Parque de las Leyendas, Zoo in San Miguel, Peru
Parque de las Leyendas is a zoo in San Miguel, Lima, managed by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima. Its grounds hold low sandy-coloured stepped ruins of the Maranga complex among lawns, palms and a paved plaza, and a yellow entrance arch reads "PARQUE DE LAS LEYENDAS" and "FELIPE BENAVÍDES BARREDA". The zoo is organised into coastal, Andean, Amazon and international zones.
The park opened in 1964 and received all animals from the former zoo in Barranco in 1970, including two Galapagos tortoises. Since then the site has grown into a complex that links animal care with archaeological findings.
The different zones display animals from Peru's three major climate regions and bring visitors close to the connection between nature and pre-Columbian sites. Pathways wind through Maranga ruins that sit among enclosures, showing how people lived here centuries ago.
The entrance sits on Avenida Las Leyendas and opens daily from morning until late afternoon. Visitors should plan several hours to explore both the animal areas and archaeological remains.
The name comes from Inca and pre-Inca legends illustrated by Sabino Springett on walls at the entrance; these paintings were removed around 2008, and only the texts remain in the Patio de Leyendas inside the Cultural Park. The park also keeps two Galápagos tortoises, Sansón and Job, each weighing about 220 kg, which arrived in 1963.
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