Casa de Correos y Telégrafos, Cultural heritage building in Lima District, Peru

The Casa de Correos y Telégrafos is a Beaux-Arts building constructed in 1897, occupying 6,537 m² near the Plaza Mayor. Its symmetrical facade centers on a clock and a bronze lion with its mouth open, devouring correspondence. A 1924 passage, Pasaje Piura, links jirón Camaná with jirón de la Unión and is lined with shops.

Construction was ordered in 1892 by President Remigio Morales Bermúdez to designs by architects Emilio Pazo and Máximo Doig, with Manuel J. San Martín and Eduardo de Brugada directing the works. President Nicolás de Piérola inaugurated the Beaux-Arts building on 31 December 1897. In the 1920s the post office expanded into the adjoining property, adding warehouses and vehicle access, and around 1924 a passage linking jirón Camaná with jirón de la Unión was built. It was declared a Historic Monument on 28 December 1972.

The building now houses the Museum of Peruvian Gastronomy, displaying exhibitions about the country's culinary traditions and food heritage. Visitors can explore how cooking and ingredients have shaped everyday life and identity across different regions of Peru.

The building is most easily accessed through the rear entrance on Pasaje Piura street, where small shops are readily available to browse. Visit during museum hours for full access to both the galleries and the retail spaces within the structure.

A bronze lion sculpture adorns the exterior of the building, depicted in the unusual act of consuming letters and correspondence. This artistic detail cleverly combines the postal function of the structure with creative representation.