SPIRE 2018 will take place in Lima, the capital of Peru. The area around Lima had already been inhabited for centuries when Spanish troops founded the city in 1535. In 1542 it was made the seat of the Viceroyalty of Peru, which contained most of Spanish-ruled South America, and in 1551 the oldest continuously-functioning university in the Americas was founded there. Lima is located on the Pacific coast and is famed for its beaches and cuisine. October is early spring and the temperatures are usually around 20 degrees Celsius or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, both highs and lows. There are direct flights from New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Mexico City, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam and many major cities in South America, and visitors from Asia and Oceania can arrive via Santiago de Chile, for example. The conference venue will be the Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC), winner of the inaugural RIBA International Prize for architecture and described by the Guardian as "Peru's modern-day Machu Picchu", across the street from the Museum of Modern Art and a 15-minute walk from the beach.