House of Osambela - Oquendo

The Casa de Osambela or known as well as Casa de Oquendo is one of the most traditional buildings that combines the cultural and historical patrimony of Lima. This impressive mansion was built by Martin de Osambela, a merchant, banker and ship-owner as his family residence at the beginning of the 19th century (the construction took nearly four years and was finished in 1807).

Really unique for Lima (at that time) are the 3 levels of the house and the lovely "mirador" (look-out) on the roof, from where the owner used to watch the incoming ships of Callao's harbour. Impressive are also the five wooden balconies. Inside you find a spectacular patio and around 40 bedrooms. Today this architectural masterpiece houses the Cultural Center Garcilaso de la Vega. The center is open to the public and the entrance is free. If you like to visit, the friendly staff will take you on a tour through the mansion. They will be happy about a tip for their service. When taking the pictures of the house we were asked to wait for a moment, because there was a sheet hanging out of one of the windows and they didn't want to spoil our shots (!)