An American in Lima

slices of my life in Peru

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Cleaning up Col. Leoncio Prado

March 13th, 2009 · No Comments · Daily Life in Lima, Festivals, Sacred Rituals, Religion

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 statue of [...]

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Happy (Dead) Leoncio Prado Day

July 15th, 2008 · No Comments · 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).
Today [...]

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