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Lima, City of Kings

The greatest city of South America.

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Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 on the Catholic holiday of Epiphany, when the Three Kings visited the baby Jesus, and was therefore known as Ciudad de los Reyes or City of the Kings. Close to the coast and more accessible to Spain than the Inca capital of Cuzco, which was high in the mountains at 11,200 feet, Lima became the capital of viceregal Peru. The city suffered devastating earthquakes in 1687 and 1746, both of which destroyed much of the city. During the independence period, Lima remained staunchly Royalist, being among the last cities to turn to the Republican cause.