Casa de Aliaga

This guide to Casa de Aliaga in Lima traces the house back to Captain Jeronimo de Aliaga, one of the Spaniards who stood at Cajamarca when Atahualpa was seized, and to the land Pizarro granted him beside his own palace in 1535. It follows the German-forged sword that crossed the ocean with him, disappeared for years, and eventually turned up again in Chile. You'll also hear about the sacred mound the house was built over, and the earthquake of 1746 that forced the family to rebuild it. Look for the sword roped off in the Tile Room, just past the courtyard fountain.