Barranco
Encyclopedia
Barranco is one of 43 districts in Lima
, Peru
. Its current mayor is Jessica Vargas and its postal code is 04.
The district is considered to be the city's most romantic
and bohemian
, being the home and working place of many of Peru's leading artists, musicians, designers and photographers. In the 19th-century, it was a very fashionable beach resort for the Limeño aristocracy, and many people used to spend the summer here and in neighboring Chorrillos. Today, Barranco's beaches are among the most popular within the worldwide surfing community, and a marina completed in 2008 provides state-of-the-art services for its yacht club.
The name Barranco (Spanish
for ravine
) is descriptive of its topography
, featuring homes and restaurants in and around a ravine near a cliff overlooking a sand strip which runs from the Miraflores District
to Chorrillos (now flanked by a highway, Costa Verde Ave.).
There is a beautiful walkway to the sea that runs through Barranco, called the Bajada de los Baños. Crossing over this walkway is the Puente de los Suspiros, or Bridge of Sighs. The walkway is bordered on both sides by grand houses, and the legend goes that a wealthy man's daughter living in one of these grand houses fell in love with a lowly street sweeper. Her father forbade the union, and she lived out her days as a spinster, waiting at her window for a glimpse of her beloved. Those who walked across the bridge could hear her plaintive sighs. On the far side of the bridge is a park with a statue of Barranco's famous singer and composer, Chabuca Granda
.
Barranco has many houses in the colonial and Republican style (called "casonas"), flower-filled parks and streets, and appealing beachfront areas. Lima's contemporary art museum, the MAC, is located in Barranco, as well as the Museo Pedro de Osma, which hosts one of the best collections of colonial art and is itself one of Barranco's best kept examples of late-19th century architectural style. The district includes numerous restaurants, nightclubs, discos, bars and peñas, where one can appreciate Peruvian music shows. On Pedro de Osma Ave., some tracks from the former streetcar (originally a railroad between Chorrillos/La Herradura and Downtown Lima
) can be seen.
The cliffs of Chorrillos shield Barranco from colder and more humid winds coming from the South. As a result, Barranco has a unique micro-climate that is warmer and drier than many of the other districts of Lima, which are generally more humid, especially between May and October.
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. Its current mayor is Jessica Vargas and its postal code is 04.
The district is considered to be the city's most romantic
Romantic love
Romance is the pleasurable feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.In the context of romantic love relationships, romance usually implies an expression of one's love, or one's deep emotional desires to connect with another person....
and bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
, being the home and working place of many of Peru's leading artists, musicians, designers and photographers. In the 19th-century, it was a very fashionable beach resort for the Limeño aristocracy, and many people used to spend the summer here and in neighboring Chorrillos. Today, Barranco's beaches are among the most popular within the worldwide surfing community, and a marina completed in 2008 provides state-of-the-art services for its yacht club.
The name Barranco (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for ravine
Ravine
A ravine is a landform narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. A ravine is generally a fluvial slope landform of relatively steep sides, on the order of twenty to...
) is descriptive of its topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, featuring homes and restaurants in and around a ravine near a cliff overlooking a sand strip which runs from the Miraflores District
Miraflores District
Miraflores is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Known for its shopping areas, gardens, flower-filled parks and beaches, it is one of the upscale districts that make up the city of Lima....
to Chorrillos (now flanked by a highway, Costa Verde Ave.).
There is a beautiful walkway to the sea that runs through Barranco, called the Bajada de los Baños. Crossing over this walkway is the Puente de los Suspiros, or Bridge of Sighs. The walkway is bordered on both sides by grand houses, and the legend goes that a wealthy man's daughter living in one of these grand houses fell in love with a lowly street sweeper. Her father forbade the union, and she lived out her days as a spinster, waiting at her window for a glimpse of her beloved. Those who walked across the bridge could hear her plaintive sighs. On the far side of the bridge is a park with a statue of Barranco's famous singer and composer, Chabuca Granda
Chabuca Granda
María Isabel Granda Larco , better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms...
.
Barranco has many houses in the colonial and Republican style (called "casonas"), flower-filled parks and streets, and appealing beachfront areas. Lima's contemporary art museum, the MAC, is located in Barranco, as well as the Museo Pedro de Osma, which hosts one of the best collections of colonial art and is itself one of Barranco's best kept examples of late-19th century architectural style. The district includes numerous restaurants, nightclubs, discos, bars and peñas, where one can appreciate Peruvian music shows. On Pedro de Osma Ave., some tracks from the former streetcar (originally a railroad between Chorrillos/La Herradura and Downtown Lima
Lima District
Lima is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is not where the inner city zone of Lima, the country's capital city, is located, San Isidro District being such area in Lima....
) can be seen.
The cliffs of Chorrillos shield Barranco from colder and more humid winds coming from the South. As a result, Barranco has a unique micro-climate that is warmer and drier than many of the other districts of Lima, which are generally more humid, especially between May and October.