Summary The cane and adobe building that caught fire housed the original school, which opened in 1592
LIMA (AFP) - A fire severely damaged a 16th century university building in Lima on Wednesday, but spared a hoard of historic documents from Peru s colonial past, officials said.
The blaze caused the roof and walls of the Colegio Real Mayor to collapse but "no damage has been registered in the repository for historic documents," the National University of San Marcos.
Some 25,000 documents dating from 1551 to the 20th century are stored in the repository, including papal and Spanish royal documents establishing the university as the oldest in the western hemisphere.
The cane and adobe building that caught fire housed the original school, which opened in 1592.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
