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Bridge of Sighs

Puente de los Suspiros
Bridge of Sighs; Puente de los Suspiros
	The bridge in 2016
Coordinates	12°08′57″S 77°01′21″W / 12.14914°S 77.022624°W
History
Inaugurated	1876
Location

The Bridge of Sighs (Spanish: Puente de los Suspiros) is a wooden pedestrian overpass located between the Hermitage of Barranco and the Paseo Chabuca Granda (also known by its former name of Pasaje Zepita)^[1] in Barranco District, in Lima, Peru.^[2]^[3] It is one of the most visited tourist places in the historic district, and a meeting point for couples in love.^[4]^[5]

Overview

The bridge, 44 metres long and 3 metres wide, joins Ayacucho Street with the Paseo Chabuca Granda (the access to the hermitage of Barranco that runs up until it reaches Pedro de Osma Avenue),^[1] while, by joining the ends of the ravine and saving a height of 8.5 metres, the Bajada of the Baños of Barranco passes below (the road that leads to the district's beaches).^[6]^[7]^[8]

Due to the popular tradition that indicated the place as a meeting point for lovers and romances, the bridge became known as the bridge "of sighs".^[2]^[9]

History

The bridge was inaugurated during the municipal administration (1875–1878)^[10] of Mayor Francisco García Monterroso, on February 14, 1876.^[6]^[9]^[10] During the War of the Pacific, it was destroyed by Chilean troops passing through the place after being victorious in the Battle of Chorrillos on January 13, 1881.^[5]

In 1960, the Creole music composer Chabuca Granda dedicated the Peruvian waltz "El puente de los suspiros" to the bridge.^[6]^[11]^[12] Years later, the municipality of the district placed a monument to the singer next to the bridge.^[13]^[14]

In December 2014, after six months of restoration work, the bridge was reopened to the public. The investment for the job was S/. 10 million.^[15]

In the early morning of June 3, 2023, the structural integrity of a building built in 1911 located next to the bridge became compromised, causing a partial collapse of a section of a wall that faces the passage that leads to the bridge, leading to the closure of the area, including the bridge.^[16] Its reconstruction was soon announced.^[17]