The Moorish Arch, also called the Friendship Arch or Spanish Arch, was a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

installed at the beginning of Leguía Avenue (today Arequipa Avenue) in

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

, Peru. It was made in a neo-Moorish style, inaugurated in 1924 as part of the Centennial of the Independence of Peru and demolished in 1939.

Overview

The arch was located on the first block of

Avenida Leguía Avenue or Avenues may refer to: Roads * Avenue (landscape), traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees, in the shifted sense a tree line itself, or some of boulevards (also without trees) * Avenue Road, Bangalore * Avenue Road, Lon ...

, intersection with the Avenida 28 de Julio, in the

Santa Beatriz Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

neighbourhood; It had a height of 29 meters. It was made of

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

with majolica decorations in the shape of stars and crescents, as well as two

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

History

In 1921, during the second government of

Augusto B. Leguía Augusto Bernardino Leguía y Salcedo (February 19, 1863 – February 6, 1932) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru from 1908 to 1912 and from 1919 to 1930, the latter term known as ''El Oncenio de Leguía'' (Leguía's E ...

, the Centennial of the Independence of Peru was celebrated and many colonies of foreign residents decided to grant gifts in the form of monuments to the

Peruvian State {{unreferenced, date=January 2014 The Peruvian State, which is conceptually the Peruvian nation legally organized, is the entity that holds the government in the Republic of Peru. The state's structure is defined in the Constitution of Peru approve ...

. The gift of the

Spanish colony The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...

was the ''Friendship Arch'', a Moorish-style construction whose author is unknown. The original plans, deposited in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, were lost due to the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Construction began on its building on July 10, 1923, and it was delivered to the city of Lima on July 17, 1924. The inauguration ceremony was lavish, with the presence of President Augusto B. Leguía, the mayor of Lima

Pedro Rada y Gamio Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...

, , as representative of the

Spanish government gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua , image = , caption = Logo of the Government of Spain , headerstyle = background-color: #efefef , label1 = Role , data1 = Executive power , label2 = Established , da ...

, and Arias Carraseno, representing the Spanish colony. In 1938, President

Óscar R. Benavides Óscar Raymundo Benavides Larrea (March 15, 1876 – July 2, 1945) was a Peruvian field marshal, diplomat, and politician who served as the 38th (1914 – 1915, by a coup d'etat) and 42nd (1933 – 1939) President of Peru. Early life He was b ...

and his Minister of Development,

Héctor Boza Héctor C. Boza Aizcorbe (12 December 1888 – 14 July 1974) was a Peruvian engineer and politician. He was minister of Public Works and Development (1933–1935; 1936; and 1937–1939), senator for Ica (1945–1948); First Vice President of Per ...

, ordered the demolition of the monument, alluding to traffic problems that it caused, and to widen Arequipa Avenue. The destruction with dynamite the following year caused unrest in the Spanish community, and some even interpreted Benavides' order as an act of political revenge against former President Leguía. At the end of 2015, the National Association of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) warned of the destruction of the footings of the remains of the Arch by the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian construction company OAS, which was carrying out construction work on an overpass in the July 28 Avenue. The lawsuit filed by ICOMOS also reached the

Municipality of Lima The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima ( es, Municipalidad Metropolitana de Lima) is the local government entity of the Lima Province and Lima District. It is the only provincial municipality of special regime with faculties of regional government. ...

and the Ministry of Culture.

New Arch

, a politician from Lima, carried out initiatives for its reconstruction in the original location on Arequipa Avenue when he was a councilor of the

. When his motion was rejected, he relocated his proposal to the exit of the Vía Expresa, then to the Higuereta roundabout. They offered to reinstall it on , but he considered that it was not a good option. Years later, when he was mayor of the

Santiago de Surco Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...

district, he was able to carry out the work, with the financing of various Spanish companies. On September 25, 2001, Mayor Dargent and the Spanish colony, with the presence of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, inaugurated the new Friendship Arch, a faithful copy of its predecessor, located in the María Graña Ottone Friendship Park, in the intersection of Alfredo Benavides and Caminos del Inca avenues.

References

{{coord missing, Peru Monuments and memorials in Peru 1924 in Peru 1939 in Peru 2001 in Peru Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Buildings and structures demolished in 1939 Demolished buildings and structures in Peru Santiago de Surco District

Overview

History

New Arch

See also

References