Bridge of Sighs (Lima)

The Bridge of Sighs (Spanish: Puente de los Suspiros) is a wooden pedestrian overpass located between the Hermitage of Barranco and the Paseo Chabuca Granda (also known by its former name of Pasaje Zepita)[1] in Barranco District, in Lima, Peru.[2][3] It is one of the most visited tourist places in the historic district, and a meeting point for couples in love.[4][5]

Bridge of Sighs

Puente de los Suspiros
The bridge in 2016
Coordinates12°08′57″S 77°01′21″W
History
Inaugurated1876
Location

Overview

The bridge, 44 metres long and 3 metres wide, joins Ayacucho street with the Paseo Chabuca Granda (the access to the hermitage of Barranco that runs up until it reaches Pedro de Osma Avenue),[1] while, by joining the ends of the ravine and saving a height of 8.5 metres, the Bajada of the Baños of Barranco passes below (the road that leads to the district's beaches).[6][7][8]

Due to the popular tradition that indicated the place as a meeting point for lovers and romances, the bridge became known as the bridge "of sighs".[2][9]

History

The bridge was inaugurated during the municipal administration (1875–1878)[10] of Mayor Francisco García Monterroso, on February 14, 1876.[6][9][10] During the War of the Pacific, it was destroyed by Chilean troops passing through the place after being victorious in the Battle of Chorrillos on January 13, 1881.[5]

In 1960, the Creole music composer Chabuca Granda dedicated the Peruvian waltz "El puente de los suspiros" to the bridge.[6][11][12] Years later, the municipality of the district placed a monument to the singer next to the bridge.[13][14]

In December 2014, after six months of restoration work, the bridge was reopened to the public. The investment for the work was S/. 10 million.[15]

In the early morning of June 3, 2023, the structural integrity of a building built in 1911 located next to the bridge became compromised, causing a partial collapse of a section of a wall that faces the passage which leads to the bridge, leading to the closure of the area, including the bridge.[16] Its reconstruction was soon announced.[17]

  • Seen from the Bajada de Baños
  • Ditto.
  • Opposite view
  • The bridge at night

See also

References
  1. Plan Distrital de Seguridad Ciudadana del Distrito de Barranco (PDF) (in Spanish). Municipalidad de Barranco. 2016. pp. 11–17.
  2. "El Puente de los Suspiros en el corazón de Barranco". Peru.com. 14 October 2014.
  3. "20 cosas que hacer en Lima". El País. 25 August 2016.
  4. "San Valentín: cinco destinos imperdibles por el día del amor y la amistad". Wapa.pe. 12 February 2020.
  5. "Google Maps: buscó lugar de Barranco y encontró a pareja haciendo esto". Peru.com. 28 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020.
  6. "Atractivos Turísticos". Municipalidad de Barranco.
  7. "Puente de los Suspiros – Ermita de Barranco". Museos de Lima. Ministerio de Cultura.
  8. Segreda, Ricardo; Caputo, Lorraine (2009). V!VA Travel Guides: Peru. Viva Publishing Network. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-9791264-3-7.
  9. "Cebiche y bohemia". El País. 30 December 2010.
  10. Plan Distrital de Seguridad Ciudadana del Distrito de Barranco (PDF) (in Spanish). Municipalidad de Barranco. 2016. p. 14.
  11. Gutiérrez, Czar (26 July 2020). "El novio de la muerte: César Calvo (1940 – 2000)". El Comercio.
  12. Monjeau, Federico (2 December 2017). "El Puente de los Suspiros y otros motivos limeños". Clarín.
  13. Reyna, Rob (3 September 2018). "Chabuca Granda: nuestra cantautora universal cumpliría 98 años (¿Quién fue Chabuca Granda y por qué es mundialmente conocida?)". RPP Noticias.
  14. "Camioneta se despista cerca a Puente de los Suspiros y casi destruye estatua de Chabuca Granda". Trome. 4 April 2018.
  15. "Reabren el renovado Puente de los Suspiros en Barranco". El Comercio. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016.
  16. Huayta, Athenas (5 June 2023). "Barranco: casona de 112 años se derrumbó cerca al Puente de los Suspiros". La República.
  17. "Reconstruirán antigua casona que colapsó en Barranco". Panamericana Televisión. 5 June 2023.
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