AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Alameda Chabuca Granda is a riverside promenade and green terrace on the western edge of Lima's historic centre, pressed right up against Government Palace and the banks of the Rímac River. Named for the legendary Peruvian songwriter Chabuca Granda, the alameda works as the city's open-air stage for criolla music, comedy and festivals, and as a sweeping viewpoint over old Lima — the historic Rímac neighbourhood, Cerro San Cristóbal, the Desamparados train station and the colonial Puente de Piedra.↗↗↗
Built in the late 1990s and inaugurated in January 1999, the promenade replaced the old Polvos Azules marketplace and turned a forgotten riverside strip into one of Lima's liveliest public rooms. Admission is free, the space is open every day, and it sits just a five-minute walk from the Plaza Mayor.↗↗
A promenade with a name to honour
The alameda takes its name from Chabuca Granda (1920–1983), the Apurímac-born composer whose waltzes and Afro-Peruvian rhythms are woven into Lima's musical identity — above all "La Flor de la Canela," often considered the capital's unofficial anthem. The city's municipal government dedicated the new riverside space to her on 16 January 1999 under Mayor Alberto Andrade, who had the former Polvos Azules market relocated after a devastating fire and converted the site into a public belvedere.
