45. I see Lima

I See Lima

I visit Bad Vibe Central, the dungeons of the Inquisition—now livened up with wax museum effigies of torturers and their victims. The museum guard is a misshapen man who seems to actually enjoy his job! The local chapter of the Masons donated some of the torture tools that are on display here. I don’t know how THEY ended up with them! Nearby is an old church, which houses the library of the Venerable Third Order of Franciscans. I’ll bet there is some fascinating reading in there!

Pizarro’s dried-up body is on display in a glass coffin in the National Cathedral. I pay my dime, go in and stand in a dark corner watching some aloha-shirted overweight gringo tourists do their thing.


PIZARRO

So, this is the machine that carried you, old horse.

I see they’ve wired your jawbone to your eye sockets—good thinking!
And some dried brown skin is holding on, drumhead tough.
But the hero’s lion on that touristy coffin looks damned heavy.
Was it all worth it?


“I’m bigger than he was!” Gloats the porky man in the pink shirt.

But it ain’t the machine, Bub, though you’d better stick to taxis.

It’s the driver!

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