The Embassy of the United States in Lima represents the permanent

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

of the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. It is located at El Polo, a neighbourhood of the upper-scale district of

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, Mira ...

, since 1995. The embassy operates a Consular Agency in

Cuzco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department. The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...

, located two blocks from the main square, behind the Coricancha Temple. Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath was appointed U.S. ambassador to Peru on June 20, 2024.

History

Original buildings

Peru and the United States established relations on May 2, 1826, following Peru's

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and relations were elevated to embassy level on 1920. The embassy of the United States was housed in different buildings before the opening of its current location. Prior to relations being elevated to embassy, the legation was located at the Quinta Heeren. In 1925, the

U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...

purchased a property in the Santa Beatriz area of Lima district to house its embassy. The three-floor building was designed by U.S. architect Frederick Larkin, in association with Leland W. King and Paul Jaquet, being built by the Peruvian construction company ''Florez y Costa, S.A.''. Construction began in late 1942. of the property were dedicated to parks and gardens. The building was designed in a Neocolonial style, featuring a replica

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

gate of the

Palacio de Torre Tagle The Palacio de Torre Tagle is a house, residential mansion built during the Viceroyalty of Peru, colonial era of Peru that currently houses offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Peru), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru. It is located in t ...

on its entrance, as well as on the second floor. The three floors of the building served as either storage (basement), a reception area (first floor) or bedrooms (second floor). The building, located next to a replica of '' The Three Graces'' at the fifth block of Arequipa Avenue, and across the street from Washington Square, currently serves as the residence of the U.S. ambassador. Another building that housed the

of the U.S. was located in the intersection between

Wilson Avenue Wilson may refer to: People *Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...

and Spain Avenue, part of the historic center of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. The original terrain was bought in 1947. After General

Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian Army general, general who served as the President of Peru after a successful 1968 Peruvian coup d'état, coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency ...

established a

military junta A military junta () is a system of government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''Junta (governing body), junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the Junta (Peninsular War), national and local junta organized by t ...

following a successful

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

on 3 October 1968, the embassy was placed under surveillance by the National Intelligence Service, assisted by the Soviet

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

as well as

Klaus Barbie Nikolaus Barbie (25 October 1913 – 25 September 1991) was a German officer of the ''Schutzstaffel'' and ''Sicherheitsdienst'' who worked in Vichy France during World War II. He became known as the "Butcher of Lyon" for having personally tortu ...

, now a naturalised Bolivian intelligence officer. The embassy was moved from its location near the

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

to the Monterrico suburbs due to the

internal conflict in Peru The internal conflict in Peru is an armed conflict between the Government of Peru and the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path. The conflict's main phase began on 17 May 1980 and ended in December 2000. From 1982 to 1997 the Túpac Amaru Rev ...

, as buildings affiliated with the United States were targeted by the terrorist group

Shining Path The Shining Path (, SL), self-named the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a far-left political party and guerrilla group in Peru, following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the ...

on several occasions, as well as by the MRTA. By that point, the embassy's building had been bought by ''Clínica Internacional'', owned by

Grupo Breca Grupo Breca, also known as Grupo Brescia, is a Peruvian business conglomerate founded more than 130 years ago with operations in Peru and other countries in Latin America. Fortunato Brescia and his wife, Mrs. María Catalina Cafferata, are the ...

, who moved into the building after the former tenants' departure. The consulate, then located in Miraflores district, also was moved to the new chancery in Monterrico, as it was also targeted on at least one occasion. One such attack was carried out on July 31, 1985.

Current building

The current building was built in the Monterrico residential area of

, in or around what was formerly part of the grounds belonging to the La Encalada

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

. Construction took two years, and the building was inaugurated on July 4, 1995. The building was designed by Bernardo Fort-Brescia, whose façade features a blend of

Incan The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...

and

modern architecture Modern architecture, also called modernist architecture, or the modern movement, is an architectural movement and style that was prominent in the 20th century, between the earlier Art Deco and later postmodern movements. Modern architectur ...

, and also features small windows as a security feature. The building's design was met with mixed reactions from both Peruvian and U.S. citizens. In 2002, two security guards of the embassy were among the dead when a car bomb exploded in the ''El Polo'' shopping mall, located across the street. The building received no apparent damage, unlike the hotel and

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

located near the location of the blast. The building's façade was lit up with the

national colors National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have '' de facto'' national colours that have become wel ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in response to Russia's

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

of the country in February 2022. On January 25, 2023, the building's main entrance was blocked by protesters as part of a series of

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

by supporters of former president

Pedro Castillo José Pedro Castillo Terrones (; born 19 October 1969) is a Peruvian politician, former elementary school teacher, and union leader who served as the President of Peru from 28 July 2021 until Third impeachment and removal of Pedro Castillo, he ...

Residence

The building located in Santa Beatriz which was completed in 1945 serves as the embassy's official residence.

List of representatives

Gallery

Casa de Mr. R. R. Neill, Quinta Heeren (cropped).jpg, U.S. Legation at the Quinta Heeren Lima - Chancery Office Building - 1979 - DPLA - 9859a5599e2fadaf904cf77089adddf1.jpg, Residence in Santa Beatriz, 1979 Lima - Chancery Office Building - 1979 - 59-OBO-736-PM S 799.jpg, The former embassy in central Lima, today the ''Clínica Internacional''. US Embassy light in blue and yellow to express solidarity with Ukraine.jpg, The embassy lit up with the national colours of Ukraine, February 2022

References

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United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Peru–United States relations Buildings and structures in Lima Buildings and structures completed in 1995 Brescia family Santiago de Surco District