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The Casa de Osambela, also known as the Casa de Oquendo, is a building built during the colonial era of Peru. It stands on the site of the old novitiate of the Dominican fathers, destroyed by the earthquake of 1746, and part of the garden, facing the Calle de la Veracruz (today Jirón Conde de Superunda) in the historic center of the city of Lima. It is one of the largest mansions in the center of Lima and is notable for its wide façade and excellent quality balconies.
It is a late colonial building with a mixture of successive styles, its construction dates from the late-18th and early-19th centuries. It was completed between 1803 and 1805.
History
The land where the Casa de Osambela stands was owned by the Basilica of Santo Domingo and, in order to meet some payments and finish some works on the church that had remained unfinished, it was sold to the Spanish shipbuilder, banker and merchant Martín de Osambela,
The Oquendos were Basques and there were viscounts and marquises among them. María Rebeca de Oquendo, daughter of Don José de la Asunción Oquendo, was its last owner and on her death in 1941 the house became the property of the Caja de Ahorros de Lima. It was declared a National Monument in 1963. During the government of Juan Velasco Alvarado it was the headquarters of the National Tourism Company of Peru, which at that time was the official agency for tourism in Peru.
Through Law Decree No. 22677, published in the Official Gazette El Peruano on September 11, 1979, it became the site of the Centro Cultural Inca Garcilaso de la Vega where cultural institutions such as the Peruvian Institute of Hispanic Culture and the Hispanic-Peruvian Feminine Circle.
It was restored between 1982 and 1985 respecting its original color, which was indigo blue. It is the venue for cultural events, such as the Lima Photography Biennial, and others related to the life of the city of Lima. It is currently the headquarters of the Peruvian Academy of Language and the regional office in Peru of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture.
Façade
thumb|270px|On the façade of the Casa de Osambela it is possible to identify up to three different types of balcony.
thumb|270px|Façade
The façade of the Casa de Osambela is of Neoclassical and Rococo styles. It shows five balconies,