photos c. Barbara Drake 2009 As I passed through Leoncio Prado park this morning, I caught sight of this municipal worker cleaning the general himself with a hose. A hero/martyr in Peru’s disasterous four-year war with Chile (1879-1883), Col. Leoncio Prado opted to be gunned down by an enemy firing squad rather than surrender his arms. A big [...]
Cleaning up Col. Leoncio Prado
March 13th, 2009 · Comments Off · Daily Life in Lima, Festivals, Sacred Rituals, Religion
Tags: Leoncio Prado
Happy (Dead) Leoncio Prado Day
July 15th, 2008 · Comments Off · Festivals, Sacred Rituals, Religion
This morning, I woke up to find the park outside our house occupied by about 150 armed troops. It was not a coup. The guys in camo and cadet uniforms and 19th-century calvalry getups were members of the Peruvian military taking part in a tribute to Colonel Leoncio Prado, a hero/martyr in the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). [...]