Jirón de la Unión
The main street connecting the two main plazas downtown. It used to be the place to go for the very wealthy people but now there are people of all classes. The famous saying about the street goes: 'El Perú es Lima, Lima es el Jirón de la Unión, el Jirón de la Unión es el Palais Concert y el Palais Concert soy yo'... Several people have told me this saying when we walked down the street. It means "Peru is Lima, Lima is Jiron de la Union (the street), Jiron de la Union is Palais Concert (an old cafe/bar for the rich people), and the Palais Concert is me" ... I think the significance is something like saying "This is the place to be in Peru and I am here so I'm a a true Peruvian." ... maybe?
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1... ... read more 
