Fluvial edge of viceregal Lima: historical cartography, GIS-based georeferencing and the reinterpretation of urban defensive heritage

Abstract This study reassesses the nature of the structures located along the southern bank of the Rímac River, within the present-day ‘Parque de la Muralla’, traditionally interpreted as a riverside section of Lima’s viceregal wall. Through an interdisciplinary approach integrating documentary analysis, georeferenced historical cartography, metric validation, and spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS), existing historiographical hypotheses are critically examined. The results demonstrate that these structures correspond to hydraulic tajamares —riverbank retaining and erosion control structures—rather than to a continuous military defensive element, and that the riverfront did not form part of the city’s defensive enclosure. This reinterpretation provides a more rigorous, evidence-based reading of Lima's historical landscape and highlights the risks associated with the uncritical use of scenographic graphic sources in the construction of urban heritage narratives.