Chorrillos is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

of the

Lima Province Lima Province is located in the central coast of Peru and is the only province in the country not belonging to any of the twenty-five regions. Its capital is Lima, which is also the nation's capital. Despite its small area, this province is the ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

and part of the city of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

. It gets its name from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word for "trickle of water". The district was founded as San Pedro de los Chorrillos and served as a deluxe

beach resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germa ...

until the late 19th century, when it was almost completely destroyed by

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

an forces during the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...

. The current

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Chorrilos is Augusto Miyashiro Ushikobo.

Geography

The district has a total land

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an op ...

of 38.94 km². Its administrative center is located 37 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. Morro Solar is situated in Chorrillos District. Map of Lima highlighting Chorrillos

Boundaries

* North: Barranco and

Santiago de Surco Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mira ...

* East:

* South and west:

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

Demographics

According to the 2005 census by the INEI, the district has 262,595 inhabitants, a population density of 6,743.6 persons/km² and 60,353 households.

Attractions

It is famous for its beach resorts at La Herradura, its restaurants, particularly the ''

picantería A picantería, is a traditional lunchtime restaurant in Peru, predominantly in and around the cities of Arequipa and Cuzco. Typical offerings of Arequipan cuisine include chicha corn beer made out of a locally grown black corn called Guinapo. Mea ...

s'' (specialising in spicy dishes). A

planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a Theater (structure), theatre built primarily for presenting educational entertainment, educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navi ...

(''planetario'') is located here, built on the Morro Solar. From Chorrillos, you can also enjoy a panoramic view of the bay of Lima and out to La Punta (Spanish for ''point'', ''headland'') and the San Lorenzo Island in

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Cal ...

History

The area around the Morro Solar was once a pre-Columbian town known as Armatambo. Following the

Spanish conquest of Peru The Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, also known as the Conquest of Peru, was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. After years of preliminary exploration and military skirmishes, 168 Spanish s ...

, however, the hillside settlement was abandoned (few fragments exist today, most in bad condition, some endangered to disappear) and forgotten, as the Indians began to move down to shore. The resulting town of San Pedro de los Chorrillos was officially established as the District of Chorrillos on January 2, 1857. The district's territory was the setting of important episodes in the

against Chile (1879–1883). The so-called

Battle of Chorrillos The Battle of San Juan, also known as the Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos, was the first of two battles in the Lima Campaign during the War of the Pacific, and was fought on 13 January 1881. This battle is really a group of smaller, yet fierce ...

took place in the fields of San Juan, about away from the town on January 13, 1881; but after the battle, the Chilean soldiers looted, sacked and set fire to the town of Chorrillos, raped the women and killed many civilians, including foreigners, children and women. There is a nameplate inside the Fire Station that remembers the names of the Italian firemen who were executed by a Chilean firing squad for attempting to put out the fires and save the civilian population. From republican times, only a select group of the large old houses have survived, as the majority were destroyed by Chilean invaders. The Chorrillos Military School was opened here in 1898.

Notable people from Chorrillos

Juan Jose Cabezudo ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

(died 1860) - chef * Famous

Peru national football team The Peru national football team represents Peru in men's international football. The national team has been organised, since 1927, by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF). The FPF constitutes one of the ten members of FIFA's South America ...

midfielder

Roberto Palacios Roberto Carlos Palacios Mestas (born December 28, 1972) is a Peruvian retired footballer who played as a midfielder. Palacios is Peru's record cap holder and played most of his career for Sporting Cristal, which was the team he started his caree ...

grew up in Chorrillos, and that is why he is nicknamed ''El Chorrillano''. * The Taekwondo Pan American Champion of Peru, Jean Carlos Gamarra grew up in Chorrillos and founded a Community Taekwondo Program for the impoverished children of "Delicias," a poor neighborhood of the district. His community program has gained the attention of Mayor Augusto Miyashiro and the Federación Deportiva Peruana de Taekwondo in the past. * The Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca is from Chorrillos. * The fisherman

José Olaya José Silverio Olaya Balandra (1789 – June 29, 1823) was a Peruvian hero in the Peruvian War of Independence. Biography The son of Jose Apolinario Olaya and Cordoba and doña Melchora Balandra.Pons 1981, pg. 129 He had 11 sibl ...

(José Silverio Olaya Balandra), (1782 - †1823), martyr during the struggle for independence and national hero, was born in Chorrillos. * The former Minister of Education Ramón Miranda Ampuero was born there.

Festivities

* June:

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

* October: Lord of Miracles

References

External links

Municipalidad de ChorrillosChorrillos.pe
- Information about Chorrillos {{coord, 12, 11, 11, S, 77, 01, 16, W, region:PE_type:adm3rd_source:kolossus-itwiki, display=title Districts of Lima 1857 establishments in Peru