Where to find El Libertador’s Tree in Lima, Perú

January in Lima is a beautiful time for exploring. The temperature is comfortable, and school vacation gives the city a family ambiance.

I have already mentioned part of the adventure in a previous post about looking for Museo Larco after a trip to the National Museum via the blue line which I nicknamed the “magical” blue line because of its ability to disappear and reappear.

Meeting El Ombú

I meandered through a green space stopping to try and figure out the next direction, as the blue line had done a disappearing act in front of an iron fence.

I did not think about it then, but now I realize that I stopped because the shade the tree offered. Little did I know then that I was under “the tree of the beautiful shade” (“El árbol de la bella sombra”). It gave me a chance to stop and consider my next move.

Through the fence I looked at what I thought, at first, was a pile of stones in the shade of a tree. On closer look I saw that it was part of the tree, an incredibly gnarled lumpy trunk base in the middle of this parkette.

It seemed so stately and lonely. No other tree beside it. You could sense that this tree had a story to tell. It is one of the oldest and largest trees in the capital. Trees are silent story tellers, the more massive the girth the deeper the story.

What is El Ombu?

El Ombú is a Phytolacca Dioica, a “tree like” plant bush, native to South America, usually found in the Pampas grasslands of Argentina. An evergreen “tree” that is able to survive the dry spells of it native environment because it has the ability to store a massive amount of water. It is avoided by animals because its sap is poisonous.

It usually has an umbrella shape which provides shade from the elements. One of its interesting features is that it has separate plants with male and female flowers on each (dioecious).

Don José de San Martín, El Libertador de Peru

“You will be what you must be, or you will be nothing.”

Jose de San Martin, Protector of Peru

José de San Martín was born in Argentina and was one of two major figures in the South American fight for independence from Spain. Peru was liberated in 1821. Simon Bolivar is the other renowned figure in South American independence.

San Martin is a national hero of Argentina, Chile and Perú, so El Ombú has a very distinguished heritage.

He not only planted this tree, he planted the seed of freedom for this nation from its Spanish rulers. It is said that when he planted el Ombú, San Martín wanted to show that Peru was going to have a prosperous and natural growth like this tree.

Where is El Ombú

You will find El Ombú keeping watch over the people of Lima who pass through Parque El Carmen en Pueblo Libre. A calm place of greenery in Lima’s hectic space. For me, meeting el Ombú was a day of history, culture and experiencing.

The future of el Ombú

The local authorities are currently modernizing the park. On September 1st, 2020, the day of the Tree, El Ombú was declared a historical, cultural and environmental heritage site.

This means that there will be ongoing work to preserve and maintain El Ombú. As part of the local Pueblo Libre Flourishes program, there will be new lighting and irrigation systems installed as well as other updates to benefit the community and tourists who come to visit.

Now it seems the old sentinel will finally get his due.