Stories: Stories

As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we catch up with Aracari specialist guide Luis Villacorta who talks about making the historic centre of Lima fun for kids and being star-struck by British nobility! Luis Villacorta - a passion for his hometown Lima With a lifelong passion for his home city, particularly the architecture in the historic centre of Lima and the relationship between the modern city and pre-Colonial times, it is an absolute pleasure to hear Luis talk about Lima and experience his expert guiding in Lima. Luis Villacorta, a professor of architecture, affectionately known to all as Lucho, met Aracari’s founder Marisol through a mutual acquaintance back in the mid-1990s. Marisol had recently founded Aracari and was on the lookout for people with special knowledge and interest in Lima to show guests the city from unique perspectives. Lucho, with his academic credentials and charisma, immediately fit the bill, and is one of Aracari’s top Peru specialists in Lima. Top Peru Specialists: A Renaissance man in Lima With an impressive academic background in Renaissance Architecture, Lucho has been invited to lecture and speak at universities in Spain, Italy and the United States and has published many articles on Spanish colonial religious and secular architecture in Peru and pre-Colonial architecture. His knowledge and insight on the subjects is astounding. Lucho is an expert on comparisons and perspectives. Having lived, studied and lectured in many different countries, he draws parallels between Lima and other places travellers have often visited, putting Lima into a much broader historical and social context. Lucho describes his work for Aracari as a ‘wonderful pleasure’. “It’s not like a job at all – I love sharing my passion and have met the most fascinating people.” He smiles as he happily shares some of his favourite memories with Aracari guests: Guiding