| The Savior Town District | |
| Native Name: | Distrito de Villa El Salvador (Spanish) |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | District |
| Mapsize: | frameless |
| Coordinates: | -12.05°N -77°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Lima |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lima |
| Parts Type: | Subdivisions |
| Parts Style: | para |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1971 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Cercado de Villa El Salvador |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Guido Iñigo (2023–2026) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 35.46 |
| Elevation M: | 143 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | PET |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | UBIGEO |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 150142 |
| Website: | munives.gob.pe |
The Savior Town District is an urban, largely residential coastal district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It borders the district of Chorrillos on the east; the Pacific Ocean on the southwest; Lurín on the southeast; Villa María del Triunfo on the east and San Juan de Miraflores on the north.
Villa El Salvador began in 1971 as a squatted pueblo joven (or shanty town) in the vast, empty sand flats to the south of Lima because of the urgent housing needs of immigrant families who had left the sierra of central Peru. A land invasion quickly created a town of 25,000 people. By 2008, it had grown to 350,000 people.[2] Villa El Salvador evolved into a huge urban zone, largely self-organizing, for which it won some fame. Largely through the efforts of its inhabitants, the neighborhood was supplied with electricity, water, and sewage.
Villa El Salvador served as the home base for the activist María Elena Moyano, who helped organize the Federación Popular de Mujeres de Villa El Salvador (Fepomuves), a federation of women, which grew to encompass activities such as public kitchens, health committees, the Vaso de Leche program (which supplied children with milk), income-generating projects, and committees for basic education. Moyano was killed by members of the Shining Path, which used Villa El Salvador as a base in Lima.
Since June 1, 1983, Villa El Salvador has been formally (by law № 23605) established as a district within the Lima Province. In 1987, the community received a Prince of Asturias Award in recognition of its achievements. Villa El Salvador is twinned with Rezé, France and, since 2006, with Tübingen, Germany.