Jesús María is one of the most centrally located districts of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
. It is an
upper class
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...
, high-density district and it usually ranks in the top districts with the best quality of life in Peru with an HDI of 0.8372 (2019), only behind the districts of La Molina and Lince.
Jesús María is located 103 meters above sea level and bordered by the districts of
Pueblo Libre and
Breña District on the west,
downtown Lima on the north and east,
Lince District
Lince is a district of Lima Province in Peru. It is part of the city of Lima.
Officially established as a district on May 29, 1936, the current mayor (''alcalde'') of Lince is Vicente Amable Escalante. The district's postal code is 14. Until 193 ...
on the southeast, and
San Isidro and
Magdalena del Mar on the south. Until 1963, when it was made into a separate district, Jesús María was attached to
Lima District
Lima (), also known as the ''Cercado de Lima'', is a Districts of Peru, district of the Lima Province, eponymous province of Lima, Peru. It is the oldest district of the province and as such, vestiges of the city's Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish ...
.
History
In the pre-Conquest period, the area that is now Jesús María was part of the ''Curacazgo'' of Guatca. The lower end of the
Rimac valley was divided among several districts ruled by a lord (''curaca''), each charged with administering the lands and water along a pre-Inca irrigation network. The Curacazgo of Guatca followed the course of the canal known as the
Huatica river. After passing through what is today
La Victoria, the Huatica's main subsidiary canal coursed down what is today Salaverry Avenue in Jesús María
[''A la vuelta de la esquina'' TV show, episode on the Río Huatica. Air date unknown]
Available online
(Retrieved 5 May 2012) and, ultimately, reached the sea at Marbella in
Magdalena del Mar district.
In the Spanish colonial period the area's lands were transferred to Spanish and
criollo
Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to:
People
* Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system.
Animals
* Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America.
* Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...
landlords, becoming haciendas, such as Jesús María, Matalechuza, and Matalechucitas.
In the 20th century, as urbanization spread the area was made part of the
district of Lima.
In 1930 its inhabitants decided to formally organize themselves into the Jesús María neighborhood association. The following year they established the Pro-Jesús María District Civic Commission, with Mr. Enrique Mafuelo Caceres presiding.
[Municipalidad de Jesús María (2012)]
"Tu distrito"
. Online, posted 12 September 2012. (Retrieved 4 April 2013)
On December 27, 1955, Congress approved Law 14763, establishing the District of Jesús María,
(Retrieved 10 August 2018) but it was not put into effect. Eight years later, on December 17, 1963, President
Fernando Belaúnde Terry ratified the law and Jesús María District officially came into existence, although it did not have its own administration until the elections of November 1966, when José Benavides Muñoz was elected its first mayor.
Today, Jesús María is an upper class, highly residential district, home to 75,359 people. The district usually ranks in the top four districts with the best quality of life in Lima.
["The District of Jesus Maria"](_blank)
, a
Expat Peru
website. (Entry accessed 6 June 2014) The district's central location and proximity to
San Isidro and
Miraflores, have also contributed to it becoming an increasingly popular residential option.
Jesús María is experiencing a housing and construction boom, and many ''casonas'' (older large, luxury homes) are being replaced with high-rise apartments and condominiums. Some of the best preserved are those that have been adapted as businesses or government installations, such as the Jesús María City Hall.
Between Salaverry and Gregorio Escobedo avenues can be found the
Residencial San Felipe on the site of what was once the
San Felipe horse track. Commissioned by President
Fernando Belaúnde Terry, and designed by a team headed in part by architects
Enrique Ciriani, Jorge Páez, Jorge Bernuy, and Nikita Smirnoff Bracamonte, San Felipe was designed to combine a high residential density with ample green space, and shopping, banking, and schooling opportunities for residents, and is widely considered the cornerstone of Jesús María's middle-class identity.
[Pereyra, Omar. ''Contemporary Middle Class in Latin America: A study of San Felipe''. Lexington Books, 2015. .]
Landmarks
Important avenues which demarcate the boundaries of the district are ''Brasil'', ''28 de Julio''. ''Arenales'', ''General Salaverry'', and ''Faustino Sánchez Carrión'' (commonly referred to by its old name, ''Ave. Pershing''). Main avenues within Jesús María are ''San Felipe'', ''Gregorio Escobedo'', and ''Francisco Javier Mariàtegui''.
[Municipalidad de Jesús María]
''Mapa de Jesús María''
(Retrieved 29 August 2018).
San José Park -which serves a ''de facto'' main square for the district- marks the district's original "downtown". Its San José Church, with its twin neo-Gothic spires, has been a landmark of the district since its inauguration by the Carmelite Order in 1949.
, at website of th
Order of the Discalced Carmelites in Peru
(Entry retrieved 6 June 2014)
One of the largest parks in the city of Lima, El Campo de Marte, is located in Jesús María. It contains a monument to the War of 1942 fought between Peru and Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, the monument to a century of Japanese immigration, and the Eye that Cries, commemorating those killed and disappeared during Peru's internal conflict between 1980 and 1992. It is also home to the district's municipal sports complex. Nearby can be found the Ministry of Labor and Ministry of Health
The Edgardo Rebagliati Martins National Hospital (shared with Lince district
Lince is a district of Lima Province in Peru. It is part of the city of Lima.
Officially established as a district on May 29, 1936, the current mayor (''alcalde'') of Lince is Vicente Amable Escalante. The district's postal code is 14. Until 193 ...
) one of the largest and busiest health centers in the country. The district is also home to San Marcos University's Museum of Natural History, which was established in 1918 and houses important Peruvian fossils and the specimen collection of early Peruvian geographer and explorer, Antonio Raimondi.
Other important medical centers within the district are the private Clĺnica San Felipe, and the national Police and Military Hospitals.Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, the Embassy of Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
, the consulates of Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, and Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and the Papal Nunciature, are all also located within district.
See also
* Administrative divisions of Peru
The administrative divisions of Peru have changed from time to time since the nation gained independence from Spain in the early 19th century. The old territorial subdivisions have split or merged due to several reasons, the most common ones being ...
External links
*
Municipalidad de Jesús María
- Jesús María district council official website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jesus Maria District