Lima arriba - Lima abajo

Lima's sidewalks are a riot. To the municipal insistence in making pavements that are so smooth that any water can render them dangerously slippery, citizens respond by inscribing names, dates, tags and other signs and symbols that clearly say: “I was here”, turning each block of poured cement into a canvas for their self-expression. Meanwhile Limeños -the people of Lima- go about their daily business, walking on these same sidewalks. Lima above –this current moment, with its comings and goings, its trees, wires and oceans– and Lima below –a less obvious history that went on up until the minute someone etched themselves into the concrete- coincide on the surface and there by necessity and will find a way to coexist.