Which Spanish conquistador founded the city of Lima in 1535?

The Spanish conquistador who founded Lima in 1535 was Francisco Pizarro.

Pizarro established Lima on Peru’s central coast after the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire had begun. He first considered Jauja, a highland settlement, as a possible capital, but its elevation and distance from the Pacific made it less practical. The Rímac River valley offered fertile land, fresh water, a milder climate, and access to a coastal port without placing the city directly on the shoreline.

The foundation took place in January 1535. Lima was initially given the ceremonial name Ciudad de los Reyes, or “City of the Kings,” associated with the Feast of the Epiphany. The settlement soon became the political center of Spanish Peru and later the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. Its location helped Spain administer a vast territory linked to Andean mines, agricultural regions, and Pacific shipping.

Lima’s foundation did not mean the area was previously uninhabited. Indigenous communities, including the local polity associated with the ruler Taulichusco, occupied the Rímac valley before the Spanish arrival. Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago in Chile, while Hernán Cortés conquered Mexico; neither founded Lima.