About the neighborhood
District of Lima, Peru
San Isidro is an upscale district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is located in the west center of the city, it has a few meters of coastline. Officially created on April 24, 1931, San Isidro, along with Orrantia and Country Club neighborhoods, was separated from Miraflores.
San Isidro has become a major financial quarter in recent years, as many banks and businesses left downtown Lima to set up their headquarters in modern office blocks. It is inhabited by mostly upper middle and upper-class families.
History
During the Viceroyalty of Peru, when the first land distribution was made, the Huallas region was awarded to Nicolás de Ribera y Laredo, founder of the City of Kings (Lima) and the Lima City Council .
In 1560, Antonio de Ribera, attorney general, mayor, and field marshal to Gonzalo Pizarro , brought the first olive trees that gave rise to the El Olivar Grove . This estate, before taking the name of its owner, the Count of San Isidro , who acquired it in 1777, bore the names of its previous owners, including Martín Morón, Pedro de Olavarrieta, Tomás de Zumarán, and Antonio del Villar. Its last colonial owner was Isidro de Cortázar y Abarca , Count of San Isidro and the first ordinary mayor of Lima .
In 1853, it passed into the hands of José Gregorio Paz Soldán , and finally, into the hands of the Moreyra and Paz Soldán family.
In 1920, the San Isidro Limited Urban Development Company was formed, entrusting the urbanization project to the sculptor and urban planner, Manuel Piqueras Cotolí, who conceived a varied and irregular plan with the aim of creating a picturesque neighborhood. He also hoped it would present an architectural appearance of some unity and character.
San Isidro has become one of the most dynamic districts, undergoing a process of urban development during the 1980s and 1990s, which turned it into the financial center of the city of Lima.
In 1997 the city was the site of the Japanese Embassy hostage Crisis
In March 2004, the 'Promenade of Nations'—a promenade lined with national flags—was inaugurated at Pershing Avenue.
Geography
The district has a total land area of 9.36km. Its administrative center is located at 109 meters above sea level.
Boundaries
North: Jesús María, Lince and La Victoria.
East: San Borja
South: Surquillo and Miraflores,
West: The Pacific Ocean and Magdalena del Mar.
For more than fifty years, its western border has been disputed with neighboring Magdalena del Mar. A judge ordered the councils of both districts to deposit the money of the affected areas' taxpayers in the National Bank of Peru until this long-standing conflict is resolved.
Demographics
According to a 2002 estimate by the INEI, the district has 68,438 inhabitants and a population density of 6,165.6 persons/km. In 1999, there were 20,598 households in the district.
Culture
San Isidro prides itself on being home to many Peruvian artists. A few museums, as well as the Wak'a Wallamarka, a pre-Inca burying temple which dates back to the 4th century where concerts and exhibitions are held occasionally, showing the cultural heritage of the district.
Notable residents of San Isidro have include painter Fernando de Szyszlo, former presidents Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Martín Vizcarra, and other politicians such as Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, José Antonio García Belaúnde, and Francisco Tudela, among others.
Landmarks
The second and third largest buildings in the country, the Hotel Westin Libertador and Begonias Tower respectively, are located next to each other, the latter belonging to the Grupo Brescia conglomerate. Other tall buildings, such as the T Tower, are also present in the district.
There are 15 Catholic Churches, synagogues and temples of other religions.
Lima's most important avenues (Javier Prado and Paseo de la República), intersect in the district.
The district serves as the financial centre of the country with a total of 21 bank headquarters and 50 agencies.
Monuments to Peruvian heroes and other world personalities (Gandhi, John Paul II, etc.)
58 embassies and consulates are located in the district, including those of Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica (honorary), Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, North Korea, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovenia (honorary), Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Uruguay.
Gallery
References
External links
(in Spanish) Municipalidad de San Isidro – San Isidro District Council official website
(in Spanish) PUCP – Centro Cultural – Cultural Center of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Encyclopedic content adapted from the Wikipedia article on San Isidro, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
