We explore locations from around the globe to visit that are goth as f%$##%k for those interested in the dark, macabre, and disturbed. Today we focus on...
Peru
Architecture and Cathedrals
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Lima Metropolitan Cathedral |
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Gothic architecture prevailed in Europe from the 12th through the 15th century. By the mid 1500's it was no longer en vogue. Baroque style architecture had taken over by the 1600's. Make no mistake, though: Baroque is just a gothic-style with extra frilly, doily style details. Many churches had combined both styles within their structures. Central and South America is no exception. Once Francisco Pizarro conquered the Incas, he settled in what is now Lima, Peru building a palace to live, now known as the Government Palace of Peru, the residence of the current president. Many of the original buildings of that time survived and are prevalent in the central areas of Lima and other major Peruvian cities. Lima is where the Spanish style Baroque architecture first made its mark in South America and spread throughout the continent. |
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Iglesia de San Pedro |
| The outside of the most historical buildings has the same daunting feel as original Gothic style, but the Spanish gave it an extra creepy twist. Walking through central Lima, you'll be bombarded with large religious building facades so ornate, surreal and impending that you downright feel as though you've been sucked into Alejandro Jodorowsky's film, The Holy Mountain. |
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Lima Metropolitan Cathedral |
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Lima Metropolitan Cathedral |
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Government building in Arequipa |
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Lima Metropolitan Cathedral |
Catacombs and Skeleton Art
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Catacombs of San Francisco el Grande, Lima |
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Skulls galore! The Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima building ABOVE ground is disturbing enough: Five-hundred-year-old rotting books, paintings, and frescos vividly depict the hardships of life of the 16th century. After a half hour tour, you'll be invited into what everyone calls the catacombs, but which is technically a crypt, in the basement. You get glimpses of it from different rooms in the basilica, but actually descending into it is another story.
There are different definitions, but what we were told is that a catacomb i more of a general grace, while a crypt is a place of burial for the believers of the community, of which the basilica's basement is. These weren't tortured or executed. These are the remains of Catholic community members. It makes you wonder what happened to those who didn't fancy the forced conversions.
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Catacombs of San Francisco el Grande, Lima |
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Larcomar Beach in Lima, Peru |
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Much of the street art appears to be obsessed with skeletons and other-worldly figures here. It's all over the place. There is very much a post-punk aesthetic to the graffiti, commissioned murals, as well as flyers posted everywhere. Just walking through the Miraflores neighborhood alone I stumbled across multiple record shops selling cd's and boasting flyers of bands from The Exploited and the Ramones to Bauhaus and Joy Division. Despite most of these groups never touring here, the local taste is impeccable. In fact, the imagery in the street art is light years ahead of the United States. Frankly, the plainness of the buildings and walls results in the sanctioning of much of the art around the city whereas in the states, it's relegated to those working illegally in the shadows at night, with artists worrying more about efficiency and anonymity than quality. Having visited Singapore years ago, I had heard about the draconian punishment for simply littering, let along graffiti and I was surprised to see the level of detail in the skate parks where I discovered that street art was legal because it was sanctioned in certain areas in an effort to reduce it from spreading elsewhere. Peru is a great example of how allowing it to flourish in certain areas can lead to amazing results. |
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Miraflores, Lima, Peru |
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Miraflores, Lima, Peru |
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Miraflores, Lima, Peru |
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Larcomar Beach, Lima, Peru |
Momento Mori
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It wasn't until I was on a commissioned 40-year-old minibus in a mudslide on the edge of a cliff that I realized the Andes are the second highest mountain range on Earth. If you decide to cross over from the coast to any of the cities on the inland... well imagine Los Angeles times 20, You need to cut over an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet. If that isn't bad enough, by the time you get off the bud at any of the high Amazon jungle towns, you'll be ready to vomit from the near-death defying experience of just travelling inland. Nothing will make you appreciate the fleetingness of life like hanging by a thread, on the verge of being the fodder in a fiery mangled wreckage.
Much like when I went surfing, I often took mother nature for granted, and was brutally reminded of how insignificant we humans are. As menacing as it sounds, there's something beautiful about that idea. That feeling was definitely with me the entire time here.
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