Continuing with the stories and places of Lima, this time we are going to continue talking about a more interesting district of Lima, a district visited by many San Marcos like me in my time when I was studying at my beloved Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.
It is a place where we are going to find different points that today are a tourist attraction for all the people of Lima who pass through this area of the city every day through its main avenue, which is Marina Avenue.
This is one of the districts that has the fortune to have access to the sea within the districts of Lima, San Miguel is a district that was founded in the year 1920, it is about to turn 100 years old! And the years have not passed in vain as we will realize because the years have gradually changed the face of this district.
We are going to realize that San Miguel has a great legacy of Huacas and places of entertainment such as the Park of Legends. Who has not come to the Park of Legends as a child? Well, we are going to see each of these points and more throughout this article that I hope you like.
San Miguel is a point of commercial development for Lima, its name derives thanks to one of the archangels: San Miguel and today we can find a monument of him in the middle of La Marina Avenue with Elmer Facucett.
Throughout this publication referring to San Miguel we will be able to see the following points and topics:
- Its pre-Hispanic past through its Huacas
- Santa Maria Chapel
- The Half Moon Roundabout.
- Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
- Park of Legends
- The old home fair "calls you, calls it"
Plaza San Miguel shopping center
San Miguel is very important due to its location, because thanks to being between modernity and the past, today, for example, to go to the Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, all cars must pass through some part of its district territory, thus causing a whole commercial movement. that has lasted through the last years in a valid way.
Legacy for the people of Lima
San Miguel is a district with the great fortune that the park of legends will be created within it, that zoo with more than 53 archaeological centers, something that endures and amazes all its visitors who are generally from Lima with its sons.
Its prehispanic history
Since the first centuries of the time, different cultures have settled, such as the so-called Lima culture that is established throughout this Peruvian valley and that begins from the year 100 to the year 600, this culture designed its constructions with pyramids and with an important network of water canals.
After that, this area is welcomed by the Huaris, modifying the parts already built according to their own interests.
In the twelfth century, the decline of the Huari culture caused new manors to be created, such as the Ichmas manor, being the territory of San Miguel where pyramidal architectural complexes with their plazas at the entrance were built, for example there we have the Huaca Aramburu in front of the National University of San Marcos.
In the park of legends we can find as we saw more than 53 archaeological centers in its more than 2000 years of creation, calling this entire area the Maranga culture, among its Huacas we have the Huaca San Miguel, Huaca Tres Palos among many others.
The Curacazgo de Maranga was later absorbed by the Incas during the fifteenth century. This alliance was peaceful and bloodless, however, with the arrival of the Spaniards, history changed.
Thus, for example, the current district was divided into what were previously known as haciendas such as Pando, San Miguel, among others.
For a good part, the haciendas enjoyed an interesting development of the architecture of the 17th century during part of its territory in colonial times.
Holy Mary Chapel
Today we have within San Miguel a chapel known as Santa María with a rococo style and a light yellow and white facade where masses are currently held, it is a historical heritage of San Miguel that we must continue to value for the development of this district. prosperous and middle class.
Within the history of Lima, for example, it is known that milk was provided by the Maranga farm, which was located within the district of San Miguel, this no longer exists due to the development of the city and the arrival of modernity, because who could imagine that before there was a group of cattle within the city of Lima, hard to believe right? However, that's how it happened.
As we can see, San Miguel has passed through many farms throughout its territory, in addition to being a place of residence for many foreign and national immigrants, where little by little this part of Lima is being urbanized. Among them we have Federico Galeses, an Italian who came to San Miguel to build his own hacienda and somehow begin to be part of the urban development of the city of Lima within the district of San Miguel.
At the beginning of the 20th century, San Miguel was being projected as a spa, there, for example, we have the Parque de la Media Luna, where today the house of culture of San Miguel is also located.
The Half Moon Roundabout
San Miguel began to urbanize and become one of the most visited points by the people of Lima, such as the half-moon roundabout, which today is an icon and symbol of the San Miguel district since 1933, the predominant colors are light blue, red and white.
With the urbanization process underway, the water channels were used to supply the population of this new urbanization, the beautiful houses, swimming pools and facing the sea, but above all its proximity to the center of Lima, only about 15 minutes away. that would be through the tram.
Characters who passed through the district
The district of San Miguel was officially created on May 10, 1920, its territory was separated from the old district of Magdalena and its first mayor was Francisco Galese.
Little by little, the district of San Miguel grew and buildings were built that embellished the area, however, despite this, there were still agricultural areas throughout its territory, we can find in the district chalet-style facades, French, neoclassical and neo-gothic, among so many types of style that are silent along its streets and new homes: the buildings.
We also have different immigrant characters such as the Italian Juan Bertolotto who had a luxurious restaurant facing the sea and where the president of Peru at that time was one of the busiest, for example we can mention Augusto B. Leguía being a character who enjoyed of the carnivals that were held in this area of the San Miguel district, so we had the spa and the hotel, where a life with party and carnival was created in the 1920s.
Juan Bertolotto thus built a new focus for the tourist movement of Lima from the time of the last century, his baths were greatly favored with the arrival of the tram that no longer exists today. A pleasant and pleasant district that is very easy to access with this transport system that was being carried out.
Little by little, the area of Lima was urbanized as the coastal avenue along the current Costa Verde, and later La Paz Avenue, thus beginning to prosper with large houses surrounded by gardens where it even had this country air.
Important personalities such as presidents, writers among others have lived in San Miguel.
On the other hand, a curious fact that I can give you is that at some point in its history there was also a prison for women on Malecón Avenue and where the Tram passed.
Arrival of new limeños:
In the 1960s, the immigration problem in Lima increased considerably and several haciendas in San Miguel began to receive the new men and women from Lima, thus, for example, new popular neighborhoods were being born within San Miguel.
Catholic University of Peru
A special case is also that of the Pando estates where today the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru is formed, in its territory that was previously known as the Pando estate, territory donated by Jose de la Riveguero y Osma who was a man of great purchasing power. and who decides to give his territory to the current university in Lima.
The Catholic University was previously located in the center of Lima to later move to its current university campus very close to the National University of San Marcos, giving axis to the university avenue.
Park of Legends
Unfortunately, with the advance of progress, it also caused many archaeological sites to be lost, but many of these spaces could be rescued, such as what is now the Park of Legends, where not only can you find animals from the coast, mountains and jungle, as well as the section international, but also with a botanical area and its more than 53 huacas that are found in it.
It was called the park of legends since in the past the legends of Peruvian culture were shown through the history of the mountains, the sun, etc. This park was built during the time of President Fernando Belaunde Terry.
Within the park of legends one can tour the flora and fauna of Peru, in addition to being able to discover more spaces for the healthy recreation of each one of us, come to know it since here you will be able to discover many interesting things to have a good time in any weekend.
Home Fair, a past that no longer exists in San Miguel
In the history of San Miguel we also have the traditional Home Fair with its phrase "the llama calls you" something that I really do not remember much and that later, in the middle of 2003, had to disappear due to the problems that occurred in those times. , however a couple of years ago they tried to revive this home fair but to locate it no longer in San Miguel but in the district of Chorrillos, in its last edition I was able to come and I remember that I came to see Laura Pausini in one of his concerts within the city of Lima.
Plaza San Miguel Shopping Center
Over the years, San Miguel has been strengthening its commercial stamp, so we have the Plaza San Miguel shopping center since 1976, it is perhaps an ordinary shopping center, but the important thing is that it is a place that has remained in force through the years. years, in addition to serving as a model for the different new shopping centers that have been built throughout Lima and the Peruvian territory.
The Plaza San Miguel is strategically placed to welcome different Limeños from other districts in addition to the university students of Católica de San Marcos, even within the Plaza San Miguel it was a point visited by the former Pope John Paul II when in government the President was Alan Garcia in his first government, very close to the square there is also a monument that commemorates that event.
In San Miguel, the real estate boom of Lima has risen, where they combine with the mansions, in addition to having its beaches and being a point of connection with the part of uniting many districts with the airport, for many years it has not been given the enormous potential of its strategic location within the sea. What do we expect? We should be thankful that San Miguel has this traditional and wonderful architecture.
San Miguel is a discovery, it has pre-Hispanic, colonial and republican history, and today we can see the construction of green areas near the sea, we can find, for example, the gyroscope, a work that shows us the enormous potential that the district of San Miguel has. to continue developing.
In San Miguel we can find many good restaurants, for example passing the intersection of La Marina Avenue where this Plaza San Miguel is a well-known street where restaurants abound with the specialty of Chicharronerías and where they will be able to enjoy some delicious breads with pork rinds that are to suck your fingers.
I hope you have enjoyed this tribute to San Miguel, each district of Lima preserves, as we are seeing, a great legacy for its neighbors, Lima is not only the enclosure of Lima or Miraflores as many visitors who arrive daily in the capital, Lima. has many things to offer in its more than 40 metropolitan districts.
I hope that you come to know San Miguel and let yourself be carried away by its tourist attractions.
Best Tours in Peru
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- Half Day Cusco City Tour
- Qoyllur Riti Festival
- Apurimac River Rafting
- Inti Raymi and Machu Picchu Tour
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