Touring Lima: San Cristobal Hill

Cerro San Cristobal, behind Government's Palace

Cross at the top of Cerro San Cristobal

One of the most amazing yet underrated places to visit in Lima is the San Cristobal Hill, or Cerro San Cristóbal, which has witnessed Lima’s history since ancient times: located very near to Lima downtown, its 400 metres high peak offers a privileged and unique panoramic view of Lima, not found anywhere else.

On clear days, you may even see from here the ships anchored at Callao Bay, and the Rimac river coming down from the East, between the first Andean elevations.

The road to the peak is not an easy one, however, but before explaining how to get there, let’s review a bit of its history and current conditions.

Ancient Peruvian civilizations believed that the hills surrounding the valleys were their protective gods, or apus. When Spanish conquistadores arrived, brought their Catholic religion and decided to place crosses at the top of every apu and changed its native name by the one of a Catholic saint, as a way to exterminate what they considered as idolatry and paganism.

According to a legend, this hill was named San Cristobal after an indigenous rebellion in 1536, and a wooden cross was placed at the peak to protect the new and small City of the Kings. Time and earthquakes passed by and the cross was changed by new ones several times, until 1927 when the current huge iron and cement cross was placed there.

Nowadays there is a Site Museum near the gigantic cross, whose most attractive collections are undoubtedly the historic photos of old Lima; there are also collections of historic documents related to the first cross and the hill itself, and sculptures of traditional Limenian characters such as various types of street vendors, women in old typical outfits, etc.
The route to the San Cristobal cross starts at Plaza de Armas (Main Square) where you can take one of the many buses that offer this ride for less than US $3.50 each ticket. Be aware, though, that these buses work only on weekends, and that the the bus is likely to go round the plaza several times until all the seats are occupied.

The tour passes by the Lima Cathedral, the Alameda de los Descalzos, the convent of the same name, the colonian Paseo de Aguas, the Plaza de Acho, where bulfighiting seasons take place, and El Angel cemetery, one of the oldest ones in Lima.

Leaving all these landmarks behind, the road climbing the hill is also very interesting, with its colorful houses built one after another; this section is not a safe place to take a walk, however, so the buses won’t stop until they reach the top.

Since Peru is still a Catholic country, San Cristobal Hill receives a large number of pilgrims during the Holy Week celebrations; pilgrims climb in procession, walking until the top, offering a stone to each of the smaller green crosses spread along the route, that represent the 14 time Jesus fell down during the Via Crucis.

Lima’s Main Square, seen from the Cerro San Cristobal using camera’s zoom.

Also, the monks of the Convento de los Descalzos celebrate the same pilgrimage every May 1st; and this is one of the most devouts religious expressions in Lima, without musicians or any other non-religious homages

Once the bus arrives at the top, the panoramic view is stunning.

The best season for this tour is Summer or Spring, when it more likely to have clear, sunny days, which will improve the experience; and the best time is very early in the morning or between 2pm and 5pm. You can either spend some time visiting the site museum or enjoy the view and take panoramic photographs of Lima and of the huge, 20 metres high cross.

The bus drivers usually give you some time between 20 and 30 minutes to spend on your own before going back to Main Square.

There is no need to bring special clothes; only a warm sweater, or a jacket, if you visit this place during the cold seasons. Don’t forget your camera! And if you have good binoculars, bring them, too.

From here, you can have an excepcional view of Lima Downtown, the old cemeteries, San Isidro and its tall buildings, and if you are lucky, you may even see the Callao Port and the ships anchored there.

There is currently a project to link with a funicular the Parque de la Muralla, by the Rimac River, in in Lima Downtown, with the Cerro San Cristobal. However, this is still a project still in study.

(Text and Photos: Isabel Guerra)

Lima view, including Callao Port, the ships anchored at the bay, and a section of the International Airport.