Susana Baca, Bartola, members of the Vásquez Family, and, the Pereira family are (or were) neighbors, that dedicated the best of their repertoire. We must not forget the path left by the Conjunto Musical Barranco in the midst of last century.

Nevertheless, what is really outstanding is The Pleiades of plastic artists that live and work in the district. The list is extensive, but we can mention Fernando de Szyzslo, Margarita Checa, Rafael Hastings, Ella Krebs, Julia Navarrete, Piero Quijano, Juan Javier Salazar, Silvia Westhphalen, Ricardo Wiesse, Bruno Zepilli, Armando Williams, and, Víctor Delfín. We can aggregate intellectuals who left an impression in the district, such as José Antonio del Busto, Raúl Porras Barrenechea, and, Estuardo Núñez, the latter a lucid ninety year old man who was also the district major last century in the decade of the forties.


Art and relax

The cultural life in Barranco is intense and cosmopolitan. One of the most renowned intellectual centers is Tupac Cultural Association (http://www.tupac-ac.org.pe), the headquarters is located at Jirón 2 de Mayo 253, and, has a residential program for local and foreign independent artists with the aim of offering them the freedom to develop their proposals and to approach the community.

Likewise, Taller La Culpable (www.laculpable.org) located at Sucre 101 street; Mochileros pub (situated at Pedro de Osma Street, on the first block). Rock bands of the moment play in the basement, and, poetry books are exhibited. Likewise, El Cinematógrafo (http://www.elcinematografo.com), situated at Pérez Roca 196 Street, an active cinema club that organizes cycles and classic cinema retrospectives, independent and foreign. And, more, every Monday, La Noche Cultural Center (Alameda Sánchez Carrión) turns into a jazz paradise. The rest of the week, La Noche has a place for alive rock music, as well as new age music. Don't be surprised if one day -or better still- one night- you find Joaquín Sabina signing on top of the bar.


Night life

Barranco offers a wide variety of juvenile entertainment. It goes from rock discos such as El Dragón (Piérola Street); electronic-house music: (in spite of the name) Bosanova and Watdaje, both situated at the Bolognesi and Waiki Avenues (near the Municipal Plaza). A few meters away you will find the populated Las Terrazas where you can dance to the rhythm of ancient music and salsa. At Wahios (located at the Boulevard de los Bomberos) you will only listen to reggae.

Speaking about criolla "peña" -music clubs- the most renowned ones are Don Porfirio, situated at Segura 115 (opens on Fridays only); La Candelaria (Bolognesi 292); Del Carajo (Jorge Chávez 403), and, La Peña de los Poggi (behind Ovalo Balta). Finally, for the eclectics, the adequate place is Don Jijuna (Plaza Butters 291), where you will truly find a postmodern cocktail: salsa, folklore, afro, criollo music, and, eventually, heavy metal.

Gastronomy: in each Barranco neighborhood exist "huariques" (small places that offer criolla food) specialized in fish and seafood; you will find as well confectionery shops, pizzerias, fast food franchises, broiled chicken restaurants, chifas, five star international food gastronomic halls (such as Costa Verde, next to the seashore).

At the Bajada de los Baños, and, Pasaje de la Ermita, you will find cozy places that offer criollo hors d'oeuvres (maniocs, tequeños, kebobs "anticuchos", rachi, malaya), with a soft ambiance music, adequate for an intimate chat for couples in love.
Nevertheless, if you visit Barranco, there is something you cannot miss: the traditional Mostro and Tejadita sandwiches "sangucherias"  (situated at Piérola avenue), and, above all, you have to try the exquisite sandwiches made with ham from the North that offers Bodega Juanito, situated in front of the Municipal Plaza.

Are you satisfied? If you still have time (and strength) there is something more: revolución caliente and suspiro de limeña, both desserts from the Colony times. The first one is offered by a town crier, who goes out everyday with his lamp to the Plaza Municipal to sell it at sunset; Suspiro can be bought any time, in the most ancient stores, pastry shops, or, grocery stores "bodeguitas" of the neighborhood.


Sleeping little bridge

Barranco resembles a toy city, a fantasy, a miracle. Enormous amounts of illusion, joy and art are contained in only three square kilometers. There is a tram from last century that looks brand new, that parts with joyful passengers from the Municipal Plaza heading towards the South, but stops four blocks ahead, at the limit with Chorrillos district, and, comes back in reverse. There is a wooden bridge, romantic tended across an imaginary river or above the Bajada de los baños, celebrated by renowned Chabuca Granda in her waltz "Puente de los Suspiros". There is an Ermita, that has been founded for more than two centuries, built on top of a Pre Hispanic huaca.

At the Municipal Plaza you will find the following: a church with a belfry that is only heard by the oldest neighbors; a library, that resembles a doll house; a water mirror that changes the color of the sky; flexible palms, and, centennial ficus, doves and cuculi.

Thus, old men say: "Barranquinos know /by an ancient tradition, / that Barranco's founder / was not less than God".


Barranco forever

Barranco is situated at the edge of the cliffs, 58 meters above sea level, at the southern part of Lima, twenty minutes away from the Plaza de Armas, across the Vía Expresa route. At the North it limits with the district of Miraflores, with Chorrillos to the South, with Santiago de Surco to the East, and, with the Pacific Ocean to the West.

This ancient Lima neighborhood was born at the end of XVIII century, founded by the neighbors of the Surco villa, where a Spanish population linked to the rich haciendas in the surroundings had established (mainly, vineyards).

Before the Spanish conquest it was an encounter place for fishermen. During the Colony, it distinguished itself due to the abundance of fruit trees, specially ice cream pod trees. Later, during the Republic it became important as a summer resort for Limeño renowned families that built beautiful houses. Besides, English, Italian, and, German families contributed to the progress and embellishment of Barranco, building beautiful houses surrounded by gardens.