Lima

:This article is about Lima, Peru. For other places, people and things named "Lima", see Lima (disambiguation).

History

The city was founded by conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, naming it Ciudad de los Reyes as the location was decided at Epiphany, the January 6. Lima, its original name, however persisted. It is uncertain where the name originated, but it is thought that it derives from the Aymara word lima-limaq, (yellow flower) or from Quechuan rimaq (talking). In the oldest Spanish maps of Peru, both Lima and Ciudad de los Reyes can be seen together as the names of the city.

Related Topics:
Conquistador - Francisco Pizarro - January 18 - 1535 - Epiphany - January 6 - Aymara - Quechuan

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Lima became the most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, which encompassed nearly all of Spain's possessions in South America during the colonial era (mid 1500s to early 1800s). The city's cultural importance was contested perhaps only by Bogotá, and its architecture and political importance in Latin America were equalled only by Mexico City.

Related Topics:
Viceroyalty of Peru - South America - Bogotá - Latin America - Mexico City

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In 1746, most of the city was destroyed in an earthquake.

Related Topics:
1746 - Earthquake

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In 1997, the Japanese embassy hostage crisis took place in Lima, an affair which received global media attention. It ended on April 22, 1997 when Peruvian Armed Forces commandos stormed the building by tunneling underground into the embassy to rescue the seventy-two hostages. One hostage died of a heart attack, two soldiers were killed, and all fourteen rebels were slain.

Related Topics:
1997 - Japanese embassy hostage crisis - April 22

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