Quilca Book Market

This weekend Jorge and I ventured into Lima's historic district for a shopping trip. I love going to Lima Centro because the architecture is so striking, and the pace of life is completely different from other parts of Lima. There are food carts selling all kinds of things (eat at your own risk), street vendors selling everything from playing cards to screwdrivers, and all sorts of hole-in-the-wall stores selling amazing wares. Sadly, much of the district is dirty and the buildings are in disrepair. A few years ago, the city boarded up a much-loved theater and counterculture meeting place because the structure was deemed unsound.

Old-style architecture on Quilca boulevard

 Quilca boulevard is another beloved part of downtown, home to many secondhand and "informal" book markets and antique stores. I love reading fashion magazines and had been missing my fix since coming to Peru because magazines are prohibitively expensive here. In a bookstore, a current issue of Vogue goes for S/. 30! That's more than $8 and way more than I'm willing to pay. Even Peruvian magazines go for $6 and up. But the Quilca markets have outdated and secondhand magazines for as little as $1.

These shops aren't much to look at, but they have some fascinating things for sale. I saw Bill Clinton's memoir (in English), old Spanish language versions of Life magazine, vintage Penthouse magazines, and German erotica. I wasn't exactly looking for anything racy, however, so I headed for the stacks of back issues of fashion magazines. All in all, I got four magazines and Jorge got 2, all for under $15.

In between all the secondhand book markets, there are tiny antique stalls with really eclectic offerings. There were lots of old coins, some jewelry, and whatever else they thought might sell. My favorite was this troll wearing a Cusqueña beer shirt next to the Hulk fist.  This is why I love going downtown; you never know what you'll find!