Lima was founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on the banks of the Rímac River, and given the name City of the Kings. It was chosen as the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, replacing the highland Inca capital of Cusco, because of its position near the Pacific coast. For two centuries it was the main center of Spanish power in South America, and was home to the University of San Marcos, founded in the sixteenth century, one of the oldest in the Americas. A great earthquake and tsunami destroyed much of the city in 1746. Independence from Spain was proclaimed in Lima in 1821 by José de San Martín, and it remains the capital of Peru.
Before and after
- 28 February 1533Birth of Michel de Montaigne
- 7 September 1533Birth of Elizabeth I of England
- from 1534 to 1980French colonial empire
- 1534Henry VIII becomes head of the Church of England
- 18 January 1535Founding of Lima
- 2 June 1535Birth of Leo XI
- from 16 June 1535 to 21 July 1535Conquest of Tunis
- from 1536 to 1953Danish colonial empire
- 1536Founding of Valparaíso
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 11 June 1569 to 24 October 1795Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
- from 1603 to 1868Edo period
- 1624Founding of New York City
- from 18 January 1701 to 9 November 1918Kingdom of Prussia
- from 1 May 1707 to 1 January 1801Kingdom of Great Britain
- 1744Rise of House of Saud
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.