In appearance and style, the Lima of the viceroyalty has been compared with Seville, except that its streets were broader and straighter than those of the Andalusian metropolis, and showed signs of greater activity. As the capital of the republic, the city has grown larger, more modern in appearance, and more western in atmosphere; yet there is still much of the charm of the past in the massive street doors, barred windows and Moorish balconies, or _miradores_, some of them built of mahogany and carved in handsome designs. The _portales_, arcades that extend along the sides of the plazas, forming a sheltered walk in front of the shops, and usually thronged with people, are a survival of colonial architecture. The old churches and convents retain the attractiveness of venerable edifices which have served as places of devotion for many generations. All these features are too charming to be dispensed with, and it is to be hoped that the necessities of modern improvement will not soon demand their destruction. What scenes are suggested by the beautiful Plaza Mayor! On the north side stands the government palace, once the palace of the viceroys, whose court was the talk of two continents during the rule of the Marquis de Cañete, the Duke de Palata, and the dilettante Prince de Esquilache; in its spacious salons gay festivals were celebrated by the Viceroy Amat and his courtiers. A short distance away is the site of the assassination of Pizarro; and, overlooking the plaza, from the eastern side, the great cathedral turns one’s thoughts back to those early days when its first foundations were laid by the Conqueror, whose remains it shelters. The archbishop’s palace adjoins the cathedral. On the western side of the plaza stands the city hall, both the western and southern sides being faced by handsome _portales_, above which are the balconies of the principal social clubs.