It was here that Lima's Holy Inquisition sat from 1584 to the late 18C. The visitor enters into a sort of wax museum of torture (not recommended for small children). In the excavated basement you can see the old cells and their iron bars. Once Peru had ousted the Inquisition, the edifice became the seat of its first Senate (1829-1838). This more democratic and less gory Republican legacy is depicted in the second part of the tour.