1532
Francisco Pizarro and 200 men enter northern Peru and capture Inca ruler Atahualpa in only four months.
1533
Pizarro enters Cusco without a fight and installs Manco Inca as ruler.
1535
Pizarro leaves Cusco and founds a new capital for the Spanish colony in Peru: Lima.
1542
King Charles V establishes the Viceroyality of Peru, making Lima the capital of a territory spanning from Colombia to Cape Horn.
1559
Design for new cathedral is completed by Spanish architect Juan Miguel de Veramendi.
1559
Native Quechua slaves begin constructing the Basilica Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption.
1654
The Basilica Cathedral of our Lady of Assumption is completed.
1668
The Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, a rival church in the Plaza de Armas, was begun in 1576 but suffered much more damage during the 1650 earthquake. The destruction allowed the builders to do a complete redesign and the result is a much more Baroque building than its counterpart.
1735
Iglesia del Triunfo is completed, replacing a small pavilion installed after the original church’s destruction.
1735
Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia is finished, marking completion of the final element of the present day complex.