Plaza de armas is the heart of Lima’s historic center. A marvel, wide, framed by palm trees, with a fountain in the center.
Of course, the day I decided to go there, there were problems of public order and it was forbidden to enter the square. Officers were guarding the perimeter, which was fenced off with barriers. But with my very bad Spanish I managed to make an officer laugh, and he allowed me to cross the square and take some pictures 😀 Only to be called back a little later by another officer 😀

The changing of the guard, which takes place in front of the government building every day at noon, is an elaborate and scenic ceremony, during which the guards shout sentences with unprecedented meanness 😀
Walking through the surrounding streets you can find luxury goods stores, dive bars where you can eat delicious “menu del dia”, and touch stores that try to get you in at any cost (like sellers of encyclopedias :D)

All this with some Latin American hits in the background coming from the various stores sung at the top of their lungs by some beggar on the roadside….