Barrios Altos

A short introduction to Barrios Altos

 Barrios Altos is an area corresponding to the Cercado de Lima, which is the district capital of Lima Province and home to the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima . This district covers the original location of the City of Kings , now Lima , containing the historic center in the east. Barrios Altos is part of the historical center and it has been very much influenced by the Spaniards in  the 16th century.

Today it still holds the temples of the colonial times, squares and plazas, traditional festivals, gardens and ancient residencies, from which some of them have been declared, over time, cultural patrimonies.  

The realities behind..

Catholic ceremony - Photo: Maria Luiza Braga 

On the 1st of May, many countries in the world have celebrated the International Labor Day, including Peruvians. The street celebrations were the perfect setting for our second fieldtrip, also passed by a catholic ceremony which took place on the streets of Lima.
  

Photo: Wenlu Qin

 In the mean time, that same day, we had a meeting with representatives from various associations, in order to share valuable information regarding specific locations across Barrios Altos. These gentlemen were kind enough to join us further on our journeys to meet people from the communities in the specific locations chosen by us.

          

                              

In the communities we have visited that day, we've met amazing people with incredible life stories.

                                                                            

A love story..Photo: Maria Luiza Braga 

Photo: Maria Luiza Braga 

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 Most of the people who live in the, so called, "quintas" have been facing precarious conditions.

  

  

Many people have been living in their houses for entire generations. Even so, that doesn't stop owners (sometimes fake ones) to evacuate them. Unfortunately, the lack of transparency and inclusion of the people in the local plans and projects, makes entire families vulnerable to unwanted consequences. 

Nevertheless, our work here must not be hindered by the unfair situations we look at, but more effectively, they should be guided by the desire to bridge the gaps between the communities and the institutions, and to become mediators in a process that could lead to a possible transformation. 
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Mapping a transect is not as easy as one might think...This was the first day of mapping Barrios Altos and the process will continue for the next 2 weeks and a half.