Paseo Cívico

South Coast


Unlike almost every other town in Peru, Tacna’s main plaza is not called the Plaza de Armas because the city was never formally founded by the Spanish. It is studded with palm trees and large pergolas topped by mushroom-like flower domes. The plaza, famously pictured on the front of Peru’s S100 note, features a huge arch – a monument to the heroes of the War of the Pacific.

The arch is flanked by larger-than-life bronze statues of Admiral Grau and Colonel Bolognesi, chests puffed out like prizefighting roosters.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby South Coast attractions

1. Fountain

0.02 MILES

On the Paseo Cívico, this 6m-high bronze fountain is said to have been created by the French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) but these…

2. Casa Museo Basadre

0.03 MILES

Named for a local historian born in 1903, this place is more convincing as a cultural center than a museum (though there’s a handful of old photos and an…

3. Cathedral

0.07 MILES

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) designed the cathedral, noted for its fine stained-glass windows and onyx high altar.

4. Museo Histórico Regional

0.13 MILES

Patriotic like everything in Tacna, this museum above the town library broadcasts a grand, somewhat triumphant, air. Huge canvases depicting key moments…

5. Museo de Zela

0.18 MILES

The small, musty Museo de Zela provides a look at the interior of one of Tacna’s oldest colonial buildings, the Casa de Zela. Here you can see some period…

6. El Parque de la Locomotora

0.18 MILES

About an 800m walk south of the train station, a British locomotive built in 1859 and used as a troop train in the War of the Pacific is the centerpiece…

7. Museo Ferroviario

0.25 MILES

This museum located inside the train station gives the impression of stepping back in time. You can wander amid beautiful, though poorly maintained, 20th…

8. Complejo Arqueológico Miculla

12.41 MILES

This 43-hectare archaeological site is an outdoor gallery of pre-Hispanic art and is considered to be one of the most important collections of rock art in…

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