Author(s)

C. CUADRA

Abstract

The historic centre of Lima city, the capital of Peru, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988 by UNESCO. The high concentration of historic monuments constructed at the time of the Spanish pres- ence and at the beginning of the Republican era, contributes to originality and historic value of the site. Churches or convents are included in this area, and according to a list of Ministry of Culture of Peru there are 50 places considered religious monuments. As a contribution to improve urban security and safety against earthquakes, in this study, a procedure to investigate the seismic vulnerability of these churches is discussed. First, a general diagnosis of problems concerning the city and its buildings is proposed. Then a survey for preliminary evaluation of the structural condition of churches structures is planned. This evaluation of the seismic vulnerability of historic churches at the historic centre of Lima represents the basic study that is necessary to initiate detailed investigation for the preservation and conservation of these historic buildings. The study intends to establish a general guideline for vulner- ability evaluation of historic churches Lima Heritage Site and it could be applied to the evaluation of other historic cities of Peru.

Keywords

ambient vibration, architectural heritage, historic churches, Lima city, seismic vulnerability.