Unlike almost every other town in Peru, Tacna’s main plaza is not called the Plaza de Armas because the city was never formally founded by the Spanish. It is studded with palm trees and large pergolas topped by mushroom-like flower domes. The plaza, famously pictured on the front of Peru’s S100 note, features a huge arch – a monument to the heroes of the War of the Pacific.
The arch is flanked by larger-than-life bronze statues of Admiral Grau and Colonel Bolognesi, chests puffed out like prizefighting roosters.
