Half a block north of the Plaza Mayor, the Casa de Aliaga has been lived in by the same family for almost 500 years — since 1535, when Jerónimo de Aliaga was granted the plot directly by Pizarro on the founding of the city. The house has been rebuilt and added to many times: today's structure is mostly 18th and 19th century, but the rear courtyard preserves part of the original colonial layout, and a few rooms still contain 17th-century furniture and paintings.
Aliaga descendants still live on the upper floors. The lower floors are open by prior arrangement (usually through a Lima walking-tour operator) — visits are not normally walk-in. The painted halls, family chapel, and antique collection are worth the effort for visitors with a serious interest in colonial Lima.