According to our guide there are some 20 or so of them scattered around Lima due to the christian influence. There was also a memorial to the solidiers and civilians who died in the Pacific War.
This was the war that saw Chile invade Bolivia, cutting off it's access to the ocean and making it the landlocked country it is now. But hey, they still have Lake Titicaca right? Headed there next. Apparently this war happened, according to our guide, because the Chilean companies that were doing business along the coast harvesting guana for fertilizer (a multibillion dollar industry - who knew?) and operating under an agreement with Bolivia refused to pay an increase in taxes imposed by Bolivia, a violation of their agreement. Bolivia said fine, don't pay, but you must leave so they confiscated all the Chilean companies assets in the area. Chile responded by sending their army. Apparently Bolivia and Peru had entered into a secret squirrel treaty to support each other in case of any conflicts. Peru then was sucked into the war and since Bolivia offered little resistance to Chile, Peru saw Chile soldiers advancing well beyond the original Bolivian border until they reached Lima. Many civilians died in the battle of Lima defending their homes and this is why nobody even knows all the names of the people who died. A treaty was struck with Chile to end the conflict but the result was that Bolivia lost all its Pacific coast and Peru lost some as well. Combine this with an even more important dispute over the origin of the Pisco Sour and you can begin to see why relations between these two countries remains strained.
Our next stop, and the topic of this post was an old Spanish Hacienda San Jose.
This hacienda was built in the late 1600's and although it has been repaired extensively due to major seismic events, it's a beautiful building. To our standards today it is a marvelous structure. Long, wide wrap around porches, a beautiful inner courtyard, I can imagine 400 years ago what the local people must have thought of it.
This pool table is different from any that I have ever seen, simply massive, with 28 pockets.
The hacienda relied on labor from slaves to work its fields and tend its animals. While it started with only 17 slaves, this number eventually grew to over 1000. I was fascinated by the old tools and machines that were on display everywhere.
This copper tub had a date carved into it (1767). Older than our countries government.
Eventually the government passed a tax that was based on the number of slaves you owned and being ever business minded, the owners of the hacienda took steps to hide the actual number of slaves they owned. Due to the last earthquake which caused major damage (1995 ish?) the workers found tunnels under the hacienda that had been lost to memory. Some 40 kilometers of tunnels have been found connecting the hacienda to other haciendas in the area as well as the coast. The tunnels, it is believed, were used to secret the slaves from the government and also to bring slaves secretly from the port. The slaves also were stored there in the dark, keeping them disorientated, tired, hungry and cramped. We were provided with candles to explore just a small portion of these tunnels with our guide and although the origin and purposes of the tunnels is rather tragic, exploring them was fascinating. I could stand upright in most places which is surprising since doorways from that time are so small.
The hacienda is now operated as a boutique hotel. Staying here would be a nice place to relax although a bit pricey.
With our tour over, it was time to get back on the bus and continue on to Paracas. Hacienda San Jose, definitely a highlight. Good job Peru Hop!
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