Surquillo Explained

Surquillo District
Native Name:Distrito de Surquillo
Native Name Lang:es
Settlement Type:District
Mapsize:frameless
Coordinates:-12.1172°N -77.0206°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Peru
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Lima
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Lima
Parts Type:Subdivisions
Parts Style:para
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:July 15, 1949
Seat Type:Capital
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Cinthia Loayza
(2023-2026)
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:3.46
Elevation M:105
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:2023
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:PET
Utc Offset1:-5
Blank Name Sec1:UBIGEO
Blank Info Sec1:150141
Postal Code:15038
Website:munisurquillo.gob.pe

Surquillo District is a district in Lima, Peru. The district is bordered by the districts of San Isidro and San Borja on the north; by Miraflores on the south and west; and by Santiago de Surco on the east.

Due to its central position, Surquillo is a very commercially active district, havings several businesses, most of which are hardware and construction material shops. Some car selling companies as well as Corporación Graña y Montero, one of the largest Peruvian consulting companies, are located in the district.

Although Surquillo is completely surrounded by upscale districts, it is mostly a lower-middle class district with some working-class neighborhoods. The old town area of Surquillo is known to be dangerous and tourists are discouraged from walking there alone, as it is rife with thieves and gang violence. Nonetheless, some parts of Surquillo's residential area have lower crime rates and a higher standard of living, such as Barrio Medico, Calera de la Merced and Limatambo.

Also found Residencial San Pedro (across the park or Morococha "Paul Harris") located in block 13 of jiron San Pedro, which consists of seven parts.

Surquillo appears on the map as a general bow tie shape, being the combination of one trapezoidal area and the area of a triangle pointing down, with Tomás Marsano Ave. as their divider. The trapezoidal area is the old-town district, made up of nearly evenly spaced blocks, while the inverted triangle is the new district, made of mostly residential zones with curving streets and uneven spacing between blocks. In 1983, Surquillo lost more than half of its territory, as the district of San Borja was created in the northern part of the district.

Regarding gastronomy, in Surquillo there is a dish called "salchichaufa". It consists on the fusion of two other dishes: arroz chaufa (fried rice) and salchipapa (fries and sausages).

History

Small pre-Inca ruins, as well as a defense bulwark called Trinchera Nº 3 and located in Angamos Avenue that was used by the Peruvian Army during the War of the Pacific against Chile, can be found in Surquillo.

On 12 September 1992, the DIRCOTE carried out Operation Victoria, which resulted in the capture of Shining Path leader Abimael Guzmán, who was hiding in this district.[2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Estadística Poblacional - Ministerio de Salud del Perú.
  2. News: Peru marks 27 years of terrorist leader's capture . 12 September 2021 . Andina Agencia Peruana de Noticias . 12 September 2019.
  3. News: Abimael Guzmán desafió a sus captores al ser detenido en Lima . El Paais . 11 September 2018 . EFE . . 1134-6582 . es.