Lima Mint, National Mint in Barrios Altos, Lima, Peru

The Lima Mint is a building at Jiron Junin 781 featuring colonial architecture with thick stone walls and Spanish design elements. The Central Reserve Bank of Peru maintains it and continues producing national currency using modern manufacturing techniques.

Philip II authorized the Lima mint by royal decree issued in Segovia on 21 August 1565; coining began in 1568 in a room of the Cajas Reales beside today's Government Palace. Closed in 1572 in favour of Potosí and reopened in 1581, it stopped striking in 1592. Charles II's decree of 6 January 1683 reopened it, and after the 1746 earthquake the building was rebuilt between 1748 and 1760.

The mint houses a numismatic museum where visitors can see historical coins and production equipment from different periods. These collections show how currency designs and manufacturing methods changed over time.

The building is located in the Barrios Altos neighborhood and is accessible by foot along Jiron Junin Street. Note that active production areas may have limited access for security reasons, while the museum housed within the building is open to visitors.

The mint's operations were interrupted repeatedly: closed in 1572 and replaced by Potosí, reopened in 1581, idle from 1592, briefly reopened in 1658 without royal authorization and closed in 1660, then authorized again by Charles II in 1683. In 1821 Viceroy La Serna fled Lima taking part of the machinery with him.