| Spain Avenue | |
| Namesake: | Spain Park of the Exhibition (former) |
| Junction: | Wilson Avenue, Alfonso Ugarte Avenue |
| Terminus A: | Paseo de la República |
| Terminus B: | Jirón Varela |
Spain Avenue (Spanish; Castilian: Avenida España), formerly known as the Avenue of the Exhibition (Spanish; Castilian: Avenida de la Exposición) and then as Alfonso XIII Avenue (Spanish; Castilian: Avenida Alfonso XIII) until 1931, is an avenue in Lima, Peru. It extends from east to west in the districts of Lima and Breña along 7 blocks. The tracks of the Metropolitano extend along its route between Paseo de la República and Alfonso Ugarte Avenue.[1]
The avenue's inception began in the early 20th century, as the city of Lima expanded westward.[2] The avenue's 3rd block begins at the site of the former Lima Penitentiary, today the Lima Civic Center.[2]
From the late 1940s to the early 1990s, the avenue's intersection with Garcilaso de la Vega was the location of the former U.S. Embassy[3] [4] until its move to Monterrico due to being targeted by the terrorist group Shining Path on several occasions,[5] as well as by the MRTA, who bombed the embassy on February 14, 1990.[6]
It starts at its intersection with the Plaza Grau and the Paseo de la República with a circulating direction from east to west. Between Paseo de la República and Avenida Garcilaso de la Vega, the avenue passes under a bridge, near the Civic Center. The 4th block of the avenue houses the art deco-style building of the Provincial Sub-Prefecture of Lima.[2]
The intersection with Garcilaso de la Vega is the location of the Clínica Internacional since the 1990s[7] and of the Casa Matusita, a house known for the popular belief of being of the paranormal type.[8]