Excursions in Peru

The first week, we visited the Iglesia San Francisco and the Catacumbas, after visiting Lima’s Capitol. It was an interesting combination to do both in one day but once again had me amazed at the rich history, culture and impressive architecture in this city. The church and the Catacumbas were the perfect combination of breathtaking and creepy. As someone who has loved horror stories and loved scaring myself from a young age, this was definitely my favorite place we explored.

When we entered the church we were immediately told we couldn’t take any pictures, which made the experience more intense in a way because I was more focused on taking in as much as I could with my eyes. Of course, I did sneak a few pictures when I saw an opportunity. I was especially enchanted by this serene outdoor garden in the main courtyard only accessible from inside the church. It looked something close to what I imagine the Garden of Eden would have looked like.

Going underground and seeing all the skulls and bones neatly and perfectly arranged sent chills down my spine. The guide explained that the bones were not found that way but were later rearranged in an organized fashion. We kept going down another level deeper underground and she explained that we were standing where nearly 25,000 people had died. I remember one of my friends joking that if there was an earthquake, we would all be dead in two seconds because of how far underground we were. But our guide said the catacombs are supported by strong brick and mortar which were resistant and not affected by the last earthquake.